Concrete Crack and Floor Repair in Dearborn, MI

Concrete crack and floor repair is part of almost every coating job we do in Dearborn, and sometimes it is the whole job. About 70% of Dearborn's housing was built before 1960, according to Census-based figures. Slabs that old have settled, dried out, frozen and thawed, and been patched by more than one owner. A coating over an unrepaired crack or a pitted surface will show every flaw and often fail along it.

Kinds of damage we repair

• Hairline shrinkage cracks: common in any slab, usually cosmetic, and easy to fill before coating.
• Settlement cracks: wider cracks where part of the slab has dropped. We fill and grind them, and look at whether the movement has stopped.
• Spalls and pop-outs: chips and craters where the surface has broken away, often near the garage door.
• Salt scaling and pitting: a rough, flaking surface from years of brine and freeze-thaw.
• Chipped control joints: saw cuts with broken edges from tires, carts or plows.
• Old patches: earlier repairs that have loosened or cracked around the edges.

When a crack is more than a crack

Some cracks are a sign of a bigger problem. HomeGuide notes that cracks wider than about a quarter inch can point to foundation issues, and HomeAdvisor lists foundation repair at $2,150 to $7,730 or more. If we see a crack that is wide, uneven across its length, letting in water, or paired with sticking doors or cracked walls, we tell you before we price a coating. In that case the right next step is a foundation contractor or structural engineer, not resin.

How we repair

We open cracks with a grinder so the repair material has room to grip, vacuum them, and fill them with a resin repair compound made for coated floors. Spalls and pitting are filled with an epoxy mortar or patching compound, then ground flush with the surrounding concrete. Joints can be filled flat, which looks clean under a coating, or left as joints and recut if the slab still needs to move. On badly scaled garage aprons we may skim the whole area before coating.

Low spots and drainage

Older garage and basement floors often have low spots where water sits. Some can be raised with a leveling compound before coating. Others are part of the slope toward a drain and should stay. We check with a level and a hose test when needed. Slab lifting by mudjacking or foam, which HomeGuide lists at $3 to $6 and $5 to $25 per square foot, is a different service for sunken slabs, and we will tell you if your floor needs it.

Repair without a coating

If you only want the cracks and spalls fixed, we can do that. The repairs will be visible on bare concrete because the patch material is a different color. Most owners decide to coat the floor once the repairs are done so the surface looks uniform, but it is your choice.

Why repair before coating

Resin coatings are thin compared with the concrete under them. They follow every bump, dip and crack. A crack left open will often show through, or the coating will split along it as the slab moves with the seasons. Filling and grinding first gives you a flat, continuous floor and fewer weak spots for water and salt to get under.