1. WATER SHRINKAGE CRACK

Concrete is created by mixing a bunch of different products together. Usually it’s a combination of water, cement and sand. However, not every mix is created equally. This means that if something is wrong with your mix at the beginning, it could ruin the entire concrete project.

Unfortunately, too often contractors add too much water to the mix, which makes it easier to apply but also more vulnerable to cracking, or leaving a void between slabs. The latest technology to fix this problem is with applying polyurethane foam into those voids. It’s easy, fast, efficient and affordable.

2. WEAK CONTROL JOINTS

Control joints are generally placed into the concrete during the the finishing process. Since the slab will eventually crack, contractors often try to control where the crack might appear. The contractors will spilt the slabs in a pattern shape using a hand jointer and a saw cutter tools, giving them the shape we’re all familiar with. By doing so, it will tend to crack in the weakest areas, which will be where it is the thinnest. This will result to leaving voids between the slabs, and eventually a gap in a level height that might results in a safety hazards regulations.

3. TEMPERATURE CHANGES

Concrete is just like any other material you learned about. It shrinks when it gets hot in the summer, and it expands when it’s icy and freezing in the winter. You’ve probably all seen it in your driveways or sidewalks, the slippery layer of ice sticking on the slabs. This layer of ice will make the concrete contrast in formation, making it more vulnerable to crack.

Hot temperatures will also results for the concrete to get cracked. In extreme hot weathers, the soil gets dried out of water and will sunken the slab down. This will result in leaving voids between the slabs making uneven and not on the same level.