Why is My Garage Floor Cracking?

When you first move into a new home, the garage floor should look beautiful. It hasn’t yet been marred by oil stains, and the concrete is unblemished, aside from the control joint that is included to help the concrete settle correctly as it dries and shrinks.

Over time, that nice garage floor will likely develop many more cracks, this time of the unintentional variety. This article will take a look at why those cracks happen, how they can be avoided, and what you should do moving forward to improve the condition of your garage floor.

There are multiple different reasons why a concrete garage floor may end up cracking over time. Some of the underlying causes are not particularly worrisome, while others may be indicative of a bigger issue.

As mentioned above, concrete will shrink as it dries, and cracking can happen in that process. A control joint is typically included to account for that factor, but sometimes it doesn’t do enough and other small cracks will appear. Typically, this type of cracking is minor and won’t get much worse over time.

In some cases, it just comes down to low-quality work on the part of the contractor that put in the floor. For instance, the concrete might not have been mixed correctly initially, the base may not have been prepared as it should have been, or they just didn’t make the slab thick enough to withstand the forces it would endure. Whatever the case, poor quality work is almost sure to lead to cracks later on.

It’s well-known that houses settle as the months and years pass after they are constructed. The sheer weight of the structure puts pressure on various joints and surfaces, and settling will occur. Often, you’ll hear noises around your home when it is settling, and it’s usually not a big deal. However, it can cause cracks to develop in the garage floor if the settling is significant enough.

If you are worried about how much settling is going on, and how much damage it is doing to your garage floor, it might be worth bringing out a contractor to inspect the situation and offer advice on how to proceed.

Cracks in a garage floor are generally minor and nothing to worry about. Sure, they don’t look good, and might be a little annoying when you try to sweep up, but those issues can be solved by adding a new floor coating to the concrete. If that’s an idea that you’d like to explore, reach out to OGI today to learn more.

The best time to think about garage floor cracking issues is before the concrete has ever been poured. If working on a project where a new floor will be created, you can improve your odds of getting lasting results by working with a trusted contractor. Of course, if your floor is already cracked, it’s too late to address any installation problems, but you can upgrade the floor to remedy those unsightly cracks and swap for a flooring solution that’s much more durable.

To leave worries about a cracking garage floor behind, turn to the experts at Ohio Garage Interiors to have a polyaspartic garage floor added in the space. These floors are available in a range of colors, are extremely durable, and are more affordable than you may expect. Explore your options for garage floor transformation with OGI’s advanced two-day polyaspartic process. Our team is excited to serve you!