Filling Expansion Joints In Concrete Floor

The gaps in concrete are known as control joints or expansion and contraction joints and they are there for a substantial reason.

Filling expansion joints in concrete floor.

What is the best product to fill the designed expansion joints. Filling contraction and expansion joints after epoxy coatings or sealers. But with the expansion and contraction joints in place applying a finishing coat on the garage floor will still make it look like a bare mosaic of concrete slabs only with color this time. Like i said in the intro these joints allow concrete pads to expand and contract during freeze thaw cycles.

This can create an eyesore for some people plus make it more difficult to clean them out. These joints are placed in the slab as an allowance space for concrete expansion. Sometimes the contraction joints in a garage floor and the expansion joints around the perimeter of the floor can be very wide and collect a lot of dirt and debris. The joint is purposely placed in the concrete to allow it to move.

The concrete expands into the floor joints which relieves the pressure. Usually expansion joints are engineered in the floor at the time of construction but joints may be added at any time in the life of the floor. Joints are most effective when the aspect ratio of the slab is kept to 1 1 for example 5m x 5m if the slab is a narrower than it is long it is possible to increase this to a maximum aspect ratio of 1 5 for example 2m x 3m don t leave the placing of concrete expansion joints to chance and enlist the services of a structural engineer if several are required. I am finishing a basement.

Removing old material from a concrete expansion joint concrete expansion joints are also known as isolation joints. Joints in slabs that will not be subjected to heavy hard wheeled traffic can safely be left unfilled or sealed with a flexible sealer. What is an expansion joint. Without a concrete expansion joint your sidewalk or driveway would crack.

Temperature changes make concrete expand and contract. Most people will consider filling these joints first before the epoxy or paint coat is applied for a smooth seamless finish with no dents and grooves. Glue down lvt over concrete 11 year old concrete that is in like new condition. The tile instructions say a latex fortified portland cement product but if i use that the joints are no longer expansion joints.