It is important that your facility is up to code, structurally sound, and in good working condition right? Expansion joint repair might be on your facility’s to-do list when considering these concrete floor improvements. We have put together a comprehensive guide on concrete floor joints so that you understand their importance. You can also check out more information on joint repair here.
Types of Concrete Floor Joints:
Before – Damaged Expansion Joint
After: Properly Repaired Expansion Joint
Expansion Joints– expansion joints are the areas between 2 separate concrete pours. When a building is large, the concrete slab cannot all be poured and finished in a day and is done over multiple days. The spaces between these separate pours are called expansion joints. They are normally filled with backer rod, a foam filler, and then sealed with caulk. Caulk is flexible enough to allow the concrete to move due to thermal or ground settling changes while remaining in tact. However, over time and heavy traffic, the caulk can become dislodged and the concrete is susceptible to damage. If the caulk is replaced immediately, there should be no need for further repair, but once the concrete has been damaged expansion joint repair is required.
Control Joints– control joints are cut in the concrete to prevent the concrete from cracking. They are much more narrow and shallow than expansion joints, but pose the same risk of being damaged. They are filled full-depth ( no backer rod) with polyurea or epoxy. These fillers are not as flexible as caulk, rather, they are hard to prevent the concrete surrounding them from cracking or spalling. Keeping control joints filled is the best way to prevent concrete damage.
Preventative Expansion Joint Repair Work:
Filling expansion and control joints is the best way to prevent any damage from occuring. Further, once the expansion joint caulk or control joint filler is noticeably failing is the best time to take action. The price to repair expansion joints and control joints greatly depends on how bad the damage is. Preventative joint filling can cost between $1.50 and $3 per lineal foot, but once expansion joint repair or control joint repair is required, the costs can vary from $15 – $100 per lineal foot of joints.
Titus Restoration has decades of experience in concrete expansion joint repair, our crews are professional and work quickly to get your facility operating again. Contact our estimators for a free site evaluation today!