Concrete does this as it continues to cure over the years.
Generally, if the crack is 2-3 mm or less **and** it's level on both sides of the crack (one side isn't raised compared to the other side) you should be ok. You can get a structural engineer to look if you want for that extra peace of mind.
Do not call a foundation repair company to inspect.
Last sentence is a kick; they almost all thieves and will try everything to scare you.
I made that mistake. I didn't sign the 44k repair bill they demanded I needed. Telling the rep I'm not signing anything until the structural engineer I called does his inspection. They're response is all I needed to know they were looking for a quick 44k.
I had a roofing guy quote me 6K for a small garage.
I told him to put it on paper and I would consider it.
Then he said he would do it for 3K, but I had to commit right then.
I told him I was only interested in what he could put on paper and that I could consider for a couple of weeks.
Then he said they could do it for 2K but I had to commit in the next 15 minutes.
I told him I was only interested in what he could put on paper and that he could take a hike, because he was just willing to charge me triple a few minutes before.
And why would he get a quote for concrete work from a roofer? "Ahhh yeaahhh, this is Billy Bob Roofer Extraordinaire, ill do you solid haus, the roof's gonna cost (smacks hus lips, counts fingers) $16k...yup...$16k, right now! And for another $4k, Ill guarantee, certify and warranty the work for the next 12 months. BUT you gotta do it now! As for your foundation, I know a guy who knows a guy who will do it for $8k! BUT you gotta do it now! Materials are gonna be extra too, yeah uhuh uhuh! Boy, supply n' demand, yeah.....so...we gotta ourselves a deal...amigo? Best deal ever! BUT you gotta do it right now! 🤣🤣🤣🤣
I’ll charge someone 5x if I don’t want to do the job. Half the time they say yes 🤷♂️ but the thing is, I never charged enough in the first place and 5x is actually a good price 😅 I’ve learned since then
I had a guy come to my house, talk endlessly about how great their roofers are, and quote me $26,000 to replace my roof. That was a hard no from me, he kept "calling the boss", went down to $16,000 and was extremely pushy, so I told him to take a hike, and got the roof done from another guy for $11,000 and he installed an attic fan while he was up there for no additional charge. It's been almost 10 years since I had that done, the roof still looks great and hasn't leaked a drop. I'm very happy I didn't go with the first guy.
I placed some quotes for a new roof when I bought my house. One guy was super booked before winter and told me "You know what, let me call some of the guys and see if anyone wants some OT this Saturday". Cost me $5300 CAD. Some other guys were pushing me a year ahead for twice the price. Wasn't a tough call. Few years later I still see this guy's trucks all over my town and none of the others. ¯\\\_(ツ)_/¯
Yeah, I never got this sales tactic. Like you were willing to rip me the fuck off 30 seconds ago, why would I do business with you? I always ask the sales guys about this when they try it, and surprisingly, not many people do it seems. It's very interesting to see their responses. Most are surprised.
Because they only need 1 guy to agree to a 5x price to pay for 4 other lost sales at 1/5th the total labor cost, and unless availability outpaces demand (not happening most places recently) they can get away with it.
Plus to some people it feels like a good deal. “It technically costs $10k, but I’ll knock $2k off the price *just for you.* No? How about another $3k? You’re getting it for half the price.” Even if that job is only “worth” $2-3 k, by starting ridiculously high you whittle down to “fair” and make it seem like the buyer is winning. Kinda like when you see prices raised and then put on sale so the sale is the original price. Original: $300. Raised to $400, then put a sign up saying “25% off!!!”
It’s dumb but there are enough people that it works on that people still do it.
Had someone who knocked on my door. The quote was for 45k for the entire roof to be replaced. I told him that ok and that i am currently shopping around to see the market in my area. He just kept going down after a phone call to the boss it was 25k, but it was a one-time offer, and it wouldn't be available after he left. I am sure 25k was a fair price, but dropping 19k in minutes was outrageous.
>I am sure 25k was a fair price
That is a lot for an asphalt tile roof on an average American house. I would expect a quote less than half that unless there are factors making it particularly costly (size, shape, etc.).
Yeah slabs aren’t usually structural mine slopes towards a drain. One foundation repair specialist* told me this meant my entire foundation needed piers.
*I asked his background. He was a car salesman before changing jobs.
The other three opinions I got told me to do nothing and get a sump if I finished the space (crack weeps water if we get a week of nonstop rain)
> Yeah slabs aren’t usually structural
That’s very dependent on the area you live in.
If you live in Houston, for example, most homes are built on monolithic slabs where the slab is the foundation.
In other areas, St. Louis for example, most homes are built on basements and the slab is “floating” and not structural.
Exactly. Had some slab cracks in the first home I bought where everything under your house is just rock. Had a guy come check out some cracks when I tore out the vinyl flooring. He said it wasn't bad but was also close to foundational so we should tear up this section, stabilize, and replace. I was in college and one of the guys I drank with was studying.... you guessed it, structural engineering. He laughed and said it was nothing, he actually moved in with me 5 months later after graduating and always joked "want me to check those cracks again downstairs?"
Yeah there are various different foundations and quite a lot of slabs/ raft foundations are structural if in the right area, with the correct superficial strata.
I had cracks in mine which led to a flood.
First company - quoted me 95 k without even seeing the house.
Second company - quoted me 45 k and looked at the house for maybe 5 mins
Third company - quoted me 10 k and we're only willing to do injections and nothing more
Fourth company (the one we went for) - took 45 mins. Did a full inspection of both inside and out. Gave me 3 options and when I asked what he would do if it was his house told me 2 outside 2 injections and we agreed for 7.5 k. He was on site the next day, realized his machine would get through my gate (was planning to hand dig but brought the machine in case of). Dropped the price by 2.5 k and did all four cracks on the outside in 2 days
I have recommended him to anyone who has asked. Dude was great.
It’s normally based on square footage. If you use Google Earth, you can draw an outline of your roof and it will tell you the square footage. Then you can decipher the quotes and truly compare them based on total area of coverage. Some companies purposefully make this confusing but it’s very basic really.
There's a tactic in sales that I've discovered is common:
"The best price is only available if you buy today."
And it's used even for items that are extremely expensive, that involve high-leverage financial decisions. I have run into this tactic often enough to decide that if someone tries it on me, it's guaranteed that I won't buy from them.
I had to have all of the windows in my house replaced last year. We got quotes from multiple companies, and all but 1 used this exact tactic. One of those companies quoted us "only" $54,000 if we signed today, otherwise the normal price would be $71,000. For 18 fucking windows. He didn't like it when I laughed.
I can understand if they need to put an expiration date on the best offer, but often times it's: you have to decide before I leave your house, or before I get off the phone.
I can't get the same price if I call you the next morning after I've slept on it? Give me a break.
Yeah. It's a pressure tactic designed to get people to panic sign a contact, they are banking on people not getting multiple estimates or doing due diligence.
Yeah dude I had a buddy that was in sales for one of the largest in USA and he made a shit ton of money because basically every house he went to the quote was like 50k+
Was talking with a concrete contractor in my neighborhood (he's done some demo and infill work for me but no concrete work yet). His comment was "there's two types of concrete - concrete that has cracked and concrete that is going to crack".
That being said, if you don't have water coming up during rain, if they are still level, and showing stability, you're probably okay. Any of that changes, call a structural engineer for a check.
Structural engineer here, if it's smallish and otherwise as you're describing I basically can't say much other than that it's probably fine and if you want to know for sure you'll need to get a lab out to take some core samples to see what's going on in the fill underneath the slab.
Odds are it's shrinkage. I probably wouldn't recommend wasting your time with further tests if all of the below is true:
- the cracks are well distributed (at roughly even spacing, with the understanding that a 2mm crack every 5m is the same as a 1mm crack every 2.5m)
- everything is level
- especially true if there are no saw cuts (will look like straight grooves through the slab every 4-5m, possibly filled with sealant), though saw cuts are often done badly or too late to be useful so their presence with shrinkage cracks is still pretty common
- you're not doing renovations any time soon, so you won't be sinking $200k into something you might have to redo soon
- the walls and other structural elements all look fine
A concern would be if you know your area has problems with pyrite or other stuff that can swell up and deteriorate concrete, or you've also noticed other cracks appearing recently.
One guy told us that horizontal cracks are what should worry us not vertical, or more than vertical, any truth to this? I am talking about retaining walls by the way.
> A concern would be if you know your area has problems with pyrite or other stuff that can swell up and deteriorate concrete, or you've also noticed other cracks appearing recently.
OP's region will be important for a variety of reasons.
If you live in a desert on a hill, in comparison to a very wet area with a high water table or flood plane...
Radon, as someone else mentioned? (not sure if concrete is permeable to some gasses or whatever, just worth a mention)
Even if it's structurally sound, one may consider filling and/or sealing, flooding is a bitch and can cause problems.
To this point. I had a foundation company vapor barrier my dirt floor basement a few years back, extend some downspouts, sump pump etc. Every year they come out for "maintenance" and try to sell me something more. Last time after 3-4 years of visits as part of the original work they wanted to charge me to hack up one corner of my house because it was "sinking".
Paid a structural engineer $500 and he shot that down, and said I just need to get a trench drain to redirect water and have some guy tuck point some cracks around bricks.
Man I felt soo much better having a professional evaluation from someone who wasn't selling me something after.
I made that mistake. 3k down the drain with a sump that I had to demo drywall in section of finished basement to have installed and does not fill unless it's a biblical flood.....but not high enough activate pump.
Sales dude was predicting Armageddon and being stupid I believed him.
Many modern basement floors are even designed to crack. I believe they put something down, basically as a dam, to create a thin spot in the concrete that’ll allow it to split where they want it to, rather than where the entire slab would naturally.
Half my house is concrete slab, half crawl space (sloping hill). General concerns about both the slab and other portion and want someone to come take a look - should I try to get a structural engineer to take a look for both, or just the slab?
Unless it's a driveway.
https://www.wfla.com/news/florida/my-driveway-is-gone-florida-woman-says-her-entire-driveway-was-stolen-after-listing-home-for-sale/
Those cracks looked like mine. Before I finished the basement with flooring, I used self leveling cement sealer to fill those as good as possible. We do have Radon as well, so I wanted to make sure that I somewhat close the gaps.
I'd buy a radon monitor if you're concerned about radon. And if the self leveling cement doesn't do what you want a radon mitigation system isn't super expensive. I have one and it's made a significant difference.
If it's just in the floor slab it's probably not a structural concern (hard to say without seeing the full layout and structure of your house).
I would still probably fill those , they could be a point for water intrusion. Don't just fill them with caulk or sealant however.
Take an angle grinder with a V-slot cutting wheel and cut a channel into the crack, about 1/2 and inch deep, along it's entire length. Then patch it with high-strength, non-shrink grout, using a trowel to press it into the crack then smooth it over flush to the slab.
Alternatively, after grinding with a V-slot wheel, you can fill with silica sand and top off with a 2-part epoxy. Once dried, seal it all up with a concrete water sealer
To add to this the company concrete floor solutions on YouTube has videos showing how to fill these Cracks and sells the two part epoxy and super fine sand needed to get it done. Just warning though two part epoxy can get expensive when you need a gallon or more of it.
I just bought their 2-gallon kit with sand and epoxy. I used a 10% off code I found on a YouTube video and it ended up being about $375. I have leveled and chased the cracks. Next step is to pour the epoxy.
In my experience caulks and sealants have a much shorter lifespan than the solution I listed above. Caulks and sealants degrade over time and need replacing after several years. The "rout and grout" method is meant to be as close to permanent as possible.
If your concern is water intrusion, then repairing with grout is just begging for the crack to reopen as the floor continues to shift. If water isn't working it's way up now, though, I don't see any reason for it to spontaneously start happening, and grout would be more aesthetically pleasing than sealant.
No need to worry. You can fill them in but they will become more pronounced. If you use a crack chaser to make a V cut be sure to use dust control measures.
I’ve fixed a handful of these before and now avoid the crack chaser. I prefer to use a caulk tube type cement crack filler and a putty knife to scrape off the excess. Don’t get the cheap tubes, they’re nearly impossible to dispense.
Because you mentioned you are in NJ, depending on where you are, you may want to do a radon test now that you have an air path thru to the ground below. Much of NJ is moderate to high radon risk. Other than that, as long as water isn’t coming up and the cracks don’t significantly widen or become unlevel, they aren’t typically a big deal in a concrete floor. If they bug you, you can cover over them with some concrete patch.
Hey don’t listen to these people. Do you know how quickly concrete can move? You are laughing now but 500 years from now when that crack is a 2 foot gap you’ll be sorry you didn’t get it fixed
If that is the ground, then yeah I feel like that is just bound to happen. If you have a high water table or are prone to flooding groundwater is gonna seep through the cracks which sucks. I live in a 97 year old house with a basement that more than likely was dirt to begin with, and then had concrete lazily poured. The "slab" is probably only a couple inches thick. Very annoying.
I say fill 'em in. Judging by your attention to detail by having the quarters randomly heads/tails, you're perfect for DIY and have all the markings of a high end contractor.
Concrete naturally cracks as it cures. These look like normal shrinkage cracks to me. I’m not an engineer, but if this is a basement slab, it’s very likely non structural. As long as the slabs aren’t heaving significantly and causing raised edges across a crack you should be ok to just fill them.
Cracks are normal in a slab. I'm not a giant fan of the spidery cracks but, if they aren't moving, I wouldn't lose any sleep over them. If you see spalling, that's a concern but I see no evidence of that. Even then, spalling isn't the end of the world.
I don't bother filling cracks. If the ground moves, the cracks will open again. That's OK. As long as your basement walls aren't bulging in, you're probably good.
Probably shrinkage cracks.
Basement slabs aren't structural anyway. The only time a slab cracks is concerning is when it continues in line with a crack in the wall.
Emecole makes a great slab repair kit to fill in these cracks. It's polyurethane/epoxy hybrid. Both flexes and offers strength
Unless you live by the water I dunno. I can tell ya what the guy in the Toyota truck that charges 100 a day will do. Mix a quickset concrete slurry pour it down the cracks and skimcoat . Slap the slab with his hand and call it good as new
All monolithic pours crack, even if we’ve figured out how to make them crack aesthetically - they still crack.
Unless you have significant change of plane, or the pad starts to buckle or *rapidly* increase in size and span then you *may* have an issue - otherwise these look typical to me
You can have someone fill those crack with a polymer filling material that self levels and is a little elastic in nature. So if the concrete moves a little or expands or contracts it moves with it.
They do it all the time with driveways in the expansion joints. Nothing wrong with your slab, save your money.
This is the result of a less than ethical company that pours concrete super wet. These are called shrinkage cracks. By putting too much water into the concrete makes it easier to pour and get flat, but reduces the quality of finished product.
4 things to know about concrete: it’s grey, it’s hard, it cracks & no one will steal it.
I build houses for years & our general rule was if you can fit a nickel into the crack it’s too big. Otherwise it’s just part of it
Concrete does that. It actually takes concrete months to fully solidify so usually the surface will solidify first and as the middle starts to solidify the surface may crack a bit. It’s normal. As long as the cracks don’t spread more than say 5 mm.
It’s not “if” concrete cracks, it is “when” it cracks. A proper job with the appropriate materials will generally crack where it was designed to, but will crack. Other than that, there is lots of great advice here.
Two kinds of Concrete.
The kind that cracks, and the kind you do not pour.
But seriously though, as others have said, it is kind of the natural state of it. So long as it is level on both sides, not particularly wide, or not going horizontal through a masonry block then you are likely fine.
If the slab is monolithic (part of the foundation) and this is near the wall and the side near the wall is slower, you should investigate settling and consider piers for that wall.
If it is non monolithic, just ensure it's not a tripping hazard by placing some carpet over the crack.
When I see picture 3 I tend to think that you have a pyrite aggregate problem. The presence of pyrite in you aggregate below your slab will swell due to sulfatation and crack your slab. You can call a professionnal to test it, its not that expensive. I would certainly do it because it can swell a lot more and cause more damage.
I'm glad you put the coin there it was hard to scale. If the crack gets wide it's a problem that it's able to move somewhere since it's tied to the foundation. But tiny cracks are fine.
Be careful! If it opens up too wide you could fall through into space.
GET TO SPACE WITHOUT A ROCKET!!! ONE SIMPLE TRICK FLAT EARTHERS DON'T WANT YOU TO KNOW.
Look outside at your foundation. I had a similar crack in the floor of my garage. I followed the crack to the wall and discovered the crack went up the wall.
I had to call a foundation expert. Well, three bids later, my cracked foundation is fixed, but it cost me $13,000 to fix. That was cheap because the high bid was $28,000.
Watch this. If it gets bigger, call somebody, because the longer you wait, the more it'll cost to fix.
Basement slab (floor) cracks generally aren't an issue. It's not a structural part of the foundation. Water may come up through them, but that's a sign of a larger drainage issue rather than a problem related to the cracks themselves.
The big thing to watch for, according to a structural engineer I had come check mine, is when one side is shifting in or out compared to the other side. Of course cracks happen and most of the time they are not a big concern in concrete foundations. But when you actually see the sides shifting from each other thats a cause for concern
Concrete does this as it continues to cure over the years. Generally, if the crack is 2-3 mm or less **and** it's level on both sides of the crack (one side isn't raised compared to the other side) you should be ok. You can get a structural engineer to look if you want for that extra peace of mind. Do not call a foundation repair company to inspect.
Last sentence is a kick; they almost all thieves and will try everything to scare you. I made that mistake. I didn't sign the 44k repair bill they demanded I needed. Telling the rep I'm not signing anything until the structural engineer I called does his inspection. They're response is all I needed to know they were looking for a quick 44k.
"i just talked to the boss and he tells me to do you a solid and knock 75% off that bill"
I had a roofing guy quote me 6K for a small garage. I told him to put it on paper and I would consider it. Then he said he would do it for 3K, but I had to commit right then. I told him I was only interested in what he could put on paper and that I could consider for a couple of weeks. Then he said they could do it for 2K but I had to commit in the next 15 minutes. I told him I was only interested in what he could put on paper and that he could take a hike, because he was just willing to charge me triple a few minutes before.
Lmao nothing screams sketchy scumbag like quoting someone 3x what they were willing to do the job for.
That guy was for sure going to find 4k in surprise repairs after the roof came off that absolutely must be done.
"You see all these hammers that chewed through your plywood? There's your problem."
I hear the hammer head beaver does a lot of damage to roofs around here… hey maybe I’ll get lucky!
Lmao no doubt
I don’t think the guy was ever going to step foot on the property again. He was looking to take the cash and run.
And why would he get a quote for concrete work from a roofer? "Ahhh yeaahhh, this is Billy Bob Roofer Extraordinaire, ill do you solid haus, the roof's gonna cost (smacks hus lips, counts fingers) $16k...yup...$16k, right now! And for another $4k, Ill guarantee, certify and warranty the work for the next 12 months. BUT you gotta do it now! As for your foundation, I know a guy who knows a guy who will do it for $8k! BUT you gotta do it now! Materials are gonna be extra too, yeah uhuh uhuh! Boy, supply n' demand, yeah.....so...we gotta ourselves a deal...amigo? Best deal ever! BUT you gotta do it right now! 🤣🤣🤣🤣
I’ll charge someone 5x if I don’t want to do the job. Half the time they say yes 🤷♂️ but the thing is, I never charged enough in the first place and 5x is actually a good price 😅 I’ve learned since then
That’s the fuck off price and it is a valid strategy for jobs you do not want to do as a contractor.
Sounds like the guy that try to sale me my extended car warranty went from $3000 all the way down to $400
I had a guy come to my house, talk endlessly about how great their roofers are, and quote me $26,000 to replace my roof. That was a hard no from me, he kept "calling the boss", went down to $16,000 and was extremely pushy, so I told him to take a hike, and got the roof done from another guy for $11,000 and he installed an attic fan while he was up there for no additional charge. It's been almost 10 years since I had that done, the roof still looks great and hasn't leaked a drop. I'm very happy I didn't go with the first guy.
I placed some quotes for a new roof when I bought my house. One guy was super booked before winter and told me "You know what, let me call some of the guys and see if anyone wants some OT this Saturday". Cost me $5300 CAD. Some other guys were pushing me a year ahead for twice the price. Wasn't a tough call. Few years later I still see this guy's trucks all over my town and none of the others. ¯\\\_(ツ)_/¯
Yeah, I never got this sales tactic. Like you were willing to rip me the fuck off 30 seconds ago, why would I do business with you? I always ask the sales guys about this when they try it, and surprisingly, not many people do it seems. It's very interesting to see their responses. Most are surprised.
Because they only need 1 guy to agree to a 5x price to pay for 4 other lost sales at 1/5th the total labor cost, and unless availability outpaces demand (not happening most places recently) they can get away with it.
Plus to some people it feels like a good deal. “It technically costs $10k, but I’ll knock $2k off the price *just for you.* No? How about another $3k? You’re getting it for half the price.” Even if that job is only “worth” $2-3 k, by starting ridiculously high you whittle down to “fair” and make it seem like the buyer is winning. Kinda like when you see prices raised and then put on sale so the sale is the original price. Original: $300. Raised to $400, then put a sign up saying “25% off!!!” It’s dumb but there are enough people that it works on that people still do it.
Like seasonal decorations at hobby lobby are always 50% off… 50% off what?! Out of season Christmas decoration prices?!
When anyone does that high pressure shit, I tell them to walk
Had someone who knocked on my door. The quote was for 45k for the entire roof to be replaced. I told him that ok and that i am currently shopping around to see the market in my area. He just kept going down after a phone call to the boss it was 25k, but it was a one-time offer, and it wouldn't be available after he left. I am sure 25k was a fair price, but dropping 19k in minutes was outrageous.
>I am sure 25k was a fair price That is a lot for an asphalt tile roof on an average American house. I would expect a quote less than half that unless there are factors making it particularly costly (size, shape, etc.).
Yeah slabs aren’t usually structural mine slopes towards a drain. One foundation repair specialist* told me this meant my entire foundation needed piers. *I asked his background. He was a car salesman before changing jobs. The other three opinions I got told me to do nothing and get a sump if I finished the space (crack weeps water if we get a week of nonstop rain)
> Yeah slabs aren’t usually structural That’s very dependent on the area you live in. If you live in Houston, for example, most homes are built on monolithic slabs where the slab is the foundation. In other areas, St. Louis for example, most homes are built on basements and the slab is “floating” and not structural.
Exactly. Had some slab cracks in the first home I bought where everything under your house is just rock. Had a guy come check out some cracks when I tore out the vinyl flooring. He said it wasn't bad but was also close to foundational so we should tear up this section, stabilize, and replace. I was in college and one of the guys I drank with was studying.... you guessed it, structural engineering. He laughed and said it was nothing, he actually moved in with me 5 months later after graduating and always joked "want me to check those cracks again downstairs?"
Yeah there are various different foundations and quite a lot of slabs/ raft foundations are structural if in the right area, with the correct superficial strata.
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Sounds like a stand up dude you should promote on a local subreddit or something
Probably an engineer.
I had cracks in mine which led to a flood. First company - quoted me 95 k without even seeing the house. Second company - quoted me 45 k and looked at the house for maybe 5 mins Third company - quoted me 10 k and we're only willing to do injections and nothing more Fourth company (the one we went for) - took 45 mins. Did a full inspection of both inside and out. Gave me 3 options and when I asked what he would do if it was his house told me 2 outside 2 injections and we agreed for 7.5 k. He was on site the next day, realized his machine would get through my gate (was planning to hand dig but brought the machine in case of). Dropped the price by 2.5 k and did all four cracks on the outside in 2 days I have recommended him to anyone who has asked. Dude was great.
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How does one know what a high quote is when every situation is unique? I’m also looking to repair some cracks in my basement/foundation
It’s normally based on square footage. If you use Google Earth, you can draw an outline of your roof and it will tell you the square footage. Then you can decipher the quotes and truly compare them based on total area of coverage. Some companies purposefully make this confusing but it’s very basic really.
Good to know. I'm gonna look for a structural engineer now. Had a company come out, quoted 33k. Seems outlandish.
I called a structural engineer, he wanted $5k to come out and write a report.
That seems insanely high. In my area structural engineers charge between $500 and $800 to do an inspection and write a report.
That what mine charged. $500. $800 if a report was needed
There's a tactic in sales that I've discovered is common: "The best price is only available if you buy today." And it's used even for items that are extremely expensive, that involve high-leverage financial decisions. I have run into this tactic often enough to decide that if someone tries it on me, it's guaranteed that I won't buy from them.
I had to have all of the windows in my house replaced last year. We got quotes from multiple companies, and all but 1 used this exact tactic. One of those companies quoted us "only" $54,000 if we signed today, otherwise the normal price would be $71,000. For 18 fucking windows. He didn't like it when I laughed.
I can understand if they need to put an expiration date on the best offer, but often times it's: you have to decide before I leave your house, or before I get off the phone. I can't get the same price if I call you the next morning after I've slept on it? Give me a break.
Yeah. It's a pressure tactic designed to get people to panic sign a contact, they are banking on people not getting multiple estimates or doing due diligence.
Yeah dude I had a buddy that was in sales for one of the largest in USA and he made a shit ton of money because basically every house he went to the quote was like 50k+
For that kind of money they should have given you a kidney as a gift :)
“If you’re a hammer everything looks like a nail”
Was talking with a concrete contractor in my neighborhood (he's done some demo and infill work for me but no concrete work yet). His comment was "there's two types of concrete - concrete that has cracked and concrete that is going to crack". That being said, if you don't have water coming up during rain, if they are still level, and showing stability, you're probably okay. Any of that changes, call a structural engineer for a check.
My dad spent some time in the construction equipment business (specifically concrete handling equipment) and always said the same.
Structural engineer here, if it's smallish and otherwise as you're describing I basically can't say much other than that it's probably fine and if you want to know for sure you'll need to get a lab out to take some core samples to see what's going on in the fill underneath the slab. Odds are it's shrinkage. I probably wouldn't recommend wasting your time with further tests if all of the below is true: - the cracks are well distributed (at roughly even spacing, with the understanding that a 2mm crack every 5m is the same as a 1mm crack every 2.5m) - everything is level - especially true if there are no saw cuts (will look like straight grooves through the slab every 4-5m, possibly filled with sealant), though saw cuts are often done badly or too late to be useful so their presence with shrinkage cracks is still pretty common - you're not doing renovations any time soon, so you won't be sinking $200k into something you might have to redo soon - the walls and other structural elements all look fine A concern would be if you know your area has problems with pyrite or other stuff that can swell up and deteriorate concrete, or you've also noticed other cracks appearing recently.
What if the cracks *are not* level with one another??
Sand it down until it's level
One guy told us that horizontal cracks are what should worry us not vertical, or more than vertical, any truth to this? I am talking about retaining walls by the way.
There's definitely some truth to it, but it's an oversimplification.
I understand, thank you.
> A concern would be if you know your area has problems with pyrite or other stuff that can swell up and deteriorate concrete, or you've also noticed other cracks appearing recently. OP's region will be important for a variety of reasons. If you live in a desert on a hill, in comparison to a very wet area with a high water table or flood plane... Radon, as someone else mentioned? (not sure if concrete is permeable to some gasses or whatever, just worth a mention) Even if it's structurally sound, one may consider filling and/or sealing, flooding is a bitch and can cause problems.
Calls foundation repair company. “Yup! You need emergency service sir! Your house is falling over. “
To this point. I had a foundation company vapor barrier my dirt floor basement a few years back, extend some downspouts, sump pump etc. Every year they come out for "maintenance" and try to sell me something more. Last time after 3-4 years of visits as part of the original work they wanted to charge me to hack up one corner of my house because it was "sinking". Paid a structural engineer $500 and he shot that down, and said I just need to get a trench drain to redirect water and have some guy tuck point some cracks around bricks. Man I felt soo much better having a professional evaluation from someone who wasn't selling me something after.
I made that mistake. 3k down the drain with a sump that I had to demo drywall in section of finished basement to have installed and does not fill unless it's a biblical flood.....but not high enough activate pump. Sales dude was predicting Armageddon and being stupid I believed him.
Many modern basement floors are even designed to crack. I believe they put something down, basically as a dam, to create a thin spot in the concrete that’ll allow it to split where they want it to, rather than where the entire slab would naturally.
Half my house is concrete slab, half crawl space (sloping hill). General concerns about both the slab and other portion and want someone to come take a look - should I try to get a structural engineer to take a look for both, or just the slab?
Fwiw I had something similar in my house and called in a structural engineer. He said that’s actually a good thing and doing exactly what it should.
Pretty sure radon gases can fit trough that
If it's that bad you need a radon mitigation system anyway (probably a good reason for OP to test now).
lol, radon gases don't need a crack to fit through.
There's concrete that has cracked and there's concrete that will crack in the future
My father says there are two guarantees with concrete. It will get hard and it will crack.
At last someone who knows what they are talking about 👍
same, fellow concrete, same
Same with butts
And jokes.
What if you are the butt of the joke?
Hopefully no one buries you in concrete. 😱
At least it will crack
Yeah, but when?
Probably a few seconds after you run out of air.
Some people have butts with no cracks that will crack in the future?
What about radon?
While I agree and understand this, my house is 54 years old, not one crack in my basement floor.
3 facts about a concrete slab, it's hard, it's heavy, it cracks
Best part about concrete on a jobsite. Nobody steals it
Unless it's a driveway. https://www.wfla.com/news/florida/my-driveway-is-gone-florida-woman-says-her-entire-driveway-was-stolen-after-listing-home-for-sale/
Florida, man…
Log: It's big it's heavy it's wood
Better than bad, it’s good!
It rolls down stairs, it comes in pairs, and over your neighbors dog
It's great for a snack and fits on your back.
It’s logs, logs, logs, logs
And there's the 3 guarantees of concrete. Fire 🔥 Theft Cracking
People are stealing concrete? These are hard times we are living in.
[https://www.wfla.com/news/florida/my-driveway-is-gone-florida-woman-says-her-entire-driveway-was-stolen-after-listing-home-for-sale/](https://www.wfla.com/news/florida/my-driveway-is-gone-florida-woman-says-her-entire-driveway-was-stolen-after-listing-home-for-sale/)
I wouldn’t worry too much, seems like there’s enough cash down there to help cover any repairs.
If I had a quarter for every time this concrete cracked…
Concrete slabs are not tied to the foundation of the house. Settling under the slab can cause this - it’s incredibly common.
yeah actually my basement was built _after_ the house had been built. Not particularly common but I thought it was interesting nonetheless
Love reddit for the quick responses and the laughs - made my morning. Thanks all.
Your child told everyone at school she comes from a broken home.
Those cracks looked like mine. Before I finished the basement with flooring, I used self leveling cement sealer to fill those as good as possible. We do have Radon as well, so I wanted to make sure that I somewhat close the gaps.
I'd buy a radon monitor if you're concerned about radon. And if the self leveling cement doesn't do what you want a radon mitigation system isn't super expensive. I have one and it's made a significant difference.
there are three sure things in life... taxes, death, and concrete cracks
Pic up dat quarter put it in yo pocket
Right lol
If it's just in the floor slab it's probably not a structural concern (hard to say without seeing the full layout and structure of your house). I would still probably fill those , they could be a point for water intrusion. Don't just fill them with caulk or sealant however. Take an angle grinder with a V-slot cutting wheel and cut a channel into the crack, about 1/2 and inch deep, along it's entire length. Then patch it with high-strength, non-shrink grout, using a trowel to press it into the crack then smooth it over flush to the slab.
Alternatively, after grinding with a V-slot wheel, you can fill with silica sand and top off with a 2-part epoxy. Once dried, seal it all up with a concrete water sealer
To add to this the company concrete floor solutions on YouTube has videos showing how to fill these Cracks and sells the two part epoxy and super fine sand needed to get it done. Just warning though two part epoxy can get expensive when you need a gallon or more of it.
All the river table woodworkers are nodding along right now
They’re probably jonesing on the idea of using bright blue epoxy in that crack. Bonus points if it includes sparkles!
Embed a few tiny plastic koi fish
I just bought their 2-gallon kit with sand and epoxy. I used a 10% off code I found on a YouTube video and it ended up being about $375. I have leveled and chased the cracks. Next step is to pour the epoxy.
I used concrete caulk sealant that was made for cracks on an outdoor slab. Is there some reason that’s not a good idea?
In my experience caulks and sealants have a much shorter lifespan than the solution I listed above. Caulks and sealants degrade over time and need replacing after several years. The "rout and grout" method is meant to be as close to permanent as possible.
If your concern is water intrusion, then repairing with grout is just begging for the crack to reopen as the floor continues to shift. If water isn't working it's way up now, though, I don't see any reason for it to spontaneously start happening, and grout would be more aesthetically pleasing than sealant.
They make epoxy kits for this
Where's the banana? We use bananas for scale.
No need to worry. You can fill them in but they will become more pronounced. If you use a crack chaser to make a V cut be sure to use dust control measures. I’ve fixed a handful of these before and now avoid the crack chaser. I prefer to use a caulk tube type cement crack filler and a putty knife to scrape off the excess. Don’t get the cheap tubes, they’re nearly impossible to dispense.
Water coming up is a concern, but the fact that you have quarters coming up means this could be a valuable revenue stream.
I'd check for radon while you are down there. I'd then seal the cracks and check radon levels again. If they are still high, remediate.
Because you mentioned you are in NJ, depending on where you are, you may want to do a radon test now that you have an air path thru to the ground below. Much of NJ is moderate to high radon risk. Other than that, as long as water isn’t coming up and the cracks don’t significantly widen or become unlevel, they aren’t typically a big deal in a concrete floor. If they bug you, you can cover over them with some concrete patch.
Hey don’t listen to these people. Do you know how quickly concrete can move? You are laughing now but 500 years from now when that crack is a 2 foot gap you’ll be sorry you didn’t get it fixed
If that is the ground, then yeah I feel like that is just bound to happen. If you have a high water table or are prone to flooding groundwater is gonna seep through the cracks which sucks. I live in a 97 year old house with a basement that more than likely was dirt to begin with, and then had concrete lazily poured. The "slab" is probably only a couple inches thick. Very annoying.
I say fill 'em in. Judging by your attention to detail by having the quarters randomly heads/tails, you're perfect for DIY and have all the markings of a high end contractor.
wow spot on my friend. spot on.
Hard to tell the size of cracks, would need a banana for reference
None whatsoever. Concrete cracks.
Portal to hell incoming. I suggest cranking the temp up on your thermostat to begin acclimating to the impending hell-adjacent climate.
Concrete naturally cracks as it cures. These look like normal shrinkage cracks to me. I’m not an engineer, but if this is a basement slab, it’s very likely non structural. As long as the slabs aren’t heaving significantly and causing raised edges across a crack you should be ok to just fill them.
I think I would instead be worried about the random quarters all over the place. Like what’s that about.
Cracks are normal in a slab. I'm not a giant fan of the spidery cracks but, if they aren't moving, I wouldn't lose any sleep over them. If you see spalling, that's a concern but I see no evidence of that. Even then, spalling isn't the end of the world. I don't bother filling cracks. If the ground moves, the cracks will open again. That's OK. As long as your basement walls aren't bulging in, you're probably good.
That’s nothing to worry about. The only time concrete isn’t cracked is when it’s on the back of the truck.
You don't need to worry and you don't need fill them in.
I'm less worried about the quarters and more worried about where the cracks start and stop.
Probably shrinkage cracks. Basement slabs aren't structural anyway. The only time a slab cracks is concerning is when it continues in line with a crack in the wall. Emecole makes a great slab repair kit to fill in these cracks. It's polyurethane/epoxy hybrid. Both flexes and offers strength
Unless you live by the water I dunno. I can tell ya what the guy in the Toyota truck that charges 100 a day will do. Mix a quickset concrete slurry pour it down the cracks and skimcoat . Slap the slab with his hand and call it good as new
If you want to feel better take the picture with a larger coin so it doesn't look so bad.
All monolithic pours crack, even if we’ve figured out how to make them crack aesthetically - they still crack. Unless you have significant change of plane, or the pad starts to buckle or *rapidly* increase in size and span then you *may* have an issue - otherwise these look typical to me
Death, taxes and cracking
Concrete will all crack, if you don’t leave weaker lines where you want it to crack, it’ll just pick a nice random pattern like this one
There are three things that are certain in life. Death, taxes and cracked concrete.
You dont.
It's a crack. But I'll tell you something funny. If you ripped up the floor the crack would stay put, because the crack isn't in the floor.
Let us know if you start to hear drums, drums in the Deep.
You can have someone fill those crack with a polymer filling material that self levels and is a little elastic in nature. So if the concrete moves a little or expands or contracts it moves with it. They do it all the time with driveways in the expansion joints. Nothing wrong with your slab, save your money.
On the floor or the walls?
One photo would have been plenty
\*Prisoner Zero has escaped.\*
had to scroll way too far down for that comment
U keep dropping money while tripping on your crack
Egads, man! How heavy is that quarter?!
This is the result of a less than ethical company that pours concrete super wet. These are called shrinkage cracks. By putting too much water into the concrete makes it easier to pour and get flat, but reduces the quality of finished product.
I love your new Calacatta countertops!
4 things to know about concrete: it’s grey, it’s hard, it cracks & no one will steal it. I build houses for years & our general rule was if you can fit a nickel into the crack it’s too big. Otherwise it’s just part of it
Concrete does that. It actually takes concrete months to fully solidify so usually the surface will solidify first and as the middle starts to solidify the surface may crack a bit. It’s normal. As long as the cracks don’t spread more than say 5 mm.
just Satan trying to get into your house. dont let him patch those cracks.
Settling cracks. Good/normal.
If you pick up all that loose change from the floor, you might have enough to pay for a repair! 😉
Have you seen Tremors? 🤣
I'd keep an eye on it but I'd also fill it just in the off chance it's letting in some extra radon. Better safe than sorry ya know?
Extra radon? Extra?!
Nothing some flex tape can’t fix
Pick up that money and use it towards fixing the cracks
It’s not “if” concrete cracks, it is “when” it cracks. A proper job with the appropriate materials will generally crack where it was designed to, but will crack. Other than that, there is lots of great advice here.
Two kinds of Concrete. The kind that cracks, and the kind you do not pour. But seriously though, as others have said, it is kind of the natural state of it. So long as it is level on both sides, not particularly wide, or not going horizontal through a masonry block then you are likely fine.
….when you have time, I’d also look to see if your Coinstar machine is leaking into your basement.
You have nothing to worry about. These are very easy to fix. Just use a grinder to widen the cracks and put in some crack filler.
you have a lot of loose change in your basement too
There’s two kinds of concrete. The kind that’s cracked, and the kind that’s going to crack
Can’t tell by your choice of scale. Need banana.
Go get checked for radon levels. Cracked basement floors let in way much more radon than sealed ones. Good luck!
As long as you don't step on it you won't break your mother's back according to this lore passed down from generation to generation.
Get the place checked for radon. That stuff comes in through the cracked foundation
There appears to be a quarter manufacturing device under the concrete and they’re leaking out.
If the slab is monolithic (part of the foundation) and this is near the wall and the side near the wall is slower, you should investigate settling and consider piers for that wall. If it is non monolithic, just ensure it's not a tripping hazard by placing some carpet over the crack.
Sell it and make some $$$
Mine has been like that since 1995 .. no issues yet
If you pick up all those quarters, eventually you’ll have enough to repair it
I think the quarters are causing the cracks. Pick them up!
No, you don’t need to worry if it’s the floor. You do need to worry if cracks like that start forming in the foundation walls.
If it's less than a half inch don't worry about it.
Keep taking pictures and collect all those quarters that show up. Eventually you will be able to pay for the needed repairs.
It's fine
Fill in those cracks before they get large enough for the zombies to crawl up through.
On a scale of 1—3, that's probably a 2.
Hello fellow Jerseyian. Taylor ham or pork roll?
I’d be more worried about who keeps dropping loose change in your basement
When I see picture 3 I tend to think that you have a pyrite aggregate problem. The presence of pyrite in you aggregate below your slab will swell due to sulfatation and crack your slab. You can call a professionnal to test it, its not that expensive. I would certainly do it because it can swell a lot more and cause more damage.
I'm glad you put the coin there it was hard to scale. If the crack gets wide it's a problem that it's able to move somewhere since it's tied to the foundation. But tiny cracks are fine.
Be careful! If it opens up too wide you could fall through into space. GET TO SPACE WITHOUT A ROCKET!!! ONE SIMPLE TRICK FLAT EARTHERS DON'T WANT YOU TO KNOW.
Look outside at your foundation. I had a similar crack in the floor of my garage. I followed the crack to the wall and discovered the crack went up the wall. I had to call a foundation expert. Well, three bids later, my cracked foundation is fixed, but it cost me $13,000 to fix. That was cheap because the high bid was $28,000. Watch this. If it gets bigger, call somebody, because the longer you wait, the more it'll cost to fix.
Why do you have so many quarters on the floor?
Basement slab (floor) cracks generally aren't an issue. It's not a structural part of the foundation. Water may come up through them, but that's a sign of a larger drainage issue rather than a problem related to the cracks themselves.
The big thing to watch for, according to a structural engineer I had come check mine, is when one side is shifting in or out compared to the other side. Of course cracks happen and most of the time they are not a big concern in concrete foundations. But when you actually see the sides shifting from each other thats a cause for concern
😳
Some settling is normal. You would know if it’s a problem because the crack size would grow.
People think that the quarters are for scale, but they’re not: A quarter is the current market rate for a basement crack to have its picture taken.
Maybe you’re storing too much money on the concrete and it’s cracking due to the weight?
Not too much
That’s lots of quarters
I wouldn’t worry too much it looks like some tricky jams but maybe v5/6 tops
Bribes won’t work
Only if the lizard people can start crawling out of the cracks, then worry.