[Studly]

I'm planning to fix some cracks and make some repairs in my concrete garage floor. One crack is probably 1/2 inch wide and the slab on one side of the crack is maybe 1/4 inch higher than the other. Rest of the cracks are smaller.


I'm debating on whether to use tubes of SikaFlex to fill the cracks or Quickrete Vinyl Concrete Patcher. There are spots where the concrete has big chips on the side of the crack, and I was going to fix that with Vinyl Patcher since it would fill it in and smooth it out. And I know usually you want to use Sikaflex on expansion joints and on cracks exposed to weather because it can flex and handle the freeze thaw process better. But since my cracks are on the floor of the garage and the only water that gets in there is from melting snow and ice from my cars, would it make sense to fill all the cracks with the Vinyl Patcher? And on my crack that is raised on one edge, the Vinyl Patcher would help me smooth that out so it's not a tripping hazzard.


Or do garage floors still expand/contract a lot in the winter from the exterior ground freezing and thawing, in which case I should probably use SikaFlex on the cracks?

 

[stadry]

proper REPAIR: diamond grind til level which prevents trip hazard,,, 'chase' crack to align both sides,,, wire brush both sides to 'clean' - insert closed cell backer rod - seal w/np1 sealant
best i can do w/o pics

 

[Studly]

proper REPAIR: diamond grind til level which prevents trip hazard,,, 'chase' crack to align both sides,,, wire brush both sides to 'clean' - insert closed cell backer rod - seal w/np1 sealant
best i can do w/o pics

Thanks for the advice. I'll have to look into NP1 sealant. Is that better than Sikaflex? And thanks for the tip on how to clean the crack. Since it's a garage floor with fluids that leaked on it over time, I was wondering how involved the cleaning has to be. Was thinking I might have to clean in and around the crack with a degreaser, water and a scrub brush, but would just a wire brush be all I need to clean the cracks?