[Knuckleslammer]

Well here I go again, in the attached pic, I had a concrete slab, poured over another existing floor (probably a no no) but anyhow the edge you see, I covered with dryloc as there was a small space between the old and the new
marked with red line. Well the concrete in that spot is only about 3/4 of an inch thick and as it dried, there is now a space of about 1/16" between the old and the new and the whole slab is kinda flexing until it gets thicker towards the back of the garage where the original floor sunk. So if you could look at the floor from the side of the garage (new floor) it's basically 5" thick in the back to 3/4" thick in the front by the doors. Last night a big chunk, shown in purple (diddn't take a pic yet)
I'm wondering if there is some expoxy type sheit I can squirt in between the old and the new to take up the space? Basically the problem is this. where the concrete is thin, it is flexxing, as there is a space. I figure if I can fill the space with some space age concrete sheit, I can eliminate the space, and the flexxing. They do make stuff for this, but I can't find any residential type web sites that sell to the JOE_FRICKN_HOMEOWNER

 

[JRB]

You should be looking for dynamite sales I think Knuckle.

 

[dh girlie]

You should be looking for dynamite sales I think Knuckle.

Some things are best left to professionals...

 

[johnbryanpeters]

I tried epoxy bonding a similar joint and it was a waste of effort. When concrete gets to a-movin' there's little you can do to restrain it. Might do better with a caulking compound that sets up firm but flexible. Dig through old issues of Fine Homebuilding - I think they did a whole article on caulking compounds.

J

 

[jdcamb]

My Brother is a Mason operating out of Franklin MA. He does some slab work and might be interested in helping you. If you would like I can let him know of your situation and see what he either recommends or if he would be willing to help you. PM and I will get the wheels rolling. He is currently working at a Train Station in your area (Fitchburg I think)......jdcamb

 

[shocktower]

I hope this will help you go to the home depot and get some simpson anchor adhesieve (sp?) it is a two part epoxy for concrete buy the small package with the mixing thingy just inject it into the crack ,BTW next time don`t pour concrete over existing ,good luck

 

[Knuckleslammer]

I hope this will help you go to the home depot and get some simpson anchor adhesieve (sp?) it is a two part epoxy for concrete buy the small package with the mixing thingy just inject it into the crack ,BTW next time don`t pour concrete over existing ,good luck

Well the problem is not just the crack (purple in the pic) The problem is that the whole edge of the new slab flexes as there is a space between it and the old floor. I've looked high and low all day today and there is nobody in the state that I know of that does this type of sheit. I've actually been talking with a guy from TN about going into business for myself part time to do this crap, but I don't have the experience right now or the knowledge to know what to do in this situation, which isn't just a matter of a crack. I'm such a phucking idiot. I had the option of having the whole floor ripped out and repoured, and I diddn't. The engineer from the town and the builder said this was a viable alternative. The whole edge of the thing on each side has a 1/16" space and the whole thing is flexing from the edge about 10" back. It probably dried up and water evaporated creating a space. GOD DAMN PHUCKING HOUSE. IMA GET RID OF THE POFS AND BUY A GOD DAMN CONDO. SO SICK OF THIS SHEIT. DAY IN DAY OUT, HOUSE, HOUSE, HOUSE, WORK, WORK, WORK. ALL I WANT TO DO IN LIFE IS RIDE MY GOD DAMN PHUCKING BIKE, THAT'S IT. I HATE BEING A HOMEOWNER. GOD DAMN PHUCKING HATE IT. I'VE HAD IT AND I'M READY TO BLOW A FUSE, GASKET, AND POP A NUT


kNuCkLe

 

[riderx]

I've actually been talking with a guy from TN about going into business for myself part time to do this crap, but I don't have the experience right now or the knowledge to know what to do in this situation, which isn't just a matter of a crack.

When you start the business, make sure you post the name so we know who NOT to hire.

You should stick with the Martha Stewart projects. :evil:

 

[Kornphlake]

They sell a vinly concrete patch stuff at places like home depot or lowes, you should be creative enough to figure out how to apply it, if all else fails you could follow the instructions on the package.

 

[N8 v2.0]

If you were in Louisiana then your builder would be so screwed by now...

I really think that if you take your builder to court, or to binding arbitration you could easily win a judgment.

The courts are very much on the side of the homeowner in these situations.

Do you have a home warranty of any kind?

 

[Knuckleslammer]

When you start the business, make sure you post the name so we know who NOT to hire.

You should stick with the Martha Stewart projects. :evil:

Well I diddn't pour the floor man. I'm just the homeowner. Concrete is out of the realm of my knowledge. I know have found out that there is a special process to bind concrete to existing concrete and that the minimum pour is at least 4" over an existing slab, which I don't have. I have a 1/2"
All I wanted was to buy a house with functional floors and driveway that I could live in without worrying about this crap. Yeah, I know I'm sobbing and most folks don't even have a house and my worries are trivial. But the point is this. If I pay 1M for a house, which is probably < than what it would end up costing, when I own it, if I own it (if I live that long) it should have a functional driveway and garage floor. I can't believe builders can get away with this crap. And the engineer (cheif city inspector) from the city of Worcester should have advised me that pouring over existing concrete is a no no, unless it is 4" thick and the proper guidelines are followed to ensure that the two surfaces would adhere to one another


Knuckle

 

[Knuckleslammer]

If you were in Louisiana then your builder would be so screwed by now...

I really think that if you take your builder to court, or to binding arbitration you could easily win a judgment.

The courts are very much on the side of the homeowner in these situations.

Do you have a home warranty of any kind?

No, the warranty is up, but there I have letters and documentation of the said problem way before the warranty was up. It's just that the builder is an idiot and so am I. I don't have 10k to spend in court either. If I had 10k, I'd just hire someone to rip it out and fix it properly. I had that option, but was advised that this option would be a viable fix. NOT. So once again, JOE_HOMEOWNER gets SKREWED. Thanks for the help guys. I know they might offer to rip it out and repour it, but I dread the thought of ripping out my stairs and bench and cleaning out the garage floor again.
Knuck

 

[Brian HCM#1]

What you should do....................... Call the builder back tell him this is unacceptable and want the garage floor replaced or you'll take legal action.

 

[SkaredShtles]

What you should do....................... Call the builder back tell him this is unacceptable and want the garage floor replaced or you'll take legal action.

And when he doesn't, you get a lawyer-friend to simply draft a letter. Usually the legal letterhead will get their attention.....

-S.S.-

 

[Brian HCM#1]

And when he doesn't, you get a lawyer-friend to simply draft a letter. Usually the legal letterhead will get their attention.....

-S.S.-

Yep, you push hard enough, you will get positive results:evil:

 

[Knuckleslammer]

I paid a lawyer $200 to send them a 93A letter and there was never any response. The only response I ever got from the builder was when the inspector (head chief Jesus Christ inspector) of Worcester showed up at my house with the builder and told him to fix it. I've never seen the builder so receptive. Threats of law suits do nothing. All his tires got popped somehow on his dump truck and trailer. All 6 of them. Many people hate him and he is just NUMB. NUMB is the only way to describe him. My only hope is with the inspector.
Knuck

 

[SkaredShtles]

I paid a lawyer $200 to send them a 93A letter and there was never any response.<snip>

Gotta follow through, man..... follow through.

-S.S.-

 

[Brian HCM#1]

Gotta follow through, man..... follow through.

-S.S.-

Yep, don't back down till you get it fixed.

 

[Knuckleslammer]

Yep, called the city managers office, the mayors office the code enforcement division, emailed all of them as well. Called the local newspaper, emailed them. Emailed several state representatives. Filed another complaint with the BBB and have an attorney general form ready to be put in an envolope and mailed. Thanks for the support

I guess there is basically nothing I can do with the floor. It's basically junk and once again, I'm gonna have to dismantle my garage, and my bench and my stairs again. Oh well. No use worrying about it. RAGE always takes care of itself

Knuckle

 

[PCC]

I can't tell how much area you have to work with there but here are three products that are used to repair parking decks.

with all of these products you will have to drill holes until you find where the patch has fully adhered to the slab below. You will then have to completely clean the void area by using forced air or whatever means you have available. After everything is clean, pump whichever product you want to use from the holes closest to the fully adhered area until it is running out all the edges. That way you know the entire open void has been filled.

With the exception of pronto 19 you should be able to find the other two products at a masonry or industrial supply store like grainger. Home depot isn't going to carry this stuff so don't waste your time going there.

Easiest and 1st product to try is "non shrink horn grout" comes in 50 lb bags, at least thats the smallest I've ever seen. It's like mortar mix except it doesn't shrink so you won't have voids after it sets.

Next is Sika sikadur 31 epoxy. This stuff has better flow and adhesion than horn grout but will be more expensive and have a lot less working time.

Last thing to try would be Sika pronto 19. This stuff is bad, it has to be special ordered since one of the components only has a shelf life of 3 months. It will flow into cracks smaller than a human hair. BUT it creates a lot of heat when you mix it and has a very short work time. Not at all recommended for the homeowner to try.

IF all of the above sounds intimidating try this.

goto www.pci.org

from there you can locate a precast manufacturer that builds parking decks in or near your area. Call the precaster and ask to speak to either the field services manager or a project manager. Tell them you have a bad patch on a slab and need to get the number of someone that does "patch work" in your area.

Unless the patcher is local you will have to pay for a "mobilization" just to get a crew to your house. This could run $ 300 to $ 500 in addition to the cost of the work

hope this helps