Tuesday, 20 May 2014

Crack chasing in Maryland (MD), Virginia (VA), Washington DC (DC) by Freedom Restoration, LLC

Visit us at www.freerest.com

Crack chasing is the process of cutting into cracks in concrete so that they can be repaired with an epoxy or some other filling compound.
Any poured concrete slab on your driveway, parking garage, walls or other structure can become damaged over time.  Changes in temperature, the ground beneath the concrete or even the installation process can lead to the development of cracks on the concrete surface.  Once cracks appear, they can spread throughout the slab, causing greater damage that may eventually require full replacement of the concrete.
Stop the spread of these cracks before the damage becomes irreparable.  Proper repair techniques ensure that any cracks will be arrested for the long-term, thus extending the useful life of your concrete structure.
Why crack chasing is necessary
Concrete surfaces have to be properly prepared before any repair takes place.  Crack chasing enlarges the opening of existing cracks with the use of mechanical or hand tools, to make way for a better, more suitable foundation for the application of a recommended filling compound.
Crack chasing is also required when preparing a concrete floor for a stain or overlay.  Before any decorative procedure is undertaken on concrete, the surface has to be prepared – that means, fixing any cracks or damages.  And the first step in doing that is to chase the crack with a grinder.  This makes the cracks wider in order to allow the repair material to thoroughly fill the crack.
Tools for crack chasing
Crack chasing saws have a variety of special blades to open up cracks to their required depth and thickness for filling.  For small cracks, a large angle grinder with the proper blade can be used but it is not going to provide as clean a cut and could never go as wide.  Since cracks in concrete happen in random patterns, these saws must be free-moving in any direction.
In crack chasing, the edges of the cracks are routed to create smooth sides for the patching element to adhere to.  A crack chaser blade is used to even out the edges of the crack, and level the depth of the crack to between three-quarters of an inch and one inch.  The sides of the crack are cut vertically, making it wider at the bottom than at the top.  The wider bottom will lock the concrete patch into place within the crack.  Any debris and excess material are then cleared from the crack, and the crack is washed out with a water hose.  The filling material is then applied when the crack is completely dry.  Finally, the right sealant is applied to the repaired crack to waterproof it.
For more answers to your questions about crack chasing, contact Freedom Restoration at 410-451-7110 or click here.
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