Settled soil and added moisture stress a concrete slab and can cause cracks
Poor installation is likely one of the reasons that concete garage floors crack. How does this happen? Some homebuilders fail to compact the soil in the garage area prior to pouring the floor. Builders were not always equipped with a power tamper to compact the ground, as the garage area and adjacent house foundation are backfilled during construction. Without it, soil and gravel under the concrete can settle over time, which adds stress to the slab. Moisture can escalate the erosion, to the point where the stressed concrete slab has insufficient support.
However, a poor installation is not the sole reason garage floors deteriorate. Some floors are properly installed but poorly protected against the elements; such as road chemicals and damaging road salt. In the event that the surfaces are poorly cleaned or not sealed properly, the surface area pits. The size of these pits are likely to increase -as time goes by- and become more noticeable. What happens next? Growing depressions hold more road salt and the cycle continues. If the observable cracks are significant ones, consider replacing the surface. A concrete contractor jack-hammers the surface, removes the material and adds compacted gravel, as a foundational base, before pouring the slab at a price that averages ~$10.00 per square foot.
Mildly settled garage floors have pitting that is not too severe. These are manageable with an epoxy coating to level out the depressions for a smooth, impervious surface. Estimates for coating and filling the holes and providing a non-skid surface average $4.50 per square foot.
There is another option: a rubber garage floor mat system. Such a system will not improve the qualify of the surface but it could delay a more expensive fix for a few years. Consult with an engineer or certified home inspector for further evaluation of the settling and the condition of the garage slab.
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