Home Front Decoration

Concrete is an amazing product. It has been used for centuries with it’s origins dating back to around 300 B.C. Though there are reports that the use of concrete preceded that time the first to use concrete effectively were the Romans. Ancient Rome had an abundance of ash, lime and water, the key ingredients. The ancient master builders built cities and an advanced culture as a result. It could be easily argued that without concrete we’d still be living in tents. Humans would not have progressed to where we are today.

However concrete is not without it’s flaws. The garage floor is a perfect example. Many homes were built with spancrete. Spancrete are precast concrete panels that are typically 24 feet long, 3 feet wide and 6 inches thick. They are laid on top of a home foundation over the basement. Then concrete is poured on top about 4 inches thick. The problem is that this top layer of concrete cracks from settling right over where the spancrete panels abut each other. In the main part of the home this is not an issue, but is a problem in the garage.

There are a few forces at work that are a headache for the a home owner. First let’s start with a crack in the concrete garage floor. When a car drives in with snow or rain dripping on the surface it works it’s way into the crack along with de-icing salts. The salts rapidly eat into the concrete which causes decay. If there is a spancrete underneath water will drip into the basement. The result is a wet, moldy unhealthy space. If the concrete is on grade, water will go down the crack and work it’s way under the slab. Once it freezes it lifts the slab, then recedes when it thaws. This constant movement is not good.

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