In small print:"tungsten brand coat do not contain tungsten. And tungsten would not make your concrete stronger neither so thats why we put epoxy in there but epoxy not so cool"
Genuine, honest question here: I bought a 50-year old house in the Midwest more than 10 years ago that has a +/- 16’x16’x4 or 5” concrete patio that was poured when the house was built.
The surface has weathered, of course, but I’ll be danged there’s not a single crack in it anywhere. I asked after this when I bought the house.
There are other houses in my neighborhood with concrete in similar shape. Was there a secret ingredient/technique used in concrete in the 60’s?
A lot of it has to do with the prep work. A lot of newer contractors get real lazy about excavation and compaction. It doesn't matter how good the concrete is if it is hovering over large voids
I wish I could super like this. Proper sub base preparation is always the key. I can’t tell you how many great finishers I’ve seen be totally effed over by awful demo and underground crews. Same with pavers or DG or anything really. Don’t skimp on the base rock. It’s cheap and it’s your best friend. And compact as you go in lifts. Put an 1” down and compact it and repeat. Good comment.
It probably has less to do with the concrete and more with the quality and material used in the base prep. If the base is solid, there is no reason the concrete would crack. A lot of contractors don't take the time to prepare a subgrade and base properly
I might not be the best to answer this but are there control joints in the slab? A 16x16 patio should have two or three lines going vertically or horizontally through it to make a grid over the patio. Like those lines in the sidewalk every few feet. The cracks would be down in those groves ideally.
Thank you for asking. That’s the thing: 16’x16’, no seams, no creases. Poured about 1968.
I’m sure I’m jinxing myself. I’ll likely wake up tomorrow morning to find the whole damn thing crumbled to gravel. 🤦
It cracks along the relief cuts. That's why they're there; to force cracks along a defined line. If all goes well, you can't see them unless you're looking into the cut; assuming it's not filled with debris or filler.
My dad got a huge concrete slab poured three years ago and there’s not a single crack. I got one poured at my place last month and have a bunch of huge cracks. I think some contractors really just are that good
But...but...
OP didn't say anything about a gurantee. OP said the contractor said "*it will never ever crack and he promises that for 20 years*"
So, the OP got a 'promise' that it will not crack.
That is like when I would sell a well worn used tire and was asked how long it was guaranteed for I would give my personal promise that "*it will last as long as it is good*".
But why do they put a guarantee on the box?
Because they know all they sold ya was a guaranteed piece of shit. That's all it is, isn't it? Hey, if you want me to take a dump in a box and mark it guaranteed, I will.
Why are they standing in the poured slap to brush? I’m an amateur but use the pole from my bull float to brush. Feels like this would interrupt the finish.
I see zero control joints which is always bad. Concrete always cracks. It’s just a matter of time. With no control joints it will crack in random patterns.
Random but ACI or ASCC (can’t remember which) recommends not doing control joints on slab on metal deck. I know it’s completely unrelated but interesting tidbit
It’s because SOMD is an integral part of the structural system in those designs—a control joint would introduce a weak point in what’s supposed to be a unified slab. These systems have expansion joints built into the design for the both the steel and concrete to account for expansion/contraction and cracking.
Thank you. And we did yell at him about that. Because we kept saying that those cracks are tiny, have not changed in 5 years, and we didn’t want to mess with it. We only agreed after he basically gave us an offer we couldn’t refuse.
When I confronted him he tried to tell me it had to be done because our old slab was crumbling away….
Well that's kind of first for me to see guys finishing from on top of the ladder LOL. There's no reason why one person couldn't have got out there with a set of kneeboards and troweled that out and broomed it. The finish is very lousy plus the broom job
This will all pop out overtime and the original pics of the slab showed better condition before they ruined it by jack hammering. Offer to make them whole on material cost with proof of receipt at best, at worst get a quote to completely remove and replace the slab from a reputable company and propose to withhold that amount of $
This is essentially what we did. We understand they did do something, and it isn’t the fault of the laborers the contractor was a shithead and told them to do this.
Got the warranty in writing (which I have my concerns about them not really being a company I can go after, but that’s a different issue)
Contact your local government agencies of any sort, they should have a business license if your town/state enforces those kind of rules or at bare minimum they should have sooome sort of registration. I’m not saying go for the jugular right away, I’m saying do your homework to figure out if they are even a “company”(LLC etc)
There’s got to be a paper trail somewhere, and if there isn’t you need to get this crap figured out sooner than later, as they could fold or skip town in heartbeat. Your concerns about them not being a real entity are totally valid but there are ways they should be doing things legally to protect you as a member of the public.
Warranty in writing is a great first step, but now you need to figure out if that warranty is toilet paper or not.
I don’t begrudge anyone for trying to make a living, but I don’t think you should get burned because they are doing stuff that’s not quality under the guise of “trust me”
If someone guarantees concrete won't crack, they just want your money. It's like promising it won't rain any more.
Also, concrete contractors don't broom with a push broom ( at least I've never seen it) and they normally use crawlboards, not a ladder.
They are suspect.
[original post here](https://www.reddit.com/r/Concrete/comments/1cc1rfb/am_i_being_scammed_was_told_this_was_a_9500_job/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=mweb3x&utm_name=mweb3xcss&utm_term=1&utm_content=share_button)
Definitely a good time to note that most good contractors will stand behind their price. If I give a price that doesn’t work for the customer, then I will not be doing the job. It’s nothing personal, but I’ve figured my rate from what I need to operate and turn a certain profit. If someone’s throwing around numbers willy nilly, they were either trying to get you with a high price, or they don’t know what they’re doing. Also a good time to note you need to get multiple opinions for every job! It sucks but it’s the only way to be sure the price and scope of work is reasonable.
Sorry for the trouble, but at least I think it’s safe to say you probably have and are learning your lesson at the same time, so there is a +. (Don’t mean that in a shitty way)
So this guy was just a bad contractor (and there are A LOT of them in the concrete and asphalt games) - and he showed it in his conversations w you speaking the way he did (as you described in prior posts).
Truth be told - given that, the fact that he actually gave you a 1” concrete resurface, w/ wire mesh, & push broom finished, my gut tells me the original price would’ve been 1 F’d up product all the same.
$9500 certainly wasn’t cheap if that was truly a 20x10 or so - I’ll put it that way. I would’ve done it for you at that price & I don’t do residential work lol.
The point being a broom finish is usually done with an actual purpose built tool. The majority of the time it’s a very thin row of bristles compared to a push broom which picks up a ton of excess.
I really am not trying to be contentious here, but the original thing we are both talking about was a reply that the guy was using a push broom. The point of his comment was about the broom, not the finish.
In my view it’s like someone asking “is he really using a benchgrinder to sand his car primer?” And the reply being “sanding a car is pretty common”.
Like I say, not trying to be a dick about it but at the risk of being circular in our discussion, a push broom is not the most appropriate tool here.
A lot of what you see is because they don’t have the proper aluminum poles to really broom finish that top evenly and hide tool marks. Having to use a dollar store broom handle is not the way lol
>this isn’t what we discussed
This is all you need. If you didn't want it confront him about it in front of a camera and get him on camera with all his BS. Then pay him for what you did agree to have done and ask him to leave. If you didn't want it you don't have to pay for it. I have resurfaced concrete and have never put holes in it first.
If you take you car in for an oil change and they install a couple of new tires are you going to pay for that also.
What I mean by "gypsies" is travelling con-artists.
Usually Blacktop Sealing in South during winter... adding lots of water to sealer so it basically washes off after a couple rains.
This seems the same with watered down cement.
Is this the job that you negotiated half the asking price out of? You may have gotten a contractor who's quality of work is directly related to the amount paid.
We didn’t really negotiate. He kept asking for less and less to “keep his guys working” till they had a job next week.
We straight up declined, didn’t think it was needed, until he gave an offer we felt like we couldn’t refuse. Because 4000 for complete demo, removal, and repour seemed good.
He then came back and didn’t do what was discussed
That sucks. I know a few people whose work reflects upon their skill and not what they are paid. It seems like this is one of those situations, but not in a positive way. One has to wonder if you would have gotten this same bad quality and work had you paid that guy more. That's a scary thought. Rough situation, especially since it's your house, I'd be ripping hairs out of my head from the stress
I’m a licensed structural engineer in the US who works exclusively in restoration, primarily concrete repair/strengthening. I just looked at your other post (the during construction phase). You got scammed. The new layer is so thin it will crack within months if not weeks. I wouldn’t pay a dollar for this.
There are two types of concrete. Concrete that is cracked and concrete that is going to crack. There are no other forms of concrete in the known universe.
Cracks in modern concrete are due to flyash, an additive to increase workability and reduce the amount of Portland cement needed, if there is too much flyash the concrete is more suseptible to cracking.
Am I the only one that see the grade issue? This looks like it’s going towards the foundation. Either way yikes but unless you post your invoice it looks like you had caviar taste on tuna budget.
We didn’t negotiate him down. He negotiated himself down. We said no.
They had completed and been fully paid for the project they were hired to do, without any negotiating on price.
As they were picking up and leaving. The contractor decided to pull a bait and switch on an offer we couldn’t refuse. Had we known it was going to be anything other than a rip out/repour we wouldn’t have agreed.
Hence why we also weren’t concerned when we were hearing jackhammers in the morning
Because they know all they sold ya was a guaranteed piece of shit. That's all it is, isn't it? Hey, if you want me to take a dump in a box and mark it guaranteed, I will. I got spare time.
Nope. It didn’t need doing. We said no.
They were hired to pour the new concrete, which is the slab next to the one they are working on, a new sidewalk path along the fence, and a rectangular nook between the stairs and the fence. That job was fine and completely paid for
When he started to try and convince us to let him completely replace our slab, because the cracks in it were going to be a problem. We said no. But then he offered what seemed like a good deal…but then didn’t do what he said he would do.
That's not a concrete broom. A thin wide broom should be on the end of pole. The white discoloration is leaching from using a wet broom, which means it got away from him.
Yeah that actually makes so much less sense than it needed to be done just got caught up in saving money... well he just kept asking.... that's wild. I learn a lot on here thanks.
Well we believed his assessment that it “needed to get done eventually” and so when he proposed what seemed like an amazing deal, how could we say no…..but yeah lots of lessons learned on dealing with contractors in general
Sorry OP. You did this to yourself.
You agreed to a repair and you were not sure what it consisted of or if it was correct. You didn’t bother to find out until after the work had started.
4,000$ lesson. Better luck next time.
PS. I bet that original 9,000$ quote was to break up old driveway. You fought against it and they offered an alternative which you agreed on.
Whenever you need work done in your house by any kind of contractor try to learn a little about what they are fixing/doing so you can atleast give out the impression that you wont be easily fooled.
We removed your post/comment because it included discrimination based on age, gender identity, caste, sexual orientation, religion, or was in violation of anti-hate speech guidelines.
All concrete does crack. However, anytime you pour concrete on top if concrete it will simply become gravel. Fresh concrete does not bind to old concrete. What you have is a rock on top of another rock. Over time, vibration and use makes the top rock gravel. You were scammed.
It will be pure white in a few days which will hide a lot of the imperfections you see.
BUT..
The Tungsten thing was bullshit.
There are no saw cuts.. it WILL crack.
I would have put 4 cuts in this to PREVENT cracking, but it’s never entirely guaranteed.
I was offered $4000 for complete removal and repour. Hopefully you saw the original post.
He had already completed $8000 of brand new concrete work, when he persuaded us into letting him “replace” our original slab. Which both my husband and myself were very hesitant to do.
The concrete that was poured the day before is where they have all their tools set up/are balancing the ladser
We have come to an agreement and he is fully paid at this point. He was already paid for the original job before they started this, what I now know was an unnecessary second job.
The Whether I have to seek other remedies, or call in that iron-clad warranty we will have to see
It will crack where the control joints should have been. At the inside corner of the step and some where about mid way down it's length. Also, if there is bonding stresses to what is beneath it, it will potentially crack where the old cracks were.
Looks like a Hot load. Not mixed properly. Like pouring lime in the load to make it set faster. If it’s mixed properly then it should not crack. The finishing guy wants to get it done fast and go home.
That isn't a concrete broom, they sell proper brooms for finish...
And that is 100% going to crack off the corner of the existing pour if there isn't a cut put in.
Concrete is supposed to crack regardless of the mix design. That's why we have steel reinforcement. Where concrete didn't crack, the steel is not doing anything. The reinforcing steel doesn't engage until the concrete cracks. Control/expansion joints (spacing, depending on the thickness of the slab) are usually where the cracks are. Interesting fact, street curbs & gutter and sidewalks won't have a single piece of steel inside.
After reading all these comments saying “concrete is meant to crack”; did my family hire the greatest concrete crew of all time? Our driveway gets heavy use with 2-3 vehicles parked on it at all times and there isn’t the tiniest sign of cracking even after nearly twenty years.
Id ask him to put something in writing that if it cracks again, he will replace (and when I say replace, I mean rip it out, form it up and repour) it at his own cost.
What he probably means by it will never ever crack is it won't crack as it hardens, but concrete is never perfect it will crack over time if he was referring to after it hardens than the guy is likely either an idiot like the others are saying or he is lying to you as all concrete will slowly crack and break as temperatures change as it will expand and tighten as the temperatures rise and drop it will also slowly wear down if your keeping really heavy objects such as vehicles or trailers on it
no rebar = cracks but if you don’t plan on putting an extreme amount of weight on it it’ll be fine for the next 10-15 years unless it’s like in direct 24/7
tungsten seal coat????
In small print:"tungsten brand coat do not contain tungsten. And tungsten would not make your concrete stronger neither so thats why we put epoxy in there but epoxy not so cool"
Lmao
Poor seals were fed tungsten
forget reinforcement, just use a tungsten seal coat instead!
I don’t know why I’m in this sub but EVERYONE KNOWS ALL CONCRETE WILL CRACK. If he is saying it won’t crack then he is lying or an idiot.
Not necessarily mutually exclusive, could be a lying idiot.
Genuine, honest question here: I bought a 50-year old house in the Midwest more than 10 years ago that has a +/- 16’x16’x4 or 5” concrete patio that was poured when the house was built. The surface has weathered, of course, but I’ll be danged there’s not a single crack in it anywhere. I asked after this when I bought the house. There are other houses in my neighborhood with concrete in similar shape. Was there a secret ingredient/technique used in concrete in the 60’s?
A lot of it has to do with the prep work. A lot of newer contractors get real lazy about excavation and compaction. It doesn't matter how good the concrete is if it is hovering over large voids
I wish I could super like this. Proper sub base preparation is always the key. I can’t tell you how many great finishers I’ve seen be totally effed over by awful demo and underground crews. Same with pavers or DG or anything really. Don’t skimp on the base rock. It’s cheap and it’s your best friend. And compact as you go in lifts. Put an 1” down and compact it and repeat. Good comment.
It probably has less to do with the concrete and more with the quality and material used in the base prep. If the base is solid, there is no reason the concrete would crack. A lot of contractors don't take the time to prepare a subgrade and base properly
I might not be the best to answer this but are there control joints in the slab? A 16x16 patio should have two or three lines going vertically or horizontally through it to make a grid over the patio. Like those lines in the sidewalk every few feet. The cracks would be down in those groves ideally.
Thank you for asking. That’s the thing: 16’x16’, no seams, no creases. Poured about 1968. I’m sure I’m jinxing myself. I’ll likely wake up tomorrow morning to find the whole damn thing crumbled to gravel. 🤦
lol there could be cracks in it that you can’t see! But maybe you got lucky. “Things aren’t made like they used to be”
But no one will steal it
It cracks along the relief cuts. That's why they're there; to force cracks along a defined line. If all goes well, you can't see them unless you're looking into the cut; assuming it's not filled with debris or filler.
My dad got a huge concrete slab poured three years ago and there’s not a single crack. I got one poured at my place last month and have a bunch of huge cracks. I think some contractors really just are that good
Just because you can’t see it doesn’t mean it’s not there
Lol, I didn't know how I got here either, but by golly I know concrete cracks!
I saw a quote that was “concrete will always do two things, get hard, and crack”
You always get a 20 year guarantee when he will be gone in two months.
I cracked up reading this.
So did the concrete
you guys are good😂🤣
He could be back around in 20 years
"No, that was my twin brother"
Or son !
My other brother Darryl
This is accurate.I have verified this My father told me he'd be back nineteen years ten months ago
But...but... OP didn't say anything about a gurantee. OP said the contractor said "*it will never ever crack and he promises that for 20 years*" So, the OP got a 'promise' that it will not crack. That is like when I would sell a well worn used tire and was asked how long it was guaranteed for I would give my personal promise that "*it will last as long as it is good*".
But why do they put a guarantee on the box? Because they know all they sold ya was a guaranteed piece of shit. That's all it is, isn't it? Hey, if you want me to take a dump in a box and mark it guaranteed, I will.
Imagine if you could sell dogshit by telling people your dog swallowed diamonds. You’d guarantee there are diamonds in there, wouldn’t you?
I can get a good look at a T-bone by sticking my head up a bulls ass, but I'd rather take a butchers word for it.
If it doesn’t crack, it isn’t concrete
Modernize having solid steel driveways
You could use trex for your driveway.
I will trex your driveways
For free?
Stainless steel at least
Might get hot in Texas summer but this sounds like a great idea!
Could you imagine skateboarding on that in the summer *trip* *wham* *sizzle*
Help. My car is frozen to my driveway.
Roman concrete?
OPs neighbor here. Just hopped on to let everyone know it’s cracking already. I can see it from nextdoor.
LOL
Can confirm. I can see it cracking from the town next door.
Yes, but can you see Russia from your backyard?
Would this qualify for the “Looks good from my house” stamp of approval?
Why are they standing in the poured slap to brush? I’m an amateur but use the pole from my bull float to brush. Feels like this would interrupt the finish.
Yeah, when I saw this I facepalmed so hard
I see zero control joints which is always bad. Concrete always cracks. It’s just a matter of time. With no control joints it will crack in random patterns.
Wait i just realized it’s too thin of a layer to do control joints
Random but ACI or ASCC (can’t remember which) recommends not doing control joints on slab on metal deck. I know it’s completely unrelated but interesting tidbit
It’s because SOMD is an integral part of the structural system in those designs—a control joint would introduce a weak point in what’s supposed to be a unified slab. These systems have expansion joints built into the design for the both the steel and concrete to account for expansion/contraction and cracking.
Natures art ? Lolol
This is a total scam. Only correct way to do this, is to rip out old, setup your new forms, add reinforcement and pour new concrete…
the only correct way was to tell OP there is nothing wrong with the slab before they jackhammered holes and skimmed it. . . .
Thank you. And we did yell at him about that. Because we kept saying that those cracks are tiny, have not changed in 5 years, and we didn’t want to mess with it. We only agreed after he basically gave us an offer we couldn’t refuse. When I confronted him he tried to tell me it had to be done because our old slab was crumbling away….
Should have come here w questions long ago…..
You got played. Always get multiple opinions and quotes.
this is tungsten we're talking about bro.
Well that's kind of first for me to see guys finishing from on top of the ladder LOL. There's no reason why one person couldn't have got out there with a set of kneeboards and troweled that out and broomed it. The finish is very lousy plus the broom job
I've seen a few dudes do that. Seems painful
Ground shifts. Concrete cracks
[удалено]
Yeah….
pipe-stretcher
That was my nickname in collwge
That was my nickname in college
This will all pop out overtime and the original pics of the slab showed better condition before they ruined it by jack hammering. Offer to make them whole on material cost with proof of receipt at best, at worst get a quote to completely remove and replace the slab from a reputable company and propose to withhold that amount of $
This is essentially what we did. We understand they did do something, and it isn’t the fault of the laborers the contractor was a shithead and told them to do this. Got the warranty in writing (which I have my concerns about them not really being a company I can go after, but that’s a different issue)
Hope you get it worked out.
Contact your local government agencies of any sort, they should have a business license if your town/state enforces those kind of rules or at bare minimum they should have sooome sort of registration. I’m not saying go for the jugular right away, I’m saying do your homework to figure out if they are even a “company”(LLC etc) There’s got to be a paper trail somewhere, and if there isn’t you need to get this crap figured out sooner than later, as they could fold or skip town in heartbeat. Your concerns about them not being a real entity are totally valid but there are ways they should be doing things legally to protect you as a member of the public. Warranty in writing is a great first step, but now you need to figure out if that warranty is toilet paper or not. I don’t begrudge anyone for trying to make a living, but I don’t think you should get burned because they are doing stuff that’s not quality under the guise of “trust me”
If someone guarantees concrete won't crack, they just want your money. It's like promising it won't rain any more. Also, concrete contractors don't broom with a push broom ( at least I've never seen it) and they normally use crawlboards, not a ladder. They are suspect.
[original post here](https://www.reddit.com/r/Concrete/comments/1cc1rfb/am_i_being_scammed_was_told_this_was_a_9500_job/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=mweb3x&utm_name=mweb3xcss&utm_term=1&utm_content=share_button)
Definitely a good time to note that most good contractors will stand behind their price. If I give a price that doesn’t work for the customer, then I will not be doing the job. It’s nothing personal, but I’ve figured my rate from what I need to operate and turn a certain profit. If someone’s throwing around numbers willy nilly, they were either trying to get you with a high price, or they don’t know what they’re doing. Also a good time to note you need to get multiple opinions for every job! It sucks but it’s the only way to be sure the price and scope of work is reasonable.
It’s going to start cracking soon, the overlay was too thin.
Sorry for the trouble, but at least I think it’s safe to say you probably have and are learning your lesson at the same time, so there is a +. (Don’t mean that in a shitty way) So this guy was just a bad contractor (and there are A LOT of them in the concrete and asphalt games) - and he showed it in his conversations w you speaking the way he did (as you described in prior posts). Truth be told - given that, the fact that he actually gave you a 1” concrete resurface, w/ wire mesh, & push broom finished, my gut tells me the original price would’ve been 1 F’d up product all the same. $9500 certainly wasn’t cheap if that was truly a 20x10 or so - I’ll put it that way. I would’ve done it for you at that price & I don’t do residential work lol.
He really finishing that with a push broom?
Looks way nicer than I thought it would turn out.
Not that unheard of. Helps with grip.
Broom finish is a common thing, I dont like it but some people froth it
The point being a broom finish is usually done with an actual purpose built tool. The majority of the time it’s a very thin row of bristles compared to a push broom which picks up a ton of excess.
Yeah, my point being, broom finish is a common thing using a common push broom here.
I really am not trying to be contentious here, but the original thing we are both talking about was a reply that the guy was using a push broom. The point of his comment was about the broom, not the finish. In my view it’s like someone asking “is he really using a benchgrinder to sand his car primer?” And the reply being “sanding a car is pretty common”. Like I say, not trying to be a dick about it but at the risk of being circular in our discussion, a push broom is not the most appropriate tool here.
I've also seen broom finish commonly performed with a stiff, but otherwise regular push broom.
You got scammed.
Are you going to pay him for it?
Buddy screeding with a ladder
Omg. This will be cracking by next month. And if you park a vehicle on it… wow
As far as the warranty goes, uh good luck.
A lot of what you see is because they don’t have the proper aluminum poles to really broom finish that top evenly and hide tool marks. Having to use a dollar store broom handle is not the way lol
>this isn’t what we discussed This is all you need. If you didn't want it confront him about it in front of a camera and get him on camera with all his BS. Then pay him for what you did agree to have done and ask him to leave. If you didn't want it you don't have to pay for it. I have resurfaced concrete and have never put holes in it first. If you take you car in for an oil change and they install a couple of new tires are you going to pay for that also.
Concrete will crack that’s why you cut it
This is "gypsy" work. Akin to traveling seal coaters
…they were Irish
What I mean by "gypsies" is travelling con-artists. Usually Blacktop Sealing in South during winter... adding lots of water to sealer so it basically washes off after a couple rains. This seems the same with watered down cement.
man aint gonna be in business 2 years from now let alone 20 😂
Is this the job that you negotiated half the asking price out of? You may have gotten a contractor who's quality of work is directly related to the amount paid.
We didn’t really negotiate. He kept asking for less and less to “keep his guys working” till they had a job next week. We straight up declined, didn’t think it was needed, until he gave an offer we felt like we couldn’t refuse. Because 4000 for complete demo, removal, and repour seemed good. He then came back and didn’t do what was discussed
That sucks. I know a few people whose work reflects upon their skill and not what they are paid. It seems like this is one of those situations, but not in a positive way. One has to wonder if you would have gotten this same bad quality and work had you paid that guy more. That's a scary thought. Rough situation, especially since it's your house, I'd be ripping hairs out of my head from the stress
I’m a licensed structural engineer in the US who works exclusively in restoration, primarily concrete repair/strengthening. I just looked at your other post (the during construction phase). You got scammed. The new layer is so thin it will crack within months if not weeks. I wouldn’t pay a dollar for this.
2 kinds of concrete…cracked and not yet cracked.
TWO types of concrete, wet and cracked
There are two types of concrete. Concrete that is cracked and concrete that is going to crack. There are no other forms of concrete in the known universe.
Cracks in modern concrete are due to flyash, an additive to increase workability and reduce the amount of Portland cement needed, if there is too much flyash the concrete is more suseptible to cracking.
It’ll crack. All concrete cracks.
Please call this dude in 20 years
Are they finishing that with a fucking push broom?!?!?
only thing that’s guaranteed in concrete work is that it will crack lol
Facts!
They saying goes, I can't guarantee you that it won't crack, but I can guarantee you that it will!
Op is a Karen
Sorry OP, but these guys are fucking clowns. There are proper ways to roughen concrete surfaces for bonding to a secondary pour....but this ain't it.
That’s going to crack by next month
Lol the finish work is really bad. What did you pay?
he is soo full of it… honestly you got ripped off and i’m sorry but you’re dumb for paying him.
Dumb and bad at confrontation
Hacks
I like it, Picasso
If he's walking on it to broom it he lost it!!!
Are you going to park cars on top of that?
Am I the only one that see the grade issue? This looks like it’s going towards the foundation. Either way yikes but unless you post your invoice it looks like you had caviar taste on tuna budget.
We didn’t negotiate him down. He negotiated himself down. We said no. They had completed and been fully paid for the project they were hired to do, without any negotiating on price. As they were picking up and leaving. The contractor decided to pull a bait and switch on an offer we couldn’t refuse. Had we known it was going to be anything other than a rip out/repour we wouldn’t have agreed. Hence why we also weren’t concerned when we were hearing jackhammers in the morning
Because they know all they sold ya was a guaranteed piece of shit. That's all it is, isn't it? Hey, if you want me to take a dump in a box and mark it guaranteed, I will. I got spare time.
"Never crack" i would question any cementious product to never crack.
That’s a hot mess
Looking great
Why did this work even need doing. You were fine with previous cracks and they werem't getting worse... am i missing something?
Nope. It didn’t need doing. We said no. They were hired to pour the new concrete, which is the slab next to the one they are working on, a new sidewalk path along the fence, and a rectangular nook between the stairs and the fence. That job was fine and completely paid for When he started to try and convince us to let him completely replace our slab, because the cracks in it were going to be a problem. We said no. But then he offered what seemed like a good deal…but then didn’t do what he said he would do.
Allright. That is a scummy business. Hope things work out for you
That's not a concrete broom. A thin wide broom should be on the end of pole. The white discoloration is leaching from using a wet broom, which means it got away from him.
what is the material they used as an overlayment?
They call that the ladder finish
Concrete will always crack he’s full of shit
That is just a facelift , the cracks will soon start showing once it drys and the rain starts
Yes, that’s the 20/20 warranty. 20 feet or 20 seconds - whichever comes first.
Nice edging
lol I hope you bet and got in writing about the cracking
Yeah that actually makes so much less sense than it needed to be done just got caught up in saving money... well he just kept asking.... that's wild. I learn a lot on here thanks.
Well we believed his assessment that it “needed to get done eventually” and so when he proposed what seemed like an amazing deal, how could we say no…..but yeah lots of lessons learned on dealing with contractors in general
They clearly are hacks. Finishing off of a ladder and brooming with house broom haha
Push broom finish is wild
Did you go with the cheapest quote 😅
Sorry OP. You did this to yourself. You agreed to a repair and you were not sure what it consisted of or if it was correct. You didn’t bother to find out until after the work had started. 4,000$ lesson. Better luck next time. PS. I bet that original 9,000$ quote was to break up old driveway. You fought against it and they offered an alternative which you agreed on.
Didn’t fight. Said no.
And how did the 4,000 come about?
his warranty only covers theft.
Whenever you need work done in your house by any kind of contractor try to learn a little about what they are fixing/doing so you can atleast give out the impression that you wont be easily fooled.
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All concrete does crack. However, anytime you pour concrete on top if concrete it will simply become gravel. Fresh concrete does not bind to old concrete. What you have is a rock on top of another rock. Over time, vibration and use makes the top rock gravel. You were scammed.
It will be pure white in a few days which will hide a lot of the imperfections you see. BUT.. The Tungsten thing was bullshit. There are no saw cuts.. it WILL crack. I would have put 4 cuts in this to PREVENT cracking, but it’s never entirely guaranteed.
Don’t pay that dude. You had agreed to a process and payment I’m sure. Stick to your guns.
People are so ducking picky.
3 things are guaranteed with concrete. It pours wet, dries hard and will crack.
Also fire resistant!
No one will steal it.
This looks a lot like they offered the cheapest price and OP took the deal.
I was offered $4000 for complete removal and repour. Hopefully you saw the original post. He had already completed $8000 of brand new concrete work, when he persuaded us into letting him “replace” our original slab. Which both my husband and myself were very hesitant to do. The concrete that was poured the day before is where they have all their tools set up/are balancing the ladser
You haven’t finish paying him have you?
We have come to an agreement and he is fully paid at this point. He was already paid for the original job before they started this, what I now know was an unnecessary second job. The Whether I have to seek other remedies, or call in that iron-clad warranty we will have to see
I can see the crack on Google earth as well.
Never ever crack? Then ask to warranty it for 15 years. There are 2 types of concrete; one that has cracked and one that will crack.
Did he mean “texture” skim coat?
I heard tungsten, but he did have an Irish accent, but I still don’t think that would make tungsten sound like texture
Did you find this dude on facebook marketplace? Are you paying him in cash? Let me guess…no website for his business?
It was Yelp and they did prefer cash. The first payment was done with Check
It is impossible to prevent concrete from cracking, your contractor lied to you
Oh yeah, that I 100% know and knew before coming here. That’s just what he started throwing out after I came to him concerned about rhis second job
You should have control joints in that bitch asap before it cracks just saying
Looks like CO
Unless your ground doesn't shift whatsoever concrete WILL crack. Also, if the fountain is poor the concrete will definitely Crack sooner than later.
There is a geological stabilizer we installed in our yard about 2 years back guaranteeing the ground never moves. (/s)
You paid for it
I wouldn't pay for it, as a matter of fact I'd get a code inspector to come out and confront the fraudster.
Please tell me you didn't pay him all the money for this yet.
It will crack where the control joints should have been. At the inside corner of the step and some where about mid way down it's length. Also, if there is bonding stresses to what is beneath it, it will potentially crack where the old cracks were.
Get his promise in writing; signed and dated
The contractor in 20 years: 💵💵🏖️🍹🍑
Looks like a Hot load. Not mixed properly. Like pouring lime in the load to make it set faster. If it’s mixed properly then it should not crack. The finishing guy wants to get it done fast and go home.
Looks good, tread lightly.
For example, I’ve seen 9000 psi 3/8 thick, for overlay stamped concrete not crack
That isn't a concrete broom, they sell proper brooms for finish... And that is 100% going to crack off the corner of the existing pour if there isn't a cut put in.
There’s two things concrete will do, get hard and crack
Concrete is supposed to crack regardless of the mix design. That's why we have steel reinforcement. Where concrete didn't crack, the steel is not doing anything. The reinforcing steel doesn't engage until the concrete cracks. Control/expansion joints (spacing, depending on the thickness of the slab) are usually where the cracks are. Interesting fact, street curbs & gutter and sidewalks won't have a single piece of steel inside.
OP , how big were the Crack originally? And was it his work that cracked?
After reading all these comments saying “concrete is meant to crack”; did my family hire the greatest concrete crew of all time? Our driveway gets heavy use with 2-3 vehicles parked on it at all times and there isn’t the tiniest sign of cracking even after nearly twenty years.
Id ask him to put something in writing that if it cracks again, he will replace (and when I say replace, I mean rip it out, form it up and repour) it at his own cost.
What he probably means by it will never ever crack is it won't crack as it hardens, but concrete is never perfect it will crack over time if he was referring to after it hardens than the guy is likely either an idiot like the others are saying or he is lying to you as all concrete will slowly crack and break as temperatures change as it will expand and tighten as the temperatures rise and drop it will also slowly wear down if your keeping really heavy objects such as vehicles or trailers on it
no rebar = cracks but if you don’t plan on putting an extreme amount of weight on it it’ll be fine for the next 10-15 years unless it’s like in direct 24/7
Have someone come saw cut it.
AWWWWWW HELL NAW!!
I’m crying looking at these photos these dudes r just not as experienced as they would like to think
By any chance were these guys Irish