Expansion Joint Repairs
Urethane joint expansion sealing
Expansion Joint Repair
Why Repair Expansion Joints?
Concrete floors are built with expansion joints so that as temperature change and heavy loads exert pressure on the slab, the floor sections can flex rather than crack. While these joints are created to protect the integrity of the floor, they are also the first place where the floor begins to deteriorate.
Concrete expansion control joints are prone to failure in two ways. The more serious form is when the slabs become uneven or the concrete begins to chip and crack along the joint lines. As the problem worsens, the failing joint becomes a health and safety hazard. When a forklift runs across a failing floor joint, the uneven surface jolts the driver and the load, putting employees and merchandise at risk. As the joint grows, it also becomes a trap for debris and dirt, breeding bacterial growth.
A secondary problem caused by failing expansion joints is the cracking and chipping of epoxy floor coatings. Many floor coating companies and painting contractors neglect to properly treat the expansion joints when installing an epoxy flooring system. Instead, they just paint right across the joint. Since the control joint is designed to flex, it quickly snaps the rigid epoxy, creating a fault line that quickly grows with foot and forklift traffic.
How to Fix Failing Expansion Joints
Sunfix Paints, a commercial and industrial painting contractor, can rebuild and repair problematic expansion joints. We start by grinding out the joint to remove all faulty concrete and paint, as well as debris. We then rebuild the concrete control joint with an epoxy mortar and recreate a level, smooth surface with a clean joint. Next, we apply the floor epoxy to the entire surface, and cut a clean line in the surface once it is dry. This cut line is then filled with flexible polyurethane joint filler, which creates a flexible joint in the epoxy surface that will flex with the slab beneath.
Part of properly servicing your expansion joints is keeping them cleaned and prepped for maintenance. Abrasive blasting is a versatile industrial cleaning technique that can roughen smooth surfaces or smooth rougher surfaces, depending on your needs. Abrasive blasting is also an effective way to remove surface contaminants or shape a surface. Sandblasting is a type of abrasive blasting that uses highly-pressurized sand to improve the quality of expansion joint surfaces and prepare them for industrial painting, commercial painting or heavy-duty cleaning in an industrial space. If you are looking for abrasive blasting or sandblasting services, contact us today for a free estimate!