Concrete crack repair. There are thousands of concrete crack repair kits on the market ranging from caulks and paints to polyurethanes and epoxies. So which is the best concrete crack repair solution?
First, you want to avoid caulks and paints. They are temporary bandaids used to make it look like the crack is not longer there. They can’t bond to concrete and they don’t last forever. The primary permanent solutions to concrete crack repair is an epoxy repair kit or a polyurethane repair kit. Epoxies are very strong and should only be used if the crack is in need of structural repair. Polyurethanes are more flexible and should be used on cracks caused by shrinkage, settling, or movement.
Polyurethane Concrete Crack Repair Kits
Polyurethane repair kits are the most common type of repair kits. They can repair everything from a hairline crack to a crack measuring up to 1/2″ wide. As far as length goes, there is no limit. There are two types of polyurethane repair kits: high pressure injection kits and low pressure injection kit. While low pressure injection kits are faster to use – they aren’t the best solution.
Low pressure injection: Low pressure injection kits use plastic surface ports. While this kit is very simple to set up and easy to use – if you use it, it won’t be the last time you repair the cracks. Because the ports are on the surface, you are sealing the crack from the outside. The low pressure gun can’t push enough material through the ports to seal the crack complet
ely. Keep in mind, just because you have a hairline crack, doesn’t mean the crack isn’t deep. Low pressure systems seal 50-75% of the crack and most cracks re-appear within 1-5 years after repairing the crack.
High pressure injection: High pressure injection systems require a bit more work than low pressure systems, but they are more effective and versatile. High pressure systems can be used on dry, wet, leaking, and gushing cracks. They can be used on hairline cracks and wide cracks. The aluminum ports have to be injected into the concrete and intercept the crack. Not only to the ports help to guide the polyurethane into the crack but they allow for the repair to be made from the back of the crack to the front of the crack. High pressure systems are the only injection systems that allow for a crack to be permanently repaired.
Epoxy Concrete Crack Repair Kits
Epoxy concrete crack repair kits are used for dry cracks that need structural repairs. Structural repair cracks are usually very deep and very wide.
