Hi, I removed the carpet and foam underlay in the living room for my ground level condo. On the concrete, I found a crack and am worried due to it's length.. The concern I have is that it runs from the wall (that connects to the unit beside ours), underneath the stairs and then into the closet under the stairs that contains the water tank. The crack itself is quite small in width; around 1/8" max. There is a small section in front of the stairs that has a very slight displacement; with a 1' level across it it still shows to be level.
Should I be bringing in a professional to be looking at it? Or is it possible for me to repair it myself? If so, what would be the best way to go about repairing it? I will later be adding laminate flooring (and underlay) on top.
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Well since it is a condo I won't be too worry about the crack as structure.. It could just be stress crack and there are likely rebar under and stuff..
If you wanted, first vacuum out the joint, then you could get concrete crack sealant which come with a tube (you will need a caulking gun) and then fill the crack and smooth out the excess with a putty knife and let it dry and that's it.
Good luck
Hi Peter,
While it would be understandably concerning to lift your carpet and see a large crack in your floor. It is unlikely that it is any sort of structural matter.
If both sides of the crack are in the same plane, that is the floor is still smooth where one side is not higher or lower than the other, which it sounds like it is from your description and has not opened further, it is unlikely to be a concern.
Having said that, you can mark the floor on both sides of the crack a fixed distance from each other (i.e. two marks exactly 1' apart with the crack somewhere in between). then in a few days or a week, remeasure the mark to ensure it has not moved.
Most of the big box stores (Home Depot, RONA, Lowe's, etc.) sell a concrete epoxy repair kit for DIYers like yourself which you can easily use to fill the crack by closely following the instructions.
I have seen your posted pictures but have not seen the site in person and am unqualified to diagnose a structural issue in your condo over this forum.
If you are concerned, it is certainly recommended and relatively cheap insurance to contact a structural Engineer (P.Eng) licensed in BC to attend and provide a stamped site report on the issue with a prescribed repair before covering anything up.
This would be my recommendation.
Best of luck
Jason Irving
Cedarfalls Building Consultants Limited
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