In Montana basements are fairly common, and often the basement floor is made up of concrete. A homeowner might finish the basement, might put down nice flooring over the top of the concrete, but, when the concrete below it has issues then so does the flooring above it. So, what do you do? Well, you will most likely have to tear out the flooring in the basement to get at the concrete floors. Then you will have to refinish the basement’s concrete floors. Here’s how to do it.
Discover why the concrete has cracked
Cracked concrete can happen for a number of reasons, but if the concrete is heaving upward, or it’s breaking away at the edges of the foundation, most likely it’s a structural issue with the home’s foundation—home’s shift over time, it’s just part of the aging process. If you have serious heaving and or cracking, concrete pulling away from the foundation, call a professional to come and determine the structural integrity of the foundation, before you refinish the floor. If the floor is cracked, and it’s cracked because of wear and tear, age, etc., start the refinishing process by cleaning the floor. Use a wire brush in the cracks of the concrete to clear out the debris and dirt. You might even want to use a shop vacuum to clean out the cracks, as any debris later, will compromise any type of patch you place in the crack. Once the crack is completely cleaned out you can apply a concrete patch to the crack. Make sure when the concrete patch goes on that there are no cracks, gaps, or uneven areas on the patch (It is so important in any kind of concrete work to completely fill the space with concrete, because any imperfections within the concrete, or the concrete patch, will result in a later breakdown of the concrete). When the patch is in place, smooth it out with a putty knife. If you need to add subsequent patches to the crack in the concrete, wait until the first patch has thoroughly dried, and then add the next, paying careful attention to the same set of steps as the first patch.
