There is an old saying in the concrete business that proclaims: Concrete comes with three rock solid guarantees

1) If you leave it alone in downtown Detroit City no one is going to steal it.

2) It won’t burn.

3) It WILL crack!

The iconic Will Rogers even mentioned concrete cracks in his epic quote: “All you need to grow fine, vigorous grass is a crack in your sidewalk.”

Even though well placed concrete has great hardness (compressive strength), it does not have good elasticity (tensile strength) which is the ability to stretch and bend very far. This results in cracks. Having cracks in a beautiful concrete patio or pool deck is like having ants at a picnic – they are not very welcome! 

So what are your options as a homeowner or property owner to repair or fix this unsightly concrete? Hire Sundek! We take cracks very seriously. When we are getting ready to have a Sundek concrete coating installed and know you don’t want to see those nasty cracks again. We take do a mini-root cause analysis of each crack which includes identifying the source of each crack and what your expectations are for future crack re-occurrence. 

Option One – You can remove and replace the cracked concrete areas. The new concrete must be provided with proper soil compaction and expansion joints. This option can get a bit pricey but in some cases this is the must-do best option. We are good, but we cannot hurdle poorly placed concrete in some cases. Thus not every chunk of concrete can be restored with Sundek and we’ll advise you if the deck needs to be torn out and replaced – with no warranty against cracking –again. This option can run you anywhere from $8-$12 a square foot depending on your local market and the job conditions. (Yikes!) 

Option Two– You can saw cut the concrete at the cracks and epoxy weld the structural cracks. This option is again pricey and not fool proof. You might call this the “Cut and Paste” option. It can be difficult to find someone who does this type of work and usually it has a very limited warranty. Pricing can run as high as $20-$30 a lineal foot. 

Option Three– Sundek Custom Scoreline Effects. This technique was invented and perfected by Sundek dealers over 40 years ago. The idea is to think of the concrete cracks as “Mother Nature’s Expansion Joints”- they are just doing their job in controlling the natural expansion and contraction movement of the concrete as it heats and cools. With the typical Sundek application when Custom Scoreline Effect is needed you add only 50- to 60 cents a square foot to the price of the job and you get a two-year warranty that if another crack returns, the local Sundek Dealer will come back and create a new scoreline with the new crack.

Compare that to the other two options – This is a Pretty Easy Choice!!

The creation of a beautiful – eye catching Custom Scoreline Effect is a real skill that the Sundek installers have perfected to an art-form. Each “stone” pattern is indeed “Custom”.  Here is what to expect if you choose the custom scoreline option:

Each crack is carefully opened with a grinder wheel and then an extended Custom Scoreline pattern is designed and developed by further grinding.

The existing scored crack is then filled with a urethane sealant to prevent water and debris intrusion. This also helps blend in the original crack with the new custom score lines.

The project is then completed with the Sundek acrylic color Finish Coat of the customer’s color choice. Now the moving cracks –Mother Nature’s expansion joints- can do their job without looking like a nasty old crack.

The Custom Score line Effect can be incorporated into most any other Sundek Effect but it is most often used with the Classic Sundek Texture Effect. #418 Custom Scoreline Cut Sheet

If you already have a Sundek installation that has developed cracks in the concrete and it was not originally crafted with a Custom Scoreline Effect, now would be a great time to give your local Sundek Dealer a call and get an estimate on making those nasty cracks turn into a thing of beauty! 

Maybe you are considering a decorative concrete coating but weren’t sure about the cracking issues and nobody else has a good solution – your answer in just a phone call away to your local Sundek Dealer.