I have a 18′ x 6′ concrete slab floor to a covered front porch. The slab (about 6″ thick) was poured on top of cinder block foundation walls and I assume has gravel beneath it. The slab has 2 small cracks the run across the slab (so ~ 6′ long each). Over the 13 yrs Ive lived in the house, one crack has expanded about 1/16″.
I’d like to tile the slab with slate and was thinking of trying to stablize the slab like this: tapcon 3 -4 simpson ties across each crack, to kind of stitch the cracks together and keep them from moving. Then, about 18 -24″ away from each crack, cut a new expansion joints in the slab where a grout line in the tile would be so I could control the appearance of the crack a bit better, with color matched acryllic grout/caulk.
Or is that just crazy talk?
Pete
Replies
Pete
I don't think the ties will do much at all.
You could place an isolation membrane on the slab to divorce the crack from busting up your tile, but if it goes up/down that won't do much to help.
The best bet would be to ask some good tile folks-JohnBridge.com has a bunch.
http://www.johnbridge.com/
Best of luck.
Yeah, I doubt that the Simpson ties would do much good. If you want to do this probably the way to go about it is the way the highway guys do: Grind slots across the crack and epoxy pins in place.