Crack in new basement floor

[Jeffery L. Haynes]

Ask the builder to get a copy of the amount of water added (if any) to the concrete at time of pour. The drivers are suppose to noted any amount when they turn in their tickets. If everything looks good then its a cosmetic issue / nature of concrete.

It sounds like your clients do not have realistic expectations..........I would discuss this with them. If you see that it is still the case, then refund their money (with a release) and bid them adieu.

Jeff

[Jack L. Gilleland]

Oh, they're not mad at me. I just turned them over to the contractor after telling them that it was a relatively normal condition.
After the inspection we walked across the street to the one that was just poured and lo and behold "cracks".

for me alls well that ends well.

[Brian C. Hoagland]

Originally Posted by dvalley

I don't see an issue.

If your client doesn't like the cracks, the contractor can go over it with a parge coat of mortar, but that will be an obvious fix showing two different colors on the floor.

And that will crack later too. Same as the floor in the same place, unless they wait at least a year to repair it. Concrete cures for 50 years and will shrink the entire time. Most of the curing process occurs during the initial 27 days from which it was placed (90%). the rest occurs very slowly dependent on a variety of factors. One year is usually accepted as the right time to do repairs due to cracks of this nature. But it is a cosmetic problem, the contract between the builder and purchaser should be reviewed to determine the obligations between them. Really seems as though a little education for the buyer could go a long way here unless the builder didn't use the correct mix, slump, or reinforcement specifed by the engineer of record.

[David P. Valley]

Originally Posted by bhoagland

And that will crack later too. Same as the floor in the same place, unless they wait at least a year to repair it. Concrete cures for 50 years and will shrink the entire time. Most of the curing process occurs during the initial 27 days from which it was placed (90%). the rest occurs very slowly dependent on a variety of factors. One year is usually accepted as the right time to do repairs due to cracks of this nature. But it is a cosmetic problem, the contract between the builder and purchaser should be reviewed to determine the obligations between them. Really seems as though a little education for the buyer could go a long way here unless the builder didn't use the correct mix, slump, or reinforcement specifed by the engineer of record.

So be it.