Got stuck on a weird cold joint issue in a basement slab last week...

It was a simple 20x30 pour for a garage, but the truck got held up for almost four hours. By the time we got the last bit down, the first section was already set up hard. Spent the next two full days trying to fix that line... grinding, bonding agents, the whole mess. Should have been a one-day job, turned into three. What's your go-to move when a pour gets delayed that bad and you know a cold joint is coming?

2 comments

2 Comments

kevin_bailey1mo ago

Honestly, sometimes you just gotta send it and let the cold joint happen. Fighting it for three days costs more in labor than just coming back later to cut and seal a control joint right on that line. I've seen guys waste a whole shift grinding and prepping when a simple saw cut and some sealant would look fine for a garage floor. Not every slab needs to be perfect, especially if it's getting covered by cars and workbenches anyway.

wright.drew1mo ago

Gotta disagree on just letting it be a cold joint. A bad one in a garage slab is a future crack waiting to happen, right under where someone parks their car every day. Water gets in, freezes, and suddenly that simple saw cut is a real problem. The extra prep work upfront saves a callback and a much bigger repair later. It's annoying for sure, but doing it right the first time is cheaper in the long run.