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Absolute Best Concrete Coatings
Bloomington, Calif.

Concrete will crack. Oftentimes, applying a concrete overlay can be a more cost effective solution than ripping out and replacing the entire cracked concrete slab. Stuart Nickel, owner of Absolute Best Concrete Coatings, recently completed an overlay project at the San Manuel Indian Reservation in Highland, Calif., where he used a decorative overlay to hide a cracking issue.

The residential job consisted of applying an overlay to the pool deck, back and front yard patios and walkways, and the driveway. The project took six weeks and consisted of a total of 15,000 square feet of overlay. “The biggest challenge was the excessive cracks in the existing concrete,” Nickel says. “We had to do a lot of crack repair and add expansion joints to help relieve the concrete from cracking again.”

Nickel became the second contractor to take on the job after the first overlay — while still in progress — was deemed unsatisfactory. As a result, Nickel had to scarify about 1,000 square feet of concrete and start the job over.

“Prep work prior to installation of any overlay job, if not done correctly, is the main reason for overlay failure,” he says.

To prep this job, the crews ground out and opened all the cracks. Then they placed an epoxy crack repair gel about ˝ inch deep into the cracks. Nickel used a walk-behind concrete saw to cut additional expansion joints into the concrete.