Shrinkage cracking in concrete floors

Concrete begins in a plastic state and goes through a hardening process as the water content evaporates. As concrete has no tensile strength it is important to control the rate that it dries to avoid plastic shrinkage cracks in the surface of the concrete. Hot weather conditions can cause concrete to dry too quickly. Ponding or dampening the concrete to keep it moist will prevent it from losing moisture too fast and will minimise any cracking. Curing the concrete in this manner for a period of two weeks will generally be sufficient to prevent and major cracking in the surface. Re-inforcement mesh placed at the correct depth will also help control any cracking. internal corners can also be re-inforced by using re-entrant bars across the corner to prevent cracking.