FAQ
Answers to Commonly Asked Questions About Concrete and Structural Repair
The questions we get on nearly every estimate, answered plainly.
General
Concrete and structural FAQ
If what you need is not here, call (513) 290-8208 and ask. Ian would rather answer a question for free than be called out to fix something that got worse while somebody was guessing.
How soon can you get me an estimate?
Ian walks almost every job himself and books estimates within 48 hours of your call. You leave the appointment with a written, line-itemed price: square footage, thickness, mix design, reinforcement, finish and cure time all spelled out. There is no charge and no obligation.
How long before I can drive on my new concrete?
Foot traffic is usually fine after 24 to 48 hours. Passenger vehicles should stay off for 7 days, and heavy trucks or dumpsters for a full 28 days, which is when a standard mix reaches its rated strength. We can specify a high-early mix that cuts the drive-on window to 3 days when a job cannot wait.
What does concrete work cost in Cincinnati?
Flatwork typically runs from the single digits to the high teens per square foot depending on thickness, reinforcement, finish and how much demolition and haul-off is involved. Structural repair is priced by the scope of the failure, not by the foot. Tear-out, subgrade problems, limited access and winter protection are the four things that move a number the most, and all four are called out separately on our estimates.
What are the common signs I have a structural problem?
Stair-step cracking in block or brick, a horizontal crack across a basement wall, doors and windows that stop latching, sloping floors, gaps opening between the wall and the ceiling, and any crack wider than a quarter inch or actively growing. A horizontal crack in a foundation wall is the one to call about the same day, because it means the wall is taking lateral load it was not designed for.
What is the difference between epoxy, polyaspartic and sealer?
Epoxy is a thick build coat that fills and levels, cures hard and takes color flake well. Polyaspartic goes down thinner, cures in hours instead of days, and holds up far better to UV, so it is the usual topcoat over epoxy. A penetrating sealer does not build a film at all: it soaks in and repels water and salt while leaving the slab looking bare. We will tell you which one the slab actually needs.
Is River City Restoration licensed and insured?
Yes. We carry general liability and workers compensation, we are registered as an Ohio home improvement contractor, and Ian holds ACI flatwork finisher and ICRI concrete surface repair technician certifications. Current certificates go out with every estimate, so you should not have to ask.
Do you warranty your work?
Every job carries a written five-year workmanship warranty covering separation, settlement and finish failure caused by our installation. Concrete shrinks as it cures, so hairline shrinkage cracking and control-joint cracking are normal and excluded. We explain exactly where we expect the slab to crack before we pour, and we place the joints so it cracks there.
By service
Questions about a specific service
Each service page carries its own questions. These are the ones we hear most often on each type of job.
How thick should my driveway be?
Four inches on compacted stone is the residential standard for cars and light trucks. We go to five or six inches with rebar where an RV, a boat trailer, a dumpster or delivery trucks will be on it. Going thicker is far cheaper than replacing a cracked slab later.
Can you pour in the winter?
Yes, with precautions. We can place down to about 25 degrees using heated water, accelerator and insulated blankets, and we keep the slab protected until it has enough strength to survive a freeze. We will tell you honestly when the forecast means the right answer is to wait two weeks.
Will my new concrete crack?
Every slab cracks, because concrete shrinks as it cures. The job of the contractor is to decide where. That is what control joints are for, and it is why we lay out and cut them properly. What should not happen is random cracking across the field, settlement, or a crack that keeps opening, and those are covered by our five-year workmanship warranty.
Can you just resurface my driveway instead of replacing it?
Sometimes. An overlay needs a structurally sound slab underneath: no settlement, no working cracks, and a surface still bonded well enough to hold the new material. If the base has failed, an overlay is money spent twice. We will tell you which one you have.
Do you do stamped or colored concrete?
Yes, in a range of stamp patterns and integral or broadcast colors. Decorative work needs resealing roughly every two to three years to keep its color, and we quote that maintenance up front so it is not a surprise later.
How long will my driveway be unusable?
Plan on about ten days total: two to three days of work, then seven days before you park on it. We can usually stage the job to keep part of the drive usable, and a high-early mix can shorten the wait when parking on the street is not an option.
How long does an epoxy floor last?
A properly ground and installed residential garage system runs 15 to 20 years. Industrial floors under forklift traffic are usually recoated every 7 to 10 years, which is a topcoat refresh rather than a full replacement. A floor installed without grinding often fails within two years, which is most of what we get called to fix.
Can you coat over my existing epoxy?
Often yes, if it is still well bonded. We do a pull test to check adhesion, then abrade the existing coating to give the new one something to grip. If the old coating is delaminating or was a water-based garage kit, it has to come off first.
How much downtime does my business need to plan for?
A polyaspartic system is typically back in light service within 24 hours and full service in 48 to 72. We work nights and weekends on commercial jobs specifically so production does not stop, and we phase large floors in sections so part of the space stays operational throughout.
Is polished concrete slippery?
Less than most people expect. A polished floor typically has a higher wet coefficient of friction than polished stone or sealed hardwood, because the surface is not a film. Where slip resistance is a code or safety concern we add a traction-enhancing treatment to the guard coat.
Can any slab be polished?
No. Slabs that are heavily patched, badly out of flat, contaminated with oil, or too soft to take a polish will not give a uniform result. We do test patches before quoting a polish so nobody finds out on installation day. Where the slab will not work, an overlay will.
How does the cost compare to epoxy?
A basic grind-and-seal is usually cheaper than a full epoxy flake system. A high-gloss, fully exposed aggregate polish costs more up front but has a much lower lifetime cost, because it is not on a recoat cycle. For large commercial floors, polish is almost always the cheaper twenty-year number.
How often does caulking need replacing?
A correctly installed urethane or silicone joint lasts 10 to 20 years depending on exposure and movement. South and west elevations fail first from UV. We recommend an annual visual walk of any commercial building and immediate attention to any joint that has split, pulled from one face, or gone chalky and hard.
Can you just caulk over the old sealant?
No, and anyone who offers to should not be on your building. New sealant does not bond reliably to aged, dirty or silicone-contaminated material, and the joint keeps moving underneath. Full removal is the only version of this job that lasts.
Do you do high-rise and swing stage work?
We handle building facades using boom lifts and swing stages, with all the required fall protection and site documentation. For large multi-elevation buildings we survey, map and photograph every joint first, so you get a scope with actual linear footage rather than an estimate built on a guess.
Why does my expansion joint keep failing?
Almost always because the system installed was too small for the movement, or the joint edge was already damaged and never rebuilt. A seal can only stretch so far. If the joint opens more than the product's rated movement capability, it will tear every time regardless of how well it was installed.
Can you fix the spalled concrete at the joint edge?
Yes, and we do not install a new joint without it. We saw cut back to sound material, install any needed reinforcement, and rebuild the nosing with an elastomeric or polymer-modified repair mortar designed to absorb wheel impact at the joint edge.
How long will my parking deck be closed?
We work in phases so most of the structure stays open. A typical run of deck joint is removed, rebuilt and reinstalled within two to three days per section, and most of the materials we use are traffic-bearing within 4 to 8 hours of placement.
Which foundation cracks are actually serious?
Horizontal cracks, cracks wider than a quarter inch, cracks with one side offset from the other, stair-step cracking in block, and any crack that is measurably growing. Thin vertical cracks in poured walls are extremely common and usually only a water concern. If you are unsure, send a photo with a tape measure or a coin in the frame for scale.
Will injection fix a bowing wall?
No. Injection seals water and, with epoxy, can restore monolithic strength across a crack, but neither stops a wall that is being pushed inward by soil pressure. That needs carbon fiber, steel bracing or anchors. Anyone offering injection alone for a bowing wall is selling you a leak repair for a structural problem.
Do I need a structural engineer?
For significant movement, yes, and we will tell you when. We work alongside local structural engineers regularly and will coordinate directly with yours. For the routine crack sealing and carbon fiber work that makes up most of our foundation calls, our documented assessment is generally sufficient.
How do I know whether concrete damage is structural?
Exposed or rust-stained reinforcing steel, spalling on the underside of a beam or slab, cracks that pass through a column, visible deflection or sag, and any crack on an element carrying load should be evaluated. A hollow sound when the surface is tapped means the concrete above the steel has already delaminated even where nothing has fallen off yet.
Do you work with structural engineers?
Routinely. We work to an engineer's repair drawings, and we will recommend engaging one whenever the scope involves load path, added capacity or significant section loss. If you do not have an engineer, we can refer several who work in this market.
Can you shore a structure in an emergency?
Yes. Emergency shoring is the one thing we run 24/7, because an element that is actively failing cannot wait for a scheduling window. We stabilize first and make it safe, then assess and price the permanent repair once nothing is moving.
Is lifting cheaper than replacing?
Substantially, usually 40 to 60 percent of the cost of tear-out and replacement, and it is finished the same day instead of over a week and a cure period. It also keeps the concrete you already have, which frequently matches the rest of the property better than a new pour will.
Can any settled slab be lifted?
Any slab that is still structurally intact. If it has broken into multiple pieces, is badly spalled, or is so thin it will not survive a lift, replacement is the right call. We evaluate on site and will tell you when lifting is not worth your money.
Will it settle again?
Not from the same void, because the foam fills it permanently and does not wash out or compress. It can settle again if the underlying cause is still active, which is why we look for the downspout, the leaking line, the poor grading or the eroding base while we are there and tell you what we find.
Interior or exterior waterproofing, which do I need?
Exterior stops water before it enters the wall and is the more thorough repair, but it means excavating around the house. Interior drainage manages water after entry, costs less, and can be installed without disturbing landscaping or hardscape. Block walls that are absorbing and holding water usually argue for exterior; a clean cold-joint leak in a poured wall is well handled by interior drainage.
Do I need a battery backup on my sump pump?
Yes. The storms that produce the most groundwater are the same storms that knock the power out, so a sump pump without a backup is offline exactly when it matters. We install battery backup systems and high-water alarms as standard on every sump we put in.
Will waterproofing fix my musty smell?
It fixes the cause. Once water stops entering and humidity comes down, the odor goes with it, though existing affected materials such as carpet, pad and drywall usually need removing. For persistent humidity we recommend a dedicated basement dehumidifier plumbed to the sump.
How tall can a wall be before it needs engineering?
Four feet is the usual threshold, measured from the bottom of the footing, and many jurisdictions require a permit and stamped drawings at that point. Any wall with a driveway, structure or slope bearing on the soil behind it needs engineering regardless of height, because the surcharge changes the load entirely.
Why did my old retaining wall lean?
Almost always water, and almost always no drainage. Saturated soil pushes far harder than dry soil, and a wall built without stone and a drain line behind it is holding a load it was never sized for. Undersized footings and backfill that was never compacted are the next two most common causes.
Can you repair a leaning wall rather than replace it?
Sometimes, with tiebacks or helical anchors if the wall itself is still sound and the movement is limited. If the wall has rotated, cracked through or lost its footing, replacement is both safer and usually cheaper than a repair that will be revisited. We will tell you which one you are looking at.
How do I know if my slab can be resurfaced?
The slab has to be structurally sound, on a stable base, and free of active movement. Surface problems such as scaling, spalling, discoloration and light pitting are good resurfacing candidates. Settlement, cracks that are growing, rocking sections or a hollow sound under tapping mean replacement.
How long does an overlay last?
A properly prepped and installed overlay on a sound slab runs 10 to 15 years, with resealing every two to three years on decorative work. Almost every early failure traces back to inadequate surface preparation or an overlay installed on a slab that should have been replaced.
Is resurfacing worth it or should I just replace?
Resurfacing typically costs 30 to 50 percent of replacement. When the slab is sound, it is clearly the better value. When the base has failed, it is money you will spend twice, so the answer depends entirely on the assessment and we give you that in writing before you decide.
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Still have a question?
Call (513) 290-8208, or send the details and a photo and we will tell you what we think you are looking at.
(513) 290-8208