Concrete Stoop Cracked all the way through?

Hello all,
I have a 13' x 8' concrete stoop on the front of my house that has a thin but deep crack in it. The crack runs from the front to the back of the stoop and from one side to the other side. The width of the crack is only 1/32"-1/16" wide but it is completely through the 4" slab. The stoop is on 4 ft deep footers and it had wire and rebar in it, when it was poured. The crack hasn't gotten any worse and it is level (no difference in height on either side of the crack). The stoop was poured about 3 years ago. My question is, should I be concerned with this crack and will it get any worse? I'm mainly concerned because the crack is all the way through the thickness of the slab. I'm also thinking of having a stamped concrete overlay done to cover the crack or having the stoop tiled over. Would the crack pose problems if I did decide to do either of these things? thank you mross

 

Any crack in concrete is all the way through the slab. That's just the way it is. You needn't be concerned, especially with the reinforcement present. However, overlays are not meant for crack repair. The crack will transfer up through the overlay, usually within a few days. Depending upon the pattern of the overlay, the crack may be well-hidden, but it will never be "fixed". This is because exterior concrete expands and contracts with temperature fluctuations, and a rigid crack repair material will just do the same thing.

 

Pecos, Thanks for your reply. Wouldn't this crack eventually stabilize and stop moving? Like I said the crack has gotten any worse in 3 years. Could I use an isolation membrane between the slab and overlay to prevent the crack for transferring to the overlay? Also, overlay's are done with polymer modified concrete, would that make a difference? What about putting tile over the comcrete? Thank you mross

 

The crack may not get any wider than it is now because of the reinforcement, but it will continue to move with temperature changes. The polymer in the overlay doesn't make the overlay stretch across a crack. It just helps it bond better to the concrete. It will definitely crack over any existing cracks. An isolation membrane is not used with an overlay, because you want the overlay to bond to the concrete. Talk to some local overlay guys and get their opinions. If they say it will cover the crack without re-cracking, be sure to get it in writing.
Depending upon your climate, tile may work. However, if you're in a freeze/thaw area I wouldn't do it. I've torn out several tile-over-concrete jobs where the owners said that frost-proof tile and grout were used. Water somehow got under the tile, froze, and popped the tiles off.
By the way, am I correct in assuming that there are no crack control joints in your slab, and that it has broken in four roughly equal sized pieces?