We are building a new metal shop and have hired a general contractor that specializes in these types of building to perform the work. This is supposed to be a turn key building that we are paying approx $40,000 for.

They poured the slab a couple of weeks back and we are unhappy with it. They cut the expansion joints while the concrete was still too wet. The best I can describe it the joints look like that are chipping away instead of being a smooth line. You can even see some of the gravel around the joints because the top layer chipped.

I complained about this and the concrete guy came out and poured some sort of filler/caulk in the joints. The joints make a + shape across the whole slab so it is very visable.

I am still not happy with how it looks and also am concerned how this will hold up in the future. We had planned to maybe stain or put an epoxy coating on the floor and I can't possible see how this would work right now that we have this caulk in the joints.

The contractos is pretty much unwilling to do anything else and now we are stuck in limbo. Not to mention the building should have been completed weeks ago.

What are my options? Why do I have to settle for crappy looking work?

 

It definitely sounds like he either didn't use the correct tool to cut the joints or he cut it when the slab was not cured correctly. Can you provide some pictures of what it looks like? That's going to be the best way for anybody to provide you some suggestions about what can be done. Also, how many joints did he cut like that, how many total feet of cut?

In most likelihood it's not going to affect the performance of the floor, it's only to be something that you don't like looking at.

 

http://www.doityourself.com/forum/el...rt-images.html

 

First, you should not be complaining or directing the concrete contractor and should be talking to the G.C. that "specializes" in lower cost metal shop buildings. For a turn-key job like a metal building, the typical finishes are somewhat less because they are a by the "SF" basis in the end. - You bought a turn-key project and the responsibility is up to the contract and the G.C.

Hold up payment to the G.C. until you are satisfied with the end product.

Dick

 

And a few other questions:

Was he the low bidder?

Did you get more than one bid for the job?

Do you have a written, signed contract?

If so, does it contain any technical or workmanship clauses regarding the slab, or building?

If you answer with only one yes, I suspect you are stuck with what you have. Unless you with-hold payment, which will start a whole new pi$$ing contest.

 

If the caulk hadn't already been installed, it would have been a simple process to clean up the ragged joints. Simply running a 4" grinder with a v-shaped crack chasing blade along a ragged joint works wonders. I've fixed several this way. It just slightly widens the joint a bit and removes the chipped edges. Looks great

 

probably wasn't ' caulk ', either,,, w/o pics, i don't know how anyone can advise,,, we usually saw a joint reservoir after the initial cut then properly install a joint sealant