You\u2019ve worked hard all day, whether it\u2019s preparing walls, ceilings or floors, only to get a call from the customer to say that what you\u2019ve put up or laid has cracked. Cracks look unsightly, are a pain to fix and make you look bad.<\/p>\n
To help you avoid cracks and ensure that you deliver a top-notch finish and a high-quality building job, we have put together this mini guide to building solutions for cracks in plaster, render, concrete and screed.<\/p>\n
How can you stop cracks appearing in your plaster and render?<\/a> Step one, which is an obvious one, but we\u2019ll say it anyway, is to stop your plaster or render from drying too quickly. Step two, and this one is just as important, is to make sure that you\u2019re using the right materials.<\/p>\n Shrinkage is the main reason that cracks appear in plaster and render, and most of the causes of this shrinkage are beyond your control \u2013 weather erosion, moisture movement and thermal expansion all cause expansion and then shrinkage.<\/p>\n So, it\u2019s essential that you manage this movement and this is where the right materials come in (and it is a matter of management because you can\u2019t stop shrinkage from happening). Our number one recommendation for doing this is to add a specialist plaster and render fibre solution to your mix, such as Siteworx Plaster & Render Fibres<\/a>.<\/p>\n These fibres will absorb some of the force of the movement \u2013 they are specifically designed to minimise the impact of shrinkage \u2013 and help ensure that cracks don\u2019t appear in the surface or surfaces you\u2019ve worked hard to prepare<\/p>\n How can you stop cracks appearing in your concrete and screed?<\/a> Just as with render and plaster, it\u2019s usually shrinkage that causes cracks in concrete and screed, although using the wrong type of concrete or screed for the application can also leave you with cracks.<\/p>\n So, again, it is vital that you keep the mix damp on top so that it doesn\u2019t dry out too quickly and that you use the right materials. You\u2019ll know all about the former, but with regard to the latter, we have a couple of tips that we think you\u2019ll want to hear.<\/p>\n Firstly, you can control cracks in concrete and screed by adding control joints, and secondly, you can add a polypropylene fibre solution, such as Siteworx Concrete & Screed Fibres<\/a>, to your mix \u2013 this will help minimise shrinking and, thus, cracking.<\/p>\n These fibres do this by dispersing in the mix and forming a matrix, which helps bind your concrete or screed together. They reduce the tension created in your mixture when it\u2019s drying \u2013 often negating the need for reinforcement mesh – and make it more resistant to impact and abrasion.<\/p>\n Building jobs present plenty of challenges and one of the most common is cracking, whether it\u2019s in plaster, render, concrete or screed. As a building professional, it is important that you do everything in your power to avoid this problem. Your reputation depends on it.<\/p>\n What we\u2019ve aimed to do with this post is provide you with the information that you need to avoid cracks appearing in plaster, render, concrete and screed. With this knowledge, you can make an informed decision about planning and the materials you use on your next building job<\/a>.<\/p>\n With 20 years\u2019 experience in the landscape and building industry, Growtivation understands the needs of landscaping and building professionals and has concentrated on providing high-performance solutions with our Product That Works range.<\/p>\n Growtivation\u2019s wide range of professional landscaping systems and building products means we have the right solution for all common landscaping problems.<\/p>\n Find out more about the Growtivation Product That Works range<\/a> by downloading our Product Guide<\/a>.<\/p>\n To find out where you can buy Growtivation products, visit our online Where to Buy<\/a> facility or contact the friendly team at Growtivation for advice on 0800 197 8885 or email sales@growtivation.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" ","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":23067,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"content-type":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1,18,24,35],"tags":[],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nHow to avoid cracks in your concrete and screed<\/h2>\n
The importance of the right building materials in avoiding cracks<\/h2>\n