Before applying our concrete surfacing material, we thoroughly cleaned the area and then filled in cracks to help prevent them from reappearing. We use a special epoxy that flows into the crack and helps to hold it closed. Now, keep in mind we can’t guarantee that the crack won’t come back, if the slab moves for whatever reason, the epoxy may not hold it together. However, if we don’t apply the epoxy you can pretty much guarantee that the crack will eventually come back and be visible through the layer of concrete surfacing material that we apply, it’ll just be a matter of time until it happens.
One last step in the prep work was to cut a shallow trench into the concrete slab to install a drain cover to help redirect any remaining water away from the slab.