Finisher slang for the crack that went somewhere nobody planned, usually because joints were sawed late or too shallow, spaced too far apart, or the slab was restrained at a corner or column. Wild cracks are hard to hide, collect dirt and telegraph through floor coatings. Re-entrant corners and long, narrow panels throw the most.
Sawed it the next morning and it was too late, there's a wild crack running corner to corner in panel D.
Also heard as
- random crack
- uncontrolled crack
- stray crack
Related terms
Control joint
A planned groove or sawcut that makes a slab crack in a straight line exactly where the crew wants it.
Early-entry saw
A lightweight saw that cuts control joints within hours of finishing, before shrinkage cracks can start.
Drying shrinkage
The volume loss of hardened concrete as it gives up moisture over months and years.
Isolation joint
A full-depth separation between a slab and a fixed element, so each can move without cracking the other.