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Concrete can take years to fully settle, but interior concrete floors are mostly settled after a year. Shifting and settling can occur throughout your home’s life, but most major settling happens the first few years after the concrete is poured. It’s not uncommon for minor cracks to appear in concrete floors over time—check with a concrete pro to ensure new cracks don’t indicate a structural issue in your home.

The prevention steps are essentially the same, no matter the patio material. Keep the surface clean and maintained. Ensure there's no debris buildup, and cover the whole thing in a quality sealant. If it's the start of a season or it's been a while since you've cleaned the area, use a pressure washer.

Unfortunately, concrete cracks happen, so there’s no surefire way to avoid them long-term. To slow down the cracking, apply a sealant every two to three years and use sand rather than salt to melt snow or ice. Using salt speeds up the freeze-thaw cycle, which may increase the likelihood of cracking. Additionally, keep vehicles and heavy machinery off of your concrete, as the weight can lead to more cracking.

Yes, you can pour concrete if it rained the day before, but you’ll need to drain the construction site to ensure there isn’t standing water where your slab will sit. You might need to manually remove any puddles and set up drainage on your site to dry it before pouring. Moist soil won’t be an issue, but standing water will throw off your concrete mix ratios. Additionally, ensure there isn’t more rain expected in the near future before you pour.