Basement Crack Repair

Basement Wall, Floor, and Foundation Crack Repair

A basement crack can be caused by numerous reasons, such as drying shrinkage, thermal movement, foundation settling, and shifting foundations, as well as concrete mixing and application mistakes made during construction.

It is possible for foundation cracks to multiply and widen over time, resulting in water seepage, dampness, mold, and even weakened structural integrity. As a result, your home’s value and your quality of life can be adversely affected. Stable, dry basements are the result of solid foundations.

Although concrete cracks in basement walls and floors are common, it is not a good idea to ignore them. Instead, homeowners should check for cracks in their basement walls and floors and respond accordingly.

Basement Crack Repair Methods

Injecting sealant from the inside is the most convenient method for concrete and concrete/cinder block basement walls. Depending on the damage and environmental hazards, repairs can be quick and inexpensive or elaborate and technical. A crack is often repaired by injecting polyurethane or epoxy into it.

Cracks in poured concrete foundation walls are solid and monolithic in structure, and can be injected directly with a chemical polyurethane grout grout or epoxy resin.

There are countless cold joints in concrete/cinder block foundation walls, creating a barrier easy for water to breach. Cracks in concrete/cinder block foundation walls are usually porous and constructed from many pieces held together by mortar. Cold joints are surfaces where an existing substrate and a new substrate, in this case the mortar, form a non-monolithic gap with no or very low bond strength.  Therefore block walls are typically less easily water-tightened by direct injection into cracks, but rather by more extensive curtain or bladder injection – by moving chemical grout behind the structure from an inside injection grid pattern.

Last but not least we must differentiate between dry and wet basement cracks and their structural implications. Often, and depending on the location, basement cracks result in water seepage and need to be sealed rather than structurally repaired. Please read the Epoxy/Polyurethane Comparison for more information.

Basement crack repair kits are available specifically designed for concrete and masonry crack repair for many circumstances, and more often for poured concrete walls than block walls – for the reasons mentioned above.

When deciding on a crack repair strategy and basement crack repair system, it is always advisable to seek advice from a professional and licensed contractor.