The foundation walls of any home or building are designed to provide essential structural support to the building without a need for basement repairs, at least not under normal conditions.
Yet when foundation cracks start showing up, it is important to assess what is happening, why, and whether basement wall repairs are necessary.
Not every crack requires a basement crack repair, nor does every crack needing repair require the same one.
Information About Basement and Foundation Cracks
With this in mind, here are a few vital details about cracking foundations and basement crack repairs to help homeowners understand what is going on, why, and what can be done about it:
- There are three things that cause cracks in basement walls: new foundation shrinkage, new foundation settling, and foundation movement. The first two don’t usually require substantial basement wall repairs, but the last may.
- Although they happen for similar reasons, minor basement floor cracks also do not usually require repairing unless they leak, which they usually do not.
- All basement wall cracks will eventually leak after enough time passes. Leaking can be prevented with minor cracks using simple basement wall repairs like sealants and coatings.
- The type of basement crack repair used will depend not only on the severity of the crack, but the material the foundation is made from. Poured cement foundations can be repaired with expanding urethane sealants but those made of brick, block, or stone must be repaired from the outside by preventing moisture from seeping in.
- While it is possible to use an epoxy sealant injected into smaller cracks as an effective basement crack repair, those cracks may eventually crack and leak again if there is high ground pressure. Additional repairs or a different approach may end up being necessary later.
- If and when previous basement repairs do fail, they should not simply be patched; old repairs should be cleaned off as thoroughly as possible and a brand new repair made, whether that consists of an injection of urethane polymer, a sealant, or repairing from the outside using a more substantial method.
Cracks in a basement wall are not always serious, but they can be serious enough to require intervention.
If leaking occurs or cracks continue to spread even after some of the simpler basement wall repair methods already mentioned, it is definitely time to contact a foundation specialist who can take a closer look.
Preserving the foundation under any home or building involves not only applying the right basement crack repairs but finding the cause of those cracks and correcting that, too.