Seal basement crack

There might be some cracks that are a sign of some serious issues so do not let these cracks unattended and go ahead with sealing basement floor cracks. In this article, you will learn different causes of basement floor cracks as well as you will learn to fix these cracks. If you are facing any issues with your basement floor then continue reading this article.

You will end up gathering the entire information. If the age of your house is increasing then basement floor cracks are common but the places where the cracks appear determine that are these are dangerous or not. If it is near the foundation walls then it can cause serious issues to your house. To cure the problem you just need to know the cause. If you have an idea about why the cracks occur then you can take steps to fix them accordingly. Hairline cracks are a type of cracks that are not serious and do not lead to big issues.

It can cause shrinkage of the surface of your floor when it dries. It can appear approximately one year after the floor is made. Both of these applications are non-permanent solutions to any crack seal job. While sometimes they may look like a job well done, in fact they are making the problem worse. These are mistakes for 2 main reasons. The first being, over time cement or caulking will either erode or fall away, reopening the crack.

The other reason these applications are not effective, is that they don't divert the water away from the wall, but rather end up acting as a dam. With the water being stopped and not allowed to move freely it can potentially cause further damage to the integrity of the wall, slowly eroding it away. When our service professionals encounter a sealed crack which was done incorrectly, there are a few ways to address the situation.

To properly seal a foundation crack, Erickson Foundation Supportworks uses two different methods, depending on the type of crack and the condition of the wall. For a polyurethane injection system, we take the following steps:.

More Cities. Or call us at Service Area. Free Quote. Why Do Foundations Crack? Foundation cracks form for a variety of reasons and will be noticable as: Horizontal or vertical wall cracks "Stair-step" or diagonal cracking Bulging, buckling foundation walls Pushing in at the bottom of the wall Sliding in at the top of the wall In the New Hampshire and Massachusetts areas, the three main types of foundations we generally see are traditional poured concrete, block foundations, and what are called stone, or fieldstone, foundations.

Two Types of Foundation Cracks No matter what the cause of the foundation crack me be, they can be categorized into two broad categories; static and moving. If the crack was sealed with caulking, we first remove the caulking, then grind out the crack and install our injection system. Typical concrete crack preparation for sealant with an epoxy product. Use of Polyurea as a control joint filler or crack sealant in concrete slabs Polyurethane Foam Injection Method.

Use of Epoxy-supported Grouts as a control joint or crack filler in concrete slabs or walls. Concrete expansion joint sealant products, epoxies, caulks. Warning: some crack sealing operations may make crack diagnosis or monitoring more difficult. Watch out : First of all do not just seal a crack if the crack size, shape, pattern, location, or other evidence indicate that something important is going on with the foundation.

Further evaluation and choice of proper repair method may be in order. If for example we think that there may be active foundation movement or settlement going on and if that condition is going to be monitored for evidence of further movement, just pushing a flexible sealant or caulk into a crack is leaves some worries unattended:.

The pattern looks like shrinkage but the crack width is larger than normal shrinkage cracking. Watch out : before sealing concrete cracks like those at page top be sure that you've got a credible diagnosis of their cause. This cracking pattern could be due to iron sulfide pyrrhotite cracking damage from inclusions in the original concrete as mixed and placed.

We may decide to seal a cracked wall or floor slab anyway, to try to reduce water entry in a building, but remember the implications of sealing we've just listed.

Seal and repair cracks in concrete using injection of either epoxy resin or polyurethane where recurrent movement is expected in my opinion a flexible sealant is what's called for here when the movement is considered normal, perhaps caused by traffic vibration or temperature swings, and where the movement is not threatening structural damage.

Seal and repair cracks in concrete when it is important to quickly stop water leaking through a crack,seal those cracks in concrete using injection of either epoxy resin or polyurethane sealant. Seal and repair structural cracks: for some situations usually where an engineer, expert in masonry repair has made an assessment , actual structural repairs are made using injectable epoxy resin and possibly in some probably low-load cases by using injectable polyurethane sealant.

In my opinion I'm not a P. When we epoxy cracked structural concrete or a concrete slab that was broken by an initial installation error or by a subsequent event, we expect the repaired area to be as strong or stronger than if no crack were present. Structural reinforcing wrap systems may include use of synethetic fabrics, carbon fibre fabrics, and other wraps.

These products might also be used on steel or concrete that has been damaged by weather, frost, corrosion. The situations listed above are those of most-interest to owners of residential and smaller commercial buildings. Below are examples of additional applications of epoxy resins and sealants in construction:.

Bonding agent epoxies : used to promote secure bonding between abutting, often different materials. A special example is the use of segmental bridge adhesives that bond post-tension pre-cast concrete bridge segments to other structural members or to one another.

Epoxy resin adhesives are formulated for bonding concrete to concrete, concrete to other masonry, concrete to steel, and concrete to wood or to other substances. Some of these epoxy resin products are formulated for use as a high-friction surface or for use to repair spalled or chipped concrete surfaces. Special acknowledgement: some of this discussion was informed by reviewing products and engineering literature provided by.

To seal a shrinkage crack or a control joint crack in a poured concrete slab, regardless of whether or not it has occurred at an expansion or control joint, it may be appropriate to seal the surface to resist water entry and radon gas entry. Control joints are also sealed to provide a smooth and clean concrete surface which does not collect surface moisture or debris.

Keeping surface water from entering at a control joint might in some cases also help avoid uneven soil settlement below the slab and tipped or heaved slab sections. To seal a control joint or expansion joint crack in a concrete slab use a flexible sealant designed for foundation crack repair or sealing. The radon mitigation industry offers special foundation caulks and sealants for that purpose as well. If water is coming up through a concrete floor or slab, sealing cracks is probably not going to be enough - you need to address the cause of water below the floor.

Any sealant that is going to be used to fill a control joint in a slab needs to have the ability to bond to the sides of the cut or opening of the joint, to remain flexible over temperature and moisture changes, and to withstand both compression and expansion as the concrete moves in response to curing and in response to temperature and moisture changes. Epoxy, for example, is not generally used to fill the expansion joint in newly-poured concrete because the concrete is just too wet and has too much movement for the epoxy to bond and perform acceptably.

Similarly, a special product would be needed to fill a control joint in concrete in very cold weather. Watch out : select the right product for your application. Some crack fillers like the spray injection product Good-Bye Cracks elastic crack "cover" product shown in our photo are not suitable for concrete.

The manufacturer says this product can be used to fill cracks in plaster, drywall, and wood and that it dries to a flexible, paintable finish. Carson Dunlop Associates ' sketch shows three common methods used to seal cracks in masonry walls in an effort to stop foundation leaks. These notes are based on epoxy product application information available from Lone Star Epoxies.

Polyurea joint filler products for concrete control joints have received attention for filling concrete control joints and is increasingly used in that application since this material is resistant to moisture, has high adhesion properties when used with concrete, and will cure in very cold weather.

Polyurea sealant products are also reported to be useful in sealing control joints in "green" concrete which has not yet had its full 28 day period of initial curing. An advantage of polyurea or polyurethane used as a crack sealant is that the flexibility of the material will accommodate slight seasonal or temperature-related movement that might otherwise cause new cracks in an epoxy-repaired structure or reopening of repaired cracks in a mortar or concrete-repaired crack.

Also in our experience, because the injected polyurethane foam expands after it is injected into a crack, you may find it easier to fill the crack through the building floor slab or wall than when using alternative repair methods such as epoxy or masonry repair kits. Carson Dunlop Associates ' sketch left illustrates foundation wall crack repair using epoxy or polyurethane injection.

Epoxy grouts are available which can be mixed and troweled into a concrete crack or joint. These products are less flexible than the control joint fillers described above. In our opinion, an epoxy grout filler may work fine to provide a well-bonded repair to a stable wall or floor crack in an area where there is no anticipated further movement such as from temperature or moisture variations. Watch out : while epoxy, a material stronger than concrete alone, is sometimes used for structural repairs, if your building masonry concrete, brick, masonry block is cracking due to ongoing movement, settlement, frost, or other active or recurrent problems, unless those conditions are fixed, sealing a crack with epoxy will not prevent new cracks from forming.

But read the manufacturer's intended application before buying an epoxy reinforced grout for building crack repair. Do not use the product where it was not intended unless a call to the manufacturer provides you with good information that it's acceptable to do so.

On the one hand we like using a rigid material to fix a supposedly stable crack in a residential building since the fact that the patch is inelastic means it will be easy to see if there is ongoing or new building movement.

On the other hand, a small amount of moment in a foundation wall or floor slab due to changes in temperature will leave a flexible crack filler un-damaged and sealed where a rigid material may fail. Quoting: Polygem, Inc. Polygem, Inc.