10 Ways to Know Whether You Should Repair a Foundation Crack

Hello, my friend, hello again; today we come together to talk about 10 Ways to Know Whether You Should Repair a Foundation Crack and hope the blog can help you.

Learn how to tell when a foundation crack might indicate a serious structural problem—and when you can repair it yourself and rest easy.

Your home’s foundation—the concrete walls surrounding a basement or crawl space—supports the entire weight of the house, so it’s natural to be concerned if you discover cracks in the concrete. Fortunately, many foundation cracks are not serious enough to warrant professional attention, and repairing a foundation crack can be a DIY task as long as the crack doesn’t threaten structural integrity.

The best way to ensure that a crack isn’t a sign of a major structural issue is to have a foundation contractor or structural engineer take a look at it. But there are some rules of thumb to keep in mind to help you decide whether or not you should worry. So, see where your crack falls on the range of foundation crack repair scenarios and find out what you can do.

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If you find hairline cracks in your foundation, don’t sweat it.

Within a year after construction, hairline cracks (about the width of a sewing thread) commonly appear on the inside of basement walls, most often near windows and doors or in the corners of the basement. This is due to normal “settling,” or the concrete shrinking slightly as it cures.

As long as the cracks are hairline in width, there’s nothing to worry about. Fixing settlement cracks of this variety is as simple as applying a coat of paint suitable for masonry, such as INSL-X TuffCrete Acrylic Concrete Paint.

If a narrow crack is new, monitor it for expansion before reaching for the crack sealer.

When you notice a new crack that’s not a hairline but still no wider than ⅛ inch, it’s probably due to settling and most likely it doesn’t present a problem—unless it continues to expand. To monitor a crack, make a pencil mark at both ends and write the date by each mark or line up a tape measure next to the crack and snap a photo. In addition, measure the width at the widest point and write that on the wall or make a note on the photo.

Check the crack at least monthly for several months and make additional marks and record dates if the crack expands. If no expansion occurs and no moisture seeps through, the crack is stable and you can fill it with grout, such as Sashco Gray Mor-Flexx Grout Repair, and then smooth it out with a putty knife.