Have you looked around your home lately and noticed that there are cracks in the walls? Are they hairline cracks? Spiderwebs? Large cracks with the paint chipping off around it? Cracks with water damage? The direction of the crack, whether it’s small or large, and lots of other factors can all determine what the real issue is behind the crack. This is why wall crack repair is more of a detective problem than a D.I.Y. fix where you cover up the crack and move on. A normal amount of settling and slight cracking in a home is expected, but when it becomes an issue where the crack gets larger and larger or lets in water, pests, or other issues action needs to be taken.
Use Detective Work to Figure Out if a Crack is Serious
The first thing that you should do when looking at a crack that you’ve either just found or found a while ago and didn’t worry too much about it is to see if it’s horizontal, vertical, or another direction. Even though it’s hard to believe, the direction of the crack and its placement could tell you a lot about what the underlying issue is behind the wall. If you’re on the first or second floor of your home and you see these cracks, these are the issues that could be causing them.
Vertical Crack
These are usually due to the settlement of the home. When they become a worry is if they continue to expand or grow and become wider. Normal settlement of a home is expected by builders, but some settlement can be dangerous to the structural integrity of your home.
Horizontal Crack
Horizontal cracks are usually caused by bowing walls. Think about the wall being pushed inwards in one spot, and you can imagine what this sort of crack looks like. This is a very serious issue, and it can cause instability and unsafe living conditions if left unchecked.
Diagonal Crack
These are usually due to settlement as well, and they can mean that one area is sinking quicker than another and causing the cracking. This is an issue that needs resolving as soon as possible.
Spiderweb Crack
A faint, spiderweb crack usually means that the home is old and is showing its age. This one may seem like nothing to worry about and is one of the less worrying cracks to see, but it’s still important to recognize that the home is getting older and needs the care to make sure that it continues to be a happy and comfortable place to live.
Stair Step Crack
These cracks are also due to settlement, but if they’re in your basement they could mean waterproofing troubles as well. Ask your contractor about this possibility as well.
These are just some types of cracks, but it’s interesting to see that the position and way they’re angled can determine what type of foundation issue that you are experiencing so accurately. Next, let’s look at how to find out if a crack is getting larger over time.
How to Monitor a Wall Crack
You will need a few supplies: tape, pencil, ruler, a wall crack, and time. Place a piece of tape on either side of the crack that you would like to monitor for movement. If it is a larger crack, place another set near the top and bottom of the crack as well. Take a ruler and draw a straight line across the two pieces of tape, in line with each other. Next, wait. Check back every day and see if there have been any changes. The pencil lines will not be perfectly beside each other anymore if the wall crack has widened. At this point, it’s very important to call a foundation repair contractor to help you with the issue because there are issues of structural integrity at stake.
So, You Need Wall Crack Repair–What are the Options?
What solutions that are best for your specific situation will depend on just that–what exact problem that you’re having. If you’re having foundation problems involving settlement, there may be underpinning products used like helical or push piers. If you have bowing walls, you might need products like wall anchors or carbon fiber strips to secure the structure. Each solution will depend greatly on what is happening in your unique home.
However, it’s important to note that Reliable Waterproofing & Masonry uses Earth Contact Products in our projects. They are a trusted industry leader that goes above and beyond standards to bring you the best quality product that they can. We use these trusted products and bring that quality and workmanship along to you. We not only want you to have the issue resolved, but we also don’t want it to return! This is why we put care and thoughtfulness into every single project that we undertake.
If you need wall crack repair, it’s time to call Reliable Waterproofing & Masonry and set up a free estimate. We are happy to answer any questions that you may have, and we want to get you started on track to a safe, comfortable, and happy home once more. Wall crack repair can seem like a D.I.Y. job, but that’s only if you want the cracks to come back and the issue to worsen. Give us a call today and we’ll get your home back to how it should be!