Tag Archives: wall crack repair

Foundation Problem Signs

Taking care of one’s foundation is essential. If you want your home or business to remain structurally sound, then taking care of what’s going on beneath your home is just as important as taking care of what is going on inside of it. Learning to recognize foundation problem signs will help you ensure the integrity of your foundation remains intact. Let’s start with the basics. What is a foundation and why should we care about it?

A foundation is the invisible hero of your home. Basically, it supports the entire frame of your property, prevents groundwater from entering your home, and provides additional living space. Unfortunately, a home’s foundation is often overlooked which can lead to other problems such as various foundation cracks, sticking doors and windows, bowing walls, and major water issues.

Cracks – Recognize when there are Foundation Problem Signs

Some of the most common foundation problem signs are the appearance of cracks in or around the foundation. There are all sorts of cracks that can form due to underlying issues happening beneath your home. Honestly, there are various cracks that will show up when foundation issues are concerned. Here are a few foundation cracks that show signs of a sinking or settling structure:

Is Foundation Crack Repair An Easy Fix?

There is no real clear answer to this. Sometimes finding solutions to crack repair can be simple. Other times, when the cracks are due to more severe problems, there is more work to be done. Either way, this is a task that should be looked at by a professional. Many times, a noticeable floor or slab crack is due to soil erosion below your home which is one of the leading causes of a sinking foundation. This type of foundation crack repair may need some more intrusive work such as installing helical piles or steel piers.

At Reliable Waterproofing & Masonry, we understand that foundation problems can turn life upside down. We want to help with this by giving prospective clients a free quote. Our team has over 30 years of experience and we believe in quality workmanship and reliable service. Check out our foundation crack repair services today!

Soil Can Damage My Home’s Foundation?

This weekend, it will be warming up, but it will also be starting to rain. All weekend we will have showers in Richmond. We’ve also had wet conditions before this, and it might be starting to take a toll on your home. Did you know that water can saturate the soil and cause your foundation big problems? Find out how and how to resolve it in this article.

Hydrostatic Pressure and Your Home

When the soil under and near a home is not compacted correctly, it can be loose and turn to mud easily. When enough water from rain, flooding, or otherwise gets into the soil, it becomes saturated. This now wet, heavy soil begins to push against the foundation and cause unexpected pressure in those areas. The foundation was not built to withstand this pressure because it’s not supposed to be there. So, eventually, the foundation will begin to crack from all the pressure on it. This can lead to wet basements, insects, and pests, and even eventually to bowing walls. So, what can you do to resolve the issue?

Why Isn’t Wall Crack Repair the Answer?

It seems like the obvious answer–patch the crack with wall crack repair! However, it’s not as easy as it seems. While the wall crack repair would hold up for a little while, it would only be masking the real issue. This is dangerous for you not only because it can lead to instability and an unsafe home, but it can also lead to a buildup of hidden mold that affects your air quality. This is even more dangerous if new people were to move into the home and not know about the “patch” job on the wall crack. They may assume everything is fine when they have an unstable home and a mold problem. The key to resolving a wall crack is to find the root of the problem. Make sure that the real problem is resolved before wall crack repair.

Solutions for Foundation Damage

In most cases, this is a foundation issue. Foundation repair can easily be completed with underpinning products such as push piers, helical piers, or even carbon fiber strips. This will all depend on the severity of the problem and if the walls are already bowing from undue pressure. This is when it’s important to get the opinion of a professional contractor like those at Reliable Waterproofing & Masonry. We will perform a free estimate, look for the root of the problem, and then make a recommendation on our advice for resolving the issue. Plus, we’re happy to answer any questions that you might have!

Contact Reliable Waterproofing and Masonry for Wall Crack Repair

While we won’t JUST repair the wall crack, we’ll make sure to get to the root of the issue so you never have this problem again. Contact us for more information about Reliable Waterproofing & Masonry and about wall crack repair.

Do You Need Wall Crack Repair? Find Out!

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!