Why Repairing A Foundation Crack Is Essential To Your Home’s Integrity

When you think about the foundation of your home, you probably picture a strong, solid base free from cracks or damage. This is what we want to see when we think about the system responsible for holding up our homes – after all, we pour our love, energy, and money into our homes and would like to see that they don’t end up damaged because the foundation, something that many of us did not even have anything to do with, is faulty or damaged.

In order to help ensure that your home remains safe, it is important to take a look at its foundation every now and then to ensure that everything looks strong and undamaged.

You want to look for things like cracks – these can compromise the integrity of your foundation in a number of different ways.

What causes cracks in foundations?

You might be tempted to assume that cracks in the foundation of a home must be caused by extreme damage, perhaps via a natural disaster, but in reality they can occur naturally. Foundations made from concrete, for example, will almost always end up with cracks. Remember that concrete is made up of sand, gravel, water, and cement. When the concrete dries out and the water evaporates, a few things happen. The first is that the concrete transforms into a massive, solid block. The second is that the concrete shrinks as the water dissipates, which often causes small cracks. Now these cracks might be very small at first – we are talking about hairline cracks, here. They’re the kind of cracks that you might not even seen with the naked eye at first.

Because these cracks, no matter how small, exist at all, they become an entry point for insects and groundwater, among other things. As time passes, they might become larger and larger as aforementioned water and insects erode the cement.

This spells disaster for your foundation, and could lead to things like flooding in your basement or even nasty insect infestations. That’s why it is important to be aware of things like foundation crack repair, and how you can use the process to keep your foundation sealed and impermeable.

What is foundation crack repair?

Aptly named, foundation crack repair refers to the process of repairing cracks in a foundation. This can be done a variety of ways, however using epoxy to seal the cracks is one of the preferred methods of foundation crack repair in the industry.

This is a fairly simple remedy that can really help to avoid any future issues with the foundation. While this is something that you can attempt on your own, it is always a good idea to contact a professional for a second opinion, especially because if the epoxy is applied incorrectly or to a crack that is too damp, it is possible that it could fail and leave you with a crack AND epoxy to remove and fix.

Do not hesitate to contact the Direct Waterproofing, the home water-proofing professionals and ask them what your options are when it comes to foundation crack repair.