Concrete Foundation Shrinkage Crack Repair Methods
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Repair Methods and Products for Shrinkage Cracks in Poured or Pre-Cast Foundations
Photographs of foundation crack patterns used for foundation crack diagnosis
Questions & answers about when and how to repair shrinkage cracks in concrete foundations, walls, floors.

How to repair concrete foundation shrinkage cracks: this article describes how to repair shrinkage cracks in poured concrete foundations.

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The photo above shows a typical shrinkage crack in poured concrete.

At this website we explain how it is sometimes possible to be confident about the cause of foundation damage which in turn helps assess the risk presented to the building and the repair methods needed for foundation damage, cracks, leaning, buckling, bowing, settlement.

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Repair Methods for Foundation Shrinkage Cracks

Diagnose the Concrete Crack Before Repairing It

Photograph of a classic shrinkage crack in poured concrete.

Before repairing a foundation crack it is important to diagnose the cause of the crack and its effects on the building structure.

Our photo (left) shows a shrinkage crack (horizontal in the photo) near the corner of two control joints in a poured concrete floor of a Tucson Arizona home. (The insect fragments on the crack were left for scale).

We suspect that at this job the control joints were not properly formed, perhaps not deep enough. But of course a shrinkage crack could have occurred even with perfect control joints, depending on the concrete mix, site preparation, and the conditions at the time the mix was poured.

The significance of any foundation crack depends on the crack's cause, size, shape, pattern, location, foundation materials, extent of cracking, impact of the crack on the building, and possibly other factors as well. If there is an underlying ongoing problem causing foundation movement or damage, that problem needs to be corrected too.

Cracks in poured concrete walls that are larger than 1/4", cracks which are increasing in size, or cracks which are otherwise indicative of foundation movement should be evaluated by a professional. At Do we need to repair shrinkage cracks in foundation walls or slabs? we discuss how we decide if a foundation crack needs repairing the first place. The diagnosis and evaluation of foundation cracks and structural foundation damage and repair methods are discussed extensively at FOUNDATION REPAIR METHODS

Suggestions for Repairing Concrete Foundation Shrinkage Cracks

Repairs to foundation cracks which are not traced to building movement, structural problems, site problems, or other conditions which require site or structural repairs may be attempted for cracked foundations and other cracked concrete structural elements using a variety of products and materials such as masonry repair epoxy or sealant products.

These products, some of which include even structural repair epoxies, might be used to seal against water leakage as well, and may be used for repairing certain cracks in concrete foundations following evaluation and advice from a foundation professional. An evaluation of the presence, absence, or condition of reinforcing steel in cracked concrete foundations should be a part of such an inspection.

Our photo (above-left) shows concrete shrinkage cracks in a new home in Pawling, New York. There was no water entry and no vertical movement in the slab (no trip hazard). Absent water or radon leaks or a trip hazard, these cracks were, in our opinion, of cosmetic concern only and did not need to be repaired for structural reasons.

Watch out: even an apparently harmless crack in a poured concrete floor should be repaired or bridged with an appropriate mesh tape and sealant product before installing ceramic tile over the floor, to reduce the chances that the crack later telegraphs through the tile.

How are Concrete Shrinkage Cracks Repaired?

Shrinkage cracks, which are not normally a structural defect in a building, may nonetheless need to be sealed against water entry. Common shrinkage crack repair methods include

Chipping out the crack and applying a concrete masonry patching compound to the surface - the chipping procedure is labor intensive: the crack is chipped out in an "inverted-vee" pattern (wider at the bottom and more narrow at the top) to assure that the patch remains soundly in the crack. The prepared crack is vacuumed to remove loose particles and dust. Special surface preparation chemicals can assist in bonding of the concrete patch material to the crack.
Concrete repair epoxies: the crack should be clean and dry and at a temperature recommended by the epoxy manufacturer. Some epoxies may permit application in damp or wet conditions or even in cold weather.
Polyurethane injection sealants. Some polyurethanes may permit application in damp or wet conditions or even in cold weather.
Special concrete caulks or other sealants. Some sealants and special caulks may permit application in damp or wet conditions or even in cold weather.

Stopping Water entry leaks at foundation cracks

Polyurethane foam sealant is used for foundation crack repairs to stop water entry. (Also find and correct outside water sources). See our article on Using Polyurethane Foam for Foundation Repairs for details on using this product to seal foundation cracks against leakage.

Watch out: best practice in stopping water entry at any foundation crack (shrinkage, settlement, etc) is to find and correct the root cause: the source of water. See WATER ENTRY in BUILDINGS. Or if your foundation is excavated from outside, see WATER BARRIERS, EXTERIOR BUILDING.

For various methods and products used to seal cracks in concrete floors or walls, see How to Seal Cracks in Concrete a description of various products and methods used to seal or repair cracks in poured concrete walls, foundations, floors, & slabs.

Once any concrete cracks it is possible for water to leak into the building through the crack. There are several ways to repair a basement crack leak. An easy, quick, and effective measure to stop basement or crawl space water entry through a foundation crack is to perform an injection of polyurethane foam into the basement crack. [Also be sure to find and fix the sources of water outside.]

Water entry leaks at foundation cracks: Polyurethane foam sealant is used for foundation crack repairs to stop water entry. (Also find and correct outside water sources). See Polyurethane Foam Injection.

Repair of Foundation Cracks

For detailed information about foundation repair methods, including repairs to various kinds of cracks in concrete, see:

How to Seal Cracks in Concrete - you are currently on this web page.
Shrinkage Crack Repairs
Polyurethane Foam Injection for details of the procedure for using polyurethane foam to seal foundation cracks.
Cracks at Control Joints in Concrete how we prevent shrinkage cracks in poured concrete floors and walls
FOUNDATION REPAIR METHODS for our catalog of Foundation Repair Methods - Examples of Typical Foundation Repairs for various types of foundation cracks, leaks, settlement, movement, or other failures

"Best Practices for Concrete Sidewalk Construction," Balvant rajani, Canadian National Research Council
"Design Considerations for Perlite Roof Slabs," a chapter in "Perlite Concrete Grade for Lightweight Concrete Construction", United Perlite Corporation
Quality Standards for the Professional Remodeling Industry, National Association of Home Builders Remodelers Council, NAHB Research Foundation, 1987.
Quality Standards for the Professional Remodeler, N.U. Ahmed, # Home Builder Pr (February 1991), ISBN-10: 0867183594, ISBN-13: 978-0867183597
Lone Star Epoxies, Rowlett TX, product literature, includes application instructions for this flexible epoxy resin concrete expansion joint sealer. ls@lsepoxies.com - 10/06/08
Ramset™ Epoxy Grout, Australia,
Laticrete™ Epoxy grout

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Technical Reviewers & References

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SLAB CRACK REPAIR
  Control Joint Cracks in Concrete
  Seal Cracks by Polyurethane Foam Injection
  Seal Cracks in Concrete, How To
  Shrinkage Crack Repairs
  Standards for Repair of Cracks in Floors
  Vertical Foundation Movement Repairs

"Concrete Slab Finishes and the Use of the F-number System", Matthew Stuart, P.E., S.E., F.ASCE, online course at www.pdhonline.org/courses/s130/s130.htm
Sal Alfano - Editor, Journal of Light Construction*
Thanks to Alan Carson, Carson Dunlop, Associates, Toronto, for technical critique and some of the foundation inspection photographs cited in these articles
A.B. Chance foundation repair systems, helical piers, foundation repairs www.abchance.com
Dwyer of Florida, supplier of Helical Piles, foundation repair, and concrete restoration in Florida, exclusive dealer for Magnum piering. This company provides helical piles, foundation settlement repair, concrete restoration, shotcrete, pressure grouting, and slabjacking for residential and commercial buildings. 1-866-900-PIER www.dwyerflorida.com
Terry Carson - ASHI
Mark Cramer - ASHI
JD Grewell, ASHI
Duncan Hannay - ASHI, P.E. *
Bob Klewitz, M.S.C.E., P.E. - ASHI
Ken Kruger, P.E., AIA - ASHI
Aaron Kuertz aaronk@appliedtechnologies.com, with Applied Technologies regarding polyurethane foam sealant as other foundation crack repair product - 05/30/2007
Bob Peterson, Magnum Piering - 800-771-7437 - FL*
Arlene Puentes, ASHI, October Home Inspections - (845) 216-7833 - Kingston NY
Greg Robi, Magnum Piering - 800-822-7437 - National*
Dave Rathbun, P.E. - Geotech Engineering - 904-622-2424 FL*
Ed Seaquist, P.E., SIE Assoc. - 301-269-1450 - National
Dave Wickersheimer, P.E. R.A. - IL, professor, school of structures division, UIUC - University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign School of Architecture. Professor Wickersheimer specializes in structural failure investigation and repair for wood and masonry construction. * Mr. Wickersheimer's engineering consulting service can be contacted at HDC Wickersheimer Engineering Services. (3/2010)
*These reviewers have not returned comment 6/95

NOTE: Journal of Light Construction articles are available on CD ROM from the Journal of Light Construction, www.bginet.com, 802-434-4747

Books & Articles on Building & Environmental Inspection, Testing, Diagnosis, & Repair

Our recommended books about building & mechanical systems design, inspection, problem diagnosis, and repair, and about indoor environment and IAQ testing, diagnosis, and cleanup are at the InspectAPedia Bookstore. Also see our Book Reviews - InspectAPedia.
Diagnosing & Repairing House Structure Problems, Edgar O. Seaquist, McGraw Hill, 1980 ISBN 0-07-056013-7 (obsolete, incomplete, missing most diagnosis steps, but very good reading; out of print but used copies are available at Amazon.com, and reprints are available from some inspection tool suppliers). Ed Seaquist was among the first speakers invited to a series of educational conferences organized by D Friedman for ASHI, the American Society of Home Inspectors, where the topic of inspecting the in-service condition of building structures was first addressed.
Design of Wood Structures - ASD, Donald E. Breyer, Kenneth Fridley, Kelly Cobeen, David Pollock, McGraw Hill, 2003, ISBN-10: 0071379320, ISBN-13: 978-0071379328
This book is an update of a long-established text dating from at least 1988 (DJF); Quoting:
This book is gives a good grasp of seismic design for wood structures. Many of the examples especially near the end are good practice for the California PE Special Seismic Exam design questions. It gives a good grasp of how seismic forces move through a building and how to calculate those forces at various locations. THE CLASSIC TEXT ON WOOD DESIGN UPDATED TO INCLUDE THE LATEST CODES AND DATA. Reflects the most recent provisions of the 2003 International Building Code and 2001 National Design Specification for Wood Construction. Continuing the sterling standard set by earlier editions, this indispensable reference clearly explains the best wood design techniques for the safe handling of gravity and lateral loads. Carefully revised and updated to include the new 2003 International Building Code, ASCE 7-02 Minimum Design Loads for Buildings and Other Structures, the 2001 National Design Specification for Wood Construction, and the most recent Allowable Stress Design.
Building Failures, Diagnosis & Avoidance, 2d Ed., W.H. Ransom, E.& F. Spon, New York, 1987 ISBN 0-419-14270-3
Domestic Building Surveys, Andrew R. Williams, Kindle book, Amazon.com
Defects and Deterioration in Buildings: A Practical Guide to the Science and Technology of Material Failure, Barry Richardson, Spon Press; 2d Ed (2001), ISBN-10: 041925210X, ISBN-13: 978-0419252108. Quoting:
A professional reference designed to assist surveyors, engineers, architects and contractors in diagnosing existing problems and avoiding them in new buildings. Fully revised and updated, this edition, in new clearer format, covers developments in building defects, and problems such as sick building syndrome. Well liked for its mixture of theory and practice the new edition will complement Hinks and Cook's student textbook on defects at the practitioner level.
Guide to Domestic Building Surveys, Jack Bower, Butterworth Architecture, London, 1988, ISBN 0-408-50000 X
"Avoiding Foundation Failures," Robert Marshall, Journal of Light Construction, July, 1996 (Highly recommend this article-DF)
"A Foundation for Unstable Soils," Harris Hyman, P.E., Journal of Light Construction, May 1995
"Backfilling Basics," Buck Bartley, Journal of Light Construction, October 1994
"Inspecting Block Foundations," Donald V. Cohen, P.E., ASHI Reporter, December 1998. This article in turn cites the Fine Homebuilding article noted below.
"When Block Foundations go Bad," Fine Homebuilding, June/July 1998
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Books & Articles on Building & Environmental Inspection, Testing, Diagnosis, & Repair

Our recommended books about building & mechanical systems design, inspection, problem diagnosis, and repair, and about indoor environment and IAQ testing, diagnosis, and cleanup are at the InspectAPedia Bookstore. Also see our Book Reviews - InspectAPedia.

The Home Reference Book - the Encyclopedia of Homes, Carson Dunlop & Associates, Toronto, Ontario, 2010, $69.00 U.S., is available from Carson Dunlop, and from the InspectAPedia bookstore. The 2010 edition of the Home Reference Book is a bound volume of more than 450 illustrated pages that assist home inspectors and home owners in the inspection and detection of problems on buildings. The text is intended as a reference guide to help building owners operate and maintain their home effectively. InspectAPedia.com ^® author/editor Daniel Friedman is a contributing author. Field inspection worksheets are included at the back of the volume.

Best Practices Guide to Residential Construction, by Steven Bliss. John Wiley & Sons, 2006. ISBN-10: 0471648361, ISBN-13: 978-0471648369, Hardcover: 320 pages, available from Amazon.com and also Wiley.com. See our book review of this publication.
Decks and Porches, the JLC Guide to, Best Practices for Outdoor Spaces, Steve Bliss (Editor), The Journal of Light Construction, Williston VT, 2010 ISBN 10: 1-928580-42-4, ISBN 13: 978-1-928580-42-3, available from Amazon.com
Avongard foundation crack progress chart for structural crack monitoring
Basement Moisture Control, U.S. Department of Energy
Building Pathology, Deterioration, Diagnostics, and Intervention, Samuel Y. Harris, P.E., AIA, Esq., ISBN 0-471-33172-4, John Wiley & Sons, 2001 [General building science-DF] ISBN-10: 0471331724 ISBN-13: 978-0471331728
Building Pathology: Principles and Practice, David Watt, Wiley-Blackwell; 2 edition (March 7, 2008) ISBN-10: 1405161035 ISBN-13: 978-1405161039
Construction Drawings and Details, Rosemary Kilmer
Crawl Space Moisture Control, U.S. Department of Energy
Diagnosing & Repairing House Structure Problems, Edgar O. Seaquist, McGraw Hill, 1980 ISBN 0-07-056013-7 (obsolete, incomplete, missing most diagnosis steps, but very good reading; out of print but used copies are available at Amazon.com, and reprints are available from some inspection tool suppliers). Ed Seaquist was among the first speakers invited to a series of educational conferences organized by D Friedman for ASHI, the American Society of Home Inspectors, where the topic of inspecting the in-service condition of building structures was first addressed.
Design of Wood Structures - ASD, Donald E. Breyer, Kenneth Fridley, Kelly Cobeen, David Pollock, McGraw Hill, 2003, ISBN-10: 0071379320, ISBN-13: 978-0071379328
This book is an update of a long-established text dating from at least 1988 (DJF); Quoting:
This book is gives a good grasp of seismic design for wood structures. Many of the examples especially near the end are good practice for the California PE Special Seismic Exam design questions. It gives a good grasp of how seismic forces move through a building and how to calculate those forces at various locations. THE CLASSIC TEXT ON WOOD DESIGN UPDATED TO INCLUDE THE LATEST CODES AND DATA. Reflects the most recent provisions of the 2003 International Building Code and 2001 National Design Specification for Wood Construction. Continuing the sterling standard set by earlier editions, this indispensable reference clearly explains the best wood design techniques for the safe handling of gravity and lateral loads. Carefully revised and updated to include the new 2003 International Building Code, ASCE 7-02 Minimum Design Loads for Buildings and Other Structures, the 2001 National Design Specification for Wood Construction, and the most recent Allowable Stress Design.
Building Failures, Diagnosis & Avoidance, 2d Ed., W.H. Ransom, E.& F. Spon, New York, 1987 ISBN 0-419-14270-3
Domestic Building Surveys, Andrew R. Williams, Kindle book, Amazon.com
Defects and Deterioration in Buildings: A Practical Guide to the Science and Technology of Material Failure, Barry Richardson, Spon Press; 2d Ed (2001), ISBN-10: 041925210X, ISBN-13: 978-0419252108. Quoting:
A professional reference designed to assist surveyors, engineers, architects and contractors in diagnosing existing problems and avoiding them in new buildings. Fully revised and updated, this edition, in new clearer format, covers developments in building defects, and problems such as sick building syndrome. Well liked for its mixture of theory and practice the new edition will complement Hinks and Cook's student textbook on defects at the practitioner level.
Guide to Domestic Building Surveys, Jack Bower, Butterworth Architecture, London, 1988, ISBN 0-408-50000 X
"Avoiding Foundation Failures," Robert Marshall, Journal of Light Construction, July, 1996 (Highly recommend this article-DF)
"A Foundation for Unstable Soils," Harris Hyman, P.E., Journal of Light Construction, May 1995
"Backfilling Basics," Buck Bartley, Journal of Light Construction, October 1994
"Inspecting Block Foundations," Donald V. Cohen, P.E., ASHI Reporter, December 1998. This article in turn cites the Fine Homebuilding article noted below.
"When Block Foundations go Bad," Fine Homebuilding, June/July 1998
Log Homes: Minimizing Air Leakage in Log Homes, U.S. Department of Energy
Log Homes: Controlling Moisture in Log Homes, U.S. Department of Energy
Log Homes: Log Home Design, U.S. Department of Energy
Moisture Control in Buildings, U.S. Department of Energy
Moisture Control in Walls, U.S. Department of Energy
Quality Standards for the Professional Remodeling Industry, National Association of Home Builders Remodelers Council, NAHB Research Foundation, 1987.
Quality Standards for the Professional Remodeler, N.U. Ahmed, # Home Builder Pr (February 1991), ISBN-10: 0867183594, ISBN-13: 978-0867183597
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Free Encyclopedia of Building & Environmental Inspection, Testing, Diagnosis, Repair

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Repair Methods for Foundation Shrinkage Cracks

Diagnose the Concrete Crack Before Repairing It

Suggestions for Repairing Concrete Foundation Shrinkage Cracks

How are Concrete Shrinkage Cracks Repaired?

Stopping Water entry leaks at foundation cracks

Repair of Foundation Cracks

Questions & Answers regarding this article

Ask a Question or Search InspectAPedia

Technical Reviewers & References

Books & Articles on Building & Environmental Inspection, Testing, Diagnosis, & Repair

Books & Articles on Building & Environmental Inspection, Testing, Diagnosis, & Repair