Bad Solutions to Fixing Concrete Cracks

Cracks in poured concrete are very common.  Most cracks are a result of shrinkage as part of the curing process.  Most times, the cracks will be the middle third of the wall or from the corner of a window, which is a weakest spot in a wall.  Most wall cracks won’t cause any structural damage to your home, but they might allow water to leak through them.

One solution to water leakage is to dig up a hole on the outside of the home and patch it from the outside.  However, this is the messier and more expensive option.  Many methods have been developed over the years when it comes to fixing wall cracks from the inside, and most of them have been failures.

The first thing you shouldn’t do is try to patch the crack on the surface of the wall inside.  Your chances of success are slim because cracks move and shift.  Changes in the soil, as well as seasonal changes, make the wall move.  The earth outside uses the crack as an expansion and contraction joint, so putting some miracle goo over the crack from the inside will do nothing.

Another fairly common method that doesn’t work is to inject epoxy into the crack.  The problem with this is that epoxy doesn’t allow flexibility for movement.  When the wall moves, the epoxy doesn’t move with it, resulting in it either breaking loose or a new crack developing.

The best solution to fixing concrete wall cracks is to install BrightWall paneling in your basement.