Cracked Concrete Basement Floors

If your basement floor is cracking you might not know what you can do to fix it especially if you re a homeowner without a lot of experience in home repair.

Cracked concrete basement floors. Basement floors crack for a many reasons. Because basement floors are poured after the walls are poured the concrete where they meet doesn t always bond completely and this is a common spot for a crack to appear when the house settles. There are a lot of variables. These are quite common.

Cracks in concrete floors or slabs occur in poured concrete slabs may be found both in basement and in slab on grade or patio home construction and have a variety of causes and cures that we discuss here as we explain how to repair cracked concrete floors and as we describe slab on grade construction or patio home construction cracks and as. Resolving cracks and unlevel floors caused by soil expansion is a job best left to the pros who may advise and carry out solutions as extensive as replacing the basement floor and or install an. But this direct installation will result in a floor that s cold underfoot. These types of cracks can show up as long as a year after the basement floor is poured depending on how quickly the slab dries and how humid the basement is.

The sub base wasn t properly compacted and the concrete settled in one area causing the basement floor to sink and crack. If no expansion joints are cut into the concrete floor then shrinkage cracks will likely appear. A cold floor may be tolerable in space that s used. For cracks up to 1 2 inch wide in horizontal concrete surfaces concrete crack sealants and caulk based concrete fillers will be the best option.

Step 3 chisel loose concrete for larger cracks. If your cracks are fairly large chisel all the concrete that is loose around the crack. Basement floors on the other hand rarely use rebar and typically run 3 to 4 inches thick. Chip away 25 inches from each side of the concrete.

However for cracks wider than inch quick setting cement based fillers are advisable to use. For cracks that exceed 1 inch in width place your chisel at the edges of the crack and use a hammer to strike the chisel. Small cracks in the basement floor commonly result from shrinkage as the concrete dries which pulls the concrete apart. Often they use wire mesh as reinforcement which keeps concrete pieces together but doesn t prevent cracks.

Newly poured concrete shrinks when it dries. Concrete basement floor cracks can encompass a wide variety of types and severities.