How To Fix Concrete Foundation Wall Cracks

Introduction

The first thing to understand about concrete basement wall cracks is that some are more serious than others.

Cracks running vertically are common, and don't usually indicate structural damage. Horizontal cracks, on the other hand, are serious. They mean your wall is beginning to fail and needs immediate attention.

Traditionally, that attention has come from basement repair professionals. "Don't try to fix horizontal cracks on your own" is the standard advice. My advice, as someone who's successfully repaired vertical and horizontal foundation cracks with the method shown here, is to decide for yourself.

The traditional concrete wall crack repair involves injecting filler epoxy. Problem is, it doesn't provide a strong enough bond. That's why it works great for filling vertical cracks, which aren't likely to get much bigger, but not for horizontal cracks, which often widen over time.

The following repair approach solves this problem so well the finished repair ends up stronger than the surrounding concrete. And it works great for vertical and horizontal cracks. Here, I'll demonstrate the repair process with two concrete cinder blocks to simulate a basement wall crack.