Are your cracks showing?
Often overlooked by the average eye, foundation cracks are pesky little nuisances that pose no major threat to your home’s structural integrity, but over time they can allow openings in your home’s foundation for groundwater leaks, rodents and gas leaks.
A cracked foundation in Oklahoma City can be the result of a multitude of factors. From heavy rainfall to the typical settling of a house as it ages. While any major repairs to a cracked foundation should be done by a professional, like Bill’s Custom Concrete, there are a few do-it-yourself techniques that can help preserve your cracked foundation over time. Looking to fix your foundation in Oklahoma City? Bill’s Custom Concrete will tell you how!
Step 1: Purchase an epoxy sealer.
For surface cracks in a foundation, use a strong epoxy sealer to patch it up. It’s important that you’re careful in your selection of an epoxy sealer. You’ll want to choose an epoxy sealer that is stain-resistant and commercial-grade — strong enough to keep protecting your home’s foundation.
Step 2: Clean your foundation’s crack.
Before patching up your cracked foundation with an epoxy sealer, brush out any loose concrete or other debris protruding from the crack. Then, check to make sure that the foundation crack is dry and that no water is seeping from it. Oklahoma City seasons can be unpredictable, so you’ll want to make sure that you repair your foundation crack on a dry, warm day.
Step 3: Space out your injection ports.
Your epoxy sealer kit should come with injection ports. You’ll want to space the injection ports about 12 inches apart. You can do this easily by driving two 3-in. finishing nails into the foundation crack, measuring accurately to ensure proper spacing.
Step 4: Mix the epoxy sealer.
When you purchase an epoxy sealer to fix a crack in your home’s foundation, they often come in kits with instructions specific to the epoxy sealer that you’ve chosen. Carefully follow the instructions included with your epoxy sealer to mix the compound together. Failure to follow instructions may result in foundation cracks returning.
Step 5: Attach injection port.
After your epoxy sealer is mixed correctly, it’s time to start repairing your cracked foundation! Attach the two injection ports by spreading some of the epoxy sealers across the bottoms of the ports. Place the injection ports over the nails you applied to the foundation crack.
Step 6: Start spreading the epoxy sealer over the foundation crack.
Using a putty knife or margin towel, begin spreading a large amount of the epoxy sealer across the foundation crack. Spread the epoxy sealer about 1 inch thick over the foundational crack. Make sure to spread the edges thin, then feather the edges of the epoxy sealer using a paintbrush dipped in mineral spirits.
Step 7: Inject the epoxy sealer into the foundation crack.
Allow the epoxy sealer to cure for about 6-10 hours, depending on the size of the foundation crack. After it has dried, inject the epoxy sealer directly into the foundation crack through the injection ports using a caulk gun. Inject the foundation crack from both ports until epoxy sealer begins oozing from the ports.
Step 8: Seal the injection ports.
Remove the caulk gun and use the plugs included in your kit to remove the excess epoxy sealer, then plug them up. Make sure you plug each injection port before proceeding with the next step in repairing your home’s foundation.
Step 9: Cut off the injection ports left in the foundation crack.
After giving the epoxy sealer 5 days to cure inside your home’s cracked foundation, you can cut off the remaining injection ports using a hacksaw. Up to you, but if you want to cover the holes left by the removed injection ports, use some leftover epoxy sealer to patch them up.
Simple and easy, repairing your home’s cracked foundation in Oklahoma City doesn’t have to be a daunting task. However, if you find that the job is too overwhelming or more intense than you originally thought, give Bill’s Custom Concrete in Oklahoma City a call! We’ll get the job done right!