Can I DIY or Seal My Own Foundation Cracks?

You notice your foundation has some cracks. The first thought that you might have is “will I get seepage?”. Your next thought will likely be “How much does it cost to seal a foundation crack?” You sit down and get ready to do all the research on pricing and companies, then you think “Can I just seal my own foundation cracks?” This article should help you make that decision.

You first need to understand a little about foundation cracks. There are two different kinds of foundation cracks, non-structural cracks and structural cracks. Identifying the difference between the two is imperative to know how each needs to be treated.  Non-structural cracks can be repaired two ways.  For unfinished basements, we most commonly recommend our Epoxy / Urethane Injection which is performed on the interior of your basement. Otherwise, if your basement is finished, we will most likely recommend our exterior Wall-Clay process. Structural cracks are important to identify properly because they affect the integrity of the home. These types of cracks require a completely different repair than a non-structural crack.

In today’s day in age everyone wants to “do it yourself”. While there are some DIY basement waterproofing fixes, unfortunately foundation crack repair isn’t one of them. There are 3 reasons for this:

• The materials needed to do the job aren’t readily available to homeowners
• If you are able to get your hands on the materials, fixing a crack is not always straight forward.  For instance, some cracks have been previously repaired, which present a unique set of challenges. You also need to know when to use Epoxy vs. Urethane
• If you choose to do the work on the exterior, it will require you to dig a hole the entire depth of your foundation, which is at least 3½ to as much as 10 to 12 feet deep here in Chicagoland

Even attempting to fix foundation cracks yourself could cause you more headache than it is worth or could pose more problems when the professionals come in to remedy the situation. Don’t waste your time trying to fix the issue yourself. Book a free consultation online for one of our skilled and trained Advisors to come out and take a look! We will work with you to give you the most economical solution.