Floor Cracks: What Causes Them & What Can Be Done
Floor cracks can be common, but it is important to know when a floor crack indicates a bigger problem. Floor cracks caused by many things, from water damage to foundation failure.
Want to know if your floor cracks are cosmetic or structural in nature? Look for these signs:
Cracks in concrete slab floor- Floors dropping and separating from walls
- Floors sloping, especially on one side of the crack.
All of these are signs that the problems could be structural in nature. To discover more about you problem, answer a few questions.
- What floor is cracked? The more direct contact the floor has with the foundation, the more likely the damage is caused by foundation problems. That includes the concrete slab and the floor that sits on it in a slab or basement foundation and the floor directly above a crawl space in a crawl space foundation. That isn't to say that foundation problems can't cause other floors to crack (they often cause the whole house to shift out of alignment). It is just in those cases there are usually other signs as well.
- What type of foundation do you have? Foundation problem caused floor cracks manifest themselves differently with different foundations. With slab or basement foundations, the cracking is caused by settlement. The floor will still be solid, it will just have a crack where the floor gave in to the pressure caused by the slab unevenly settling. With crawl space foundations, the foundation problems often cause the floor to sag or slope in areas where it is not getting proper support. In some cases this can can cracks as well.
Unfortunately, foundation settlement is common in Oklahoma thanks to the expansive soils creating ideal conditions for foundation movement. When the ground is dry do to lack of water, the soil will shrink and when the soil is oversaturated, it will expand. This constant shrinking and expansion causes the ground beneath your foundation to move, thus, causing your foundation to move. That is when floor cracks are a big concern.
>Don't ignore your floor cracks
If you live in eastern or central Oklahoma, let the professionals at Pierman Foundation Repair Services examine your floor cracks and see if you are in need of foundation repair. If your floor cracks are due to a foundation problem, we have the products and experience to get your foundation and floor cracks fixed.
You may think a floor crack is nothing to worry about, but if it is caused by foundation settlement, the longer it is ignored, the more your home's foundation is in danger.
Floor Crack Solutions for Oklahoma
FRS has the solutions for your floor cracks and foundation problems. We use a piering system to get your foundation back to its original level. These solution and pier system includes:
- Piering is used when there is a need to stop foundation settlement in its tracks. Piers are sunk down to a load-bearing strata of soil or bedrock and then the house is hydraulically leveled, reversing the settlement and providing a means to stop it from happening again.
- Waterproofing, including crawl space encapsulation can be needed when the problem is water-based. Sometimes moisture can damage foundations either through issues such as wood rot weakening beams or hydrostatic pressure causing slab floor or basement wall cracks. In these cases, waterproofing is needed to stop the foundation issues from getting worse.
Pierman Foundation Repair Services (FRS) has the experience and products to get your foundation back to its original, structurally sound state. Contact us today for an inspection of your floor cracks in Oklahoma.