Using Carbon Fiber to Fix Wall Cracks
Many contractors offer some version of crack repair, usually with epoxy injections. This is a good and often necessary step in fixing wall cracks that can allow water infiltration or, if large enough, weaken the wall itself.
Epoxy alone, however, can’t strengthen the area around a crack. That is where carbon fiber comes into play. Whether it be stair-step cracks in cinder block walls, horizontal structural cracks in basement walls or cracks emanating from windows or door frames, carbon fiber can provide a level of long-term strength that other crack repair methods lack.
Why Crack Repair with Carbon Fiber is Superior to Epoxy Alone
Epoxy crack filler, when professionally installed, is highly effective at sealing cracks in block or concrete walls.
If the cause of the cracking still exists and the wall hasn’t been strengthened, however, sealing the crack is sometimes not enough. Cracks can appear directly adjacent to the original crack. In these cases, the homeowner usually assumes the repair failed and the contractor will be called back to repair what is, in actuality, a new crack.
By providing its superior strength to combat the forces that caused the crack in the first place, carbon fiber can prevent wall cracks from reopening or new cracks from forming along the old one, making it a key addition to many crack repair projects.
How much strength does it provide? When properly applied, carbon fiber can provide 35,000 pounds per square foot of confinement strength in crack repair projects.
Adding Carbon Fiber Crack Repair to Larger Structural Repair Projects
As strong as carbon fiber is, there are many structural issues that it cannot solve by itself. It can’t combat settlement caused by weakened soil, and while it provides some benefits, it is also not a comprehensive waterproofing fix.
In both of those cases, though, carbon fiber crack repair can be part of the solution.
Foundation problems that require piering systems often cause cracks that need to be repaired after the deeper structural issues are fixed.
It can also be helpful to add crack repair to wall stabilization with carbon fiber, using carbon fiber to fix the horizontal or stair-step crack resulting from the hydrostatic pressure while the vertically installed carbon fiber strips reinforce the bowing wall.
Carbon fiber can also be used in conjunction with other repair methods. If, for example, one of your jobs does call for the use of tiebacks or wall anchors, adding carbon fiber to the repair can provide additional strength and stability to the crack line when used horizontally and add greater stability to the top and bottom of the wall when applied vertically.
Carbon Fiber as Part of a Waterproofing Solution
Carbon Fiber is usually not going to be enough on its own to fix basement water problems that call for a perimeter drainage system.
Carbon fiber does, however, offer waterproofing advantages and can often be used in concert with more significant waterproofing systems.
In certain cases, especially if the crack extends below the slab, carbon fiber crack repair can divert water that would otherwise seep through cracks and into your basement.
As stated above, it can also prevent repaired cracks from reopening and lengthening, ensuring that any water that infiltrates the wall is channeled to where the waterproofing system needs it to be, such as weep holes in an interior drainage system.
