Cracked Walls…
Have you noticed a crack in the walls interior or exterior of your building? This could be quite serious!
Today I am going to go over the different types of cracks and what they could mean.
Wall cracks fall into three main categories:
- Exterior wall cracks such as cracks in the brickwork, surface or rendering of external walls.
- Interior wall cracks such as cracks in the plasterboard or drywall.
- Cracks in foundation walls.
Common causes of wall cracks:
- Settling and Subsidence. Some degree of excavation of the soil occurs when a new building is built. Significant subsidence can occur when soil is washed away.
- Construction. Any kind of construction known as Earth Works for new road ways can cause cracks in your building. This is due to heavy machinery vibrating the ground and disturbing the underlying soil.
- Reactive soils. This is a type of soil that expands dramatically when moist then becomes dry again. One type of reactive soil is Clay.
- Poor design or workmanship. Wall cracking can occur if your building was poorly designed or the contractors did a not so great job. Too much weight on a load bearing wall can cause horrible cracks.
- Trees. Tree roots can cause significant damage to your property most people only think about their sewer lines, but in fact a big enough tree root can come through a wall or floor.
- Water Damage. Any type of flooring can damage your properties walls.
- Wear and Tear. Building materials degrade over time. The concrete poured can vary person to person. This is referred to as Concrete Cancer. Regular weather, gravity and age can cause the building materials to fail over time.
The look of your cracks will help the technician evaluate what the underlying cause is and how to fix the damage.
Narrow vertical cracks – Are most commonly caused by minor settlement or shrinkage
Wide vertical cracks – These exceed 3mm in width. These are normally caused by significant settlement and will require detailed inspections.
Horizontal cracks – These are immediate concern especially in block foundation walls. This means there is something going on with the foundation of the building.
Call Enviro USA Inc, today at 866-564-1414 to have our technicians come look at any cracks your building has.
Phone: 866-564-1414 | 901-937-7774
Email: info@envirousa.com | Address: 7850 Stage Hills Blvd Suite 108 Bartlett, TN 38133
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