Vertical crack in the corner of the house what to do. There was a crack in the wall of the house: what to do? New outsole reinforcement

If a crack appears on the wall in your apartment, then the main thing is not to panic. First you need to understand how dangerous it is, and then ask yourself questions: “how to repair cracks in the wall of an apartment?” or “who will pay for the repair of cracks in the wall in the apartment?”. You can determine the degree of danger by the size of the resulting depression.

If it is less than one millimeter, then most likely there is nothing to worry about. For new buildings, within five years, this is normal. The house is just shrinking.

If, on the contrary, the building is too “old”, then this may indicate that it is dilapidated, worn out, and it is time to give it emergency status. In general, the reasons can be very diverse.

Crack in the wall in the apartment. What to do and who is to blame?

Any crack that appears in the apartment on the wall is an alarming symptom that indicates the stressed state of the building envelope. Before asking the question: “how to repair cracks in the wall of an apartment?” you need to understand the reasons for their appearance.

The reasons here may be different, but they are associated, as a rule, with the deformation of the foundation. Such damage reduces the structural reliability of the building, as well as its operational properties. In order to understand the cause, it is necessary to determine the type of crack, its direction, opening width, outlines.

Direction of cracks:

Vertical crack in the apartment on the wall;
Inclined crack in the apartment on the wall;
Horizontal crack in the apartment on the wall.

By outline:

Curvilinear;
closed;
Direct.

Depth:

Surface;
Through.

Reasons for the appearance:

Shrinkage of the building;
Foundation deformation;
temperature;
Due to the deterioration of the building;
Wall weathering.

For example, with uneven compression of soils, inclined cracks appear. There may be various reasons for this:

Superstructures or extensions can increase the load on the foundation, resulting in excessive compressive stress and settling of the foundation. In this case, oblique cracks may appear on the walls, opening up;
If you dig a pit too close to an existing building, then the building may be either near the slope or on it. In this case, soil shifts and the appearance of inclined cracks in the wall from the side of the pit cannot be avoided.

Vertical cracks can occur if:

Freezing of soils, followed by thawing, can make the building “walk” and cause cracks, both inclined and vertical;
Overloading the walls, due to the superstructure, can lead to crushing of the masonry. As a result, very dangerous vertical cracks appear that can destroy the walls.

The appearance of horizontal cracks is serious:

The reasons can be very different, for example, developer errors such as a too heavy roof combined with an improper building design can lead to this state of affairs.
Overloading walls on one side.

There was a crack on the wall in the apartment. What to do?

How dangerous this or that crack can be eloquently testified not only by its location and direction, but also by its behavior. Before you close a crack in the wall of the apartment, it is worth studying its nature. If it rapidly increases in width and depth, then this is a very dangerous sign. You need to sound the alarm as soon as possible and contact the experts. If a crack appeared in the wall in the apartment, to the question: “what to do?” can be provided by construction experts. It is best to contact them, as well as the housing inspection. It may be necessary to draw up an act that will clearly indicate who is to blame, as well as who is obliged to assume financial obligations to eliminate deficiencies. For example, the neighbors from above, violating all the rules of redevelopment, removed the load-bearing wall, and your wall cracked in the apartment, where to go? It is clear that it is not you who should pay for the repair of cracks in the wall in the apartment. By the way, with sufficiently distinct recesses, self-sealing of cracks in the wall of the apartment is highly undesirable. After all, this way you can mask a serious problem, which can have extremely adverse long-term consequences.

Cracks in the wall of the apartment, where to go?

If there are serious cracks in the wall of the apartment, where to go, no matter how in the housing and communal services. Experts must diagnose the resulting deepening and eliminate the shortcomings. If this measure, for some reason, turned out to be insufficient, then the owner has the right to apply to the interdepartmental commission to recognize the premises as emergency. The commission must draw up an expert opinion, which stipulates the further possibility or impossibility of operating the premises. Now, in the case of a deep crack in the wall of the apartment, you already know where to turn. But what if you can see with the naked eye that there is nothing serious. How to fix cracks in the wall of an apartment at home without outside help?

If the wall in the apartment cracked, where to go if the appeal to the housing and communal services does not bring results?

Of course, the repair of cracks in the wall in the apartment should be carried out by housing and communal services employees, and in the event of such problems, citizens, first of all, turn to them. But what if such appeals are ineffective and repairs are delayed under various pretexts. In this case, it is worth directing your just indignation to the State Housing Inspectorate. They will consider the complaint and influence management company. If this does not work, then you can go to the prosecutor's office or the court. But as a rule, this stage does not reach, since the problem is solved earlier.

We understand how to repair cracks in the wall of an apartment at home on our own

If you had a nightmare in which you started repairing cracks in the wall in the apartment, then when you wake up, carefully inspect the room in which you live. If in reality everything is in order, then you urgently need to type in the search engine: a dream book is a crack in the wall of the apartment.

And if there is a crack in reality, then for a start it is important to understand how dangerous it is. To assess the full degree of danger, it is necessary to apply a gypsum mark across the crack, the width of a palm. Then you will need to watch the label for a month. If, on top of the gypsum, nothing has cracked, then the crack is stable enough to be repaired.

But first you need to clear the problem area to the slab or brick itself, then wipe it with a damp cloth and let it dry thoroughly. It should be borne in mind that sealing cracks near electrical outlets in the walls of the apartment requires special care. Make sure the wiring is not damaged. If necessary, move the electrical outlet. By the way, before you close up problematic cracked areas near electrical sockets it is necessary to de-energize the room. Don't forget about alternative lighting, because it can get dark before you have time to finish the job.

How to fix a crack in the wall in the apartment?

It all depends on the size of the resulting cracked cavity. If the recesses are very small, less than a millimeter, then you can get by with a primer and putty. If a little more, up to three to five millimeters, then you will also need cement mortar. Sealant is also a wonderful tool, it is injected into the recess with a special gun. The best option for cracked problem areas is fiberglass. It is glued to the wall with a special glue on a primed dry base, then the finishing putty is used. Fiberglass is good because it reinforces the surface. If the crack is not stable and not dangerous, then, in principle, sealing cracks in the wall of the apartment is not particularly difficult.

The main thing here is to learn one rule: the earlier you start working on the problem, the faster and with the best result she will resolve.

By the way, these same problems are easily detected at the time of removal of obsolete wallpapers. It has already been said above what material is better to seal cracks, but it was not said that the method of repair largely depends on the material of the walls.

Brick wall

In order to remove a crack in a brick wall, it must be cleared, deepened and expanded at an angle of forty-five degrees. Then prime. For embedding, a sealant is well suited here, since when it dries it acquires a slightly rubbery consistency. The sealant must be laid in the seam, and the excess removed with a spatula. You can use cement mortar instead of sealant. Before laying it in the slot, it must be moistened with water.

Drywall wall

Although drywall is considered a universal material, cracks may also appear on it during operation. Drywall sheets themselves are just a material, not a design. They are mounted in the desired design position using a frame or glue. Problems arise, as a rule, due to a base that has been incorrectly installed or due to a defect in the sheets themselves.

If the builders made miscalculations during the installation of the frame, then cracks may appear throughout the plasterboard wall. This problem can be eliminated only after dismantling several sheets or even a frame.

If the crack is not very large and is not related to the installation, then you can try to repair it with putty.

Concrete wall

Cracks in such a wall are not uncommon. To seal cracks in concrete wall PVA glue works great. It must be applied to the depth of the crack. Next, fill the cavity with cement mortar and smooth with a spatula.

If the gap is too wide, then you need to use an additional reinforcing mesh.

What to do if a wall with ceramic tiles cracked?

Optionally, when the house shrinks, the walls in the rooms will crack. After all, they can crack in the bathroom or toilet, that is, where there is ceramic tile. What to do in such cases?

Remove cracked tiles. To do this, we break it into small pieces with a heavy metal tool, a hammer with a chisel or a puncher with a lance;
Next, remove all fragments and clean the surface. After that, you need to vacuum the area cleared of tiles and close the crack in the wall in the appropriate way described above;
Then, lay the new tile on the adhesive using spacer crosses.

A crack in the apartment is not yet a reason to panic. The main thing here is not to get lost, but to start acting. Either on your own, or, if there is no self-confidence, with the help of specialists. What's more, it's all solvable. Worse, when a crack happens in a relationship with loved ones. After all, according to the dream book, a crack in the wall of the apartment is a dream for a reason. This means that some important component of your life is bursting at the seams. Now this is a reason to think about your life.

And you already know how to repair cracks in the wall of an apartment. So there is nothing to be afraid of. Everything will work out for you.

With such a problem as cracks in the walls, many owners of brick country houses face. Of course, such defects should be eliminated as soon as possible. Cracks in the walls not only spoil appearance at home, but also provide Negative influence on its performance characteristics. Moreover, such defects in some cases can even lead to the collapse of the building.

Step-by-step instruction

Filling cracks in brick walls ah usually in several stages. To eliminate such a defect, you need:

determine the nature of its occurrence;
to eliminate the identified shortcomings in order to prevent the expansion of the crack;
carry out a control check;
depending on the width of the crack and its nature, choose a method for its elimination.

Actually, there are several ways to terminate:

using cement mortar;
with the use of mounting foam;
by replacing the damaged section of the masonry.

The main causes of the defect

What and how to fix cracks in the house? The answer to this question depends on many factors. Before proceeding with the elimination of such a defect, of course, you need to find out why, in fact, it could appear. Most often, cracks are the result of non-compliance with construction technology. This may be, for example, an incorrectly selected type of foundation or roof structure, different kind technology violations during masonry, etc. Also, cracks in the walls often appear:

as a result of incorrect redistribution of the load on the walls (when building a building or when it is redevelopment);
due to temperature deformations;
when laying engineering communications under the foundation
when constructing a basement floor under an already built building without strengthening the foundation;
due to wear and tear of the material.

Sometimes cracks can occur due to sinking under a building. This often happens, for example, due to the redistribution of groundwater.

According to the regulations, the repair of cracks in brick walls should be carried out only after the identified cause of their occurrence has been eliminated. That is, if necessary, you should first strengthen the foundation, tie the wall with metal locks, increase its bearing capacity, etc. In any case, it is allowed to close up only those cracks that have already stopped expanding.

How to determine the stability of a defect

It is not difficult to find out that the crack has stopped spreading. To do this, you just need to stick a few beacon pieces of paper across it. If they do not break in about a couple of weeks, then the cracking has stopped. Sticking papers is easiest on PVA. You can also use glue "Moment".

How to close a crack in a brick wall at home: the choice of technique

As soon as the problem that caused the appearance of the crack is resolved, you can proceed to the actual implementation of the termination work. In brick walls, this procedure is usually performed:

using cement mortar;
using mounting foam.

With use, you can easily remove a blind crack from the wall. usually finished with a rather thick layer of plaster. It is in it that such defects most often appear. Cement mortar, as well as can be used for sealing including through cracks. The use of these materials, however, is allowed only if the size of such a crack does not exceed 10.1 mm. If this figure is greater, the damaged area of \u200b\u200bthe masonry will have to be disassembled.

with your own hands, if it is blind

Such defects occur in the plaster, usually after it has dried due to a violation of the application technology, as well as as a result of aging of the material, etc. In any case, it will not be difficult to eliminate a non-through crack on your own.

The methods and procedure for sealing cracks in brick walls (non-through) depend on what exactly the defect is. Very often, for example, the so-called "cobwebs" appear on the plastered surface, that is, a network of small cracks. To get rid of this defect, you must first clean off the problem area completely. The easiest way to do this is with a narrow metal spatula. After the collapsed plaster has been removed, you can proceed to finish the site with a new layer of gypsum or cement-sand mixture. Before applying it, the brickwork should be cleaned of dust and moistened with water using a broom.

Sometimes large cracks appear in the plaster. Such defects usually occur in the area of \u200b\u200bwindows and doors. Most often, their appearance is caused by home movements. To eliminate such defects, they must first be expanded. To do this, you can use a chisel or any other tool suitable for such work. Next, the crack should be thoroughly cleaned of dust and dirt. The easiest way to do this is with a regular household vacuum cleaner.

After the crack has been cleared, it inner surface must be wetted with water using a spray bottle. Cement mortar for embedding is prepared in a ratio of 1:3. You can also purchase a special dry mix at the store. The crack should be overfilled with mortar. In the end, he should close it completely and even protrude a little beyond. A reinforcing mesh tape must be pressed into the still fresh solution (along the entire length of the crack). After a few minutes, a little more solution must be applied to the wall. Ultimately, the tape should be completely covered with the mixture. After the solution has dried, the repaired area should be treated with a special grater.

Filling narrow through cracks in masonry with concrete mix

The solution in this case must be made on the basis of high-grade cement (preferably M400). River sand is usually used as a plasticizer for cracks up to 5 mm wide. Of course, before starting work, it must be sieved. If the crack width exceeds 5 mm, a little fine quarry sand should be added to the mixture. In order for such a procedure as sealing cracks in brick walls with your own hands to be successful, before using concrete mix it is desirable to drive metal T-shaped anchors into the cavity (with fixation on dowels).

Also, additional reinforcement can be done using a special metal lock(thick plate). The latter is fixed across the crack on the anchor. Install the lock in the course of the development of the defect. If the crack expands from the bottom up, the plate is applied closer to the overlap. Sometimes the wall is strengthened with ordinary steel brackets. The latter must be driven into it by at least half the thickness.

Actually, the very answer to the question of how to repair a crack in a brick wall of a house is, in fact, given above. This procedure is performed approximately according to the same technology as when adjusting the plaster. That is, first, the crack is expanded and cleaned. Then its cavity is moistened with water from a spray bottle. The crack is then filled with cement mortar.

Using mounting foam

This material will also help answer the question of how to close a crack in a brick wall at home. However, foam must be used with caution. When using it, one should always keep in mind that, by expanding, it is able to increase the crack. Therefore, foam should be applied in small quantities. In the future, in the right places, it can simply be added.

After the foam is completely dry, it should be stripped. First, excess material protruding outward is simply cut off with a sharp knife. Then the foam is cleaned along the crack to a depth of several millimeters. This is necessary so that the plaster layer applied on top lies as firmly as possible and does not subsequently crumble. To further strengthen the finish in this case, it is also advisable to use a mesh tape.

How to close a wide crack

So, let's find out how to fix a crack in a brick wall of a house, if it is not too big. Defects with a width of more than 10.1 mm, as already mentioned, can only be eliminated by disassembling the masonry. This procedure should be carried out as carefully as possible. Start dismantling the masonry exclusively from the top row. You can't knock bricks out of the wall.

Replacement with new brickwork is carried out according to the “lock” principle with dressing of the seams. In this case, reinforcing metal plates are used. The latter should cover the gap completely. Instead of plates, you can use ordinary thick reinforcement.

Instead of a conclusion

Thus, we have figured out how to close a crack in a brick wall of a house. The methods described in the article are suitable both for residential buildings and for household or industrial buildings. The main thing when eliminating such defects is to strictly adhere to required technology. In this case, the crack will never reappear, and the wall itself will perform its functions as efficiently as possible.

Many people know the expression of the famous poetess Faina Ranevskaya that in a few years life gives cracks that will grow over time if they are not patched up in time. So with residential building if a split or a small crack appears on the load-bearing wall, then it is urgently necessary to address this problem.

The very first question that comes to mind is “ What to do if a brick wall cracked?”

First of all, it is necessary to consult with a professional builder, because a person who does not even have a minimum level of knowledge in the field of building and repairing a foundation will find it very difficult to understand how to get rid of this problem once and for all.

Why does brick crack how to repair cracks in a brick wall similar brickwork? These questions need to be considered from many angles. So let's get started.

Types and causes of crack formation

Today, construction companies offer a revolutionary, strong and durable Portland cement, which has made a real revolution among building materials. It is distinguished not only by its durability, but also by the instantaneous hardening rate, which, perhaps, is its main advantage among competitors in the field of strengthening materials.

All experienced builders know that immediately after construction, the building does not immediately firmly and for a long time take its place in the main foundation, this process takes about five to ten years, and the cement mortar, on the contrary, very quickly gains its strength. Such a very a big difference between the time of subsidence and settlement of the house can lead to the appearance of cracks and large splits, which will intensively tear the mass of the supporting masonry.

Well, as for the solution of lime with the addition of sand, things are much simpler. It hardens rather slowly and at the beginning of the settlement of the foundation itself, empty or through voids in the walls should not arise. This technology fortifications are mainly used exclusively in the construction of new houses according to today's standard, and as time shows, in new buildings for a long time there are no problems with cracks and foundation settlement.

Builders - specialists share cracks among themselves in brickwork according to such signs:

Because of what they appear: deformation of the structure of the house, shrinkage or thermal wear of a residential building;
External and interior view the very destruction on the wall: Split, tear, cut;
Destruction direction: horizontal, vertical, inclined at various angles;
Shape: curved, straight, closed or torn in half (that is, it almost does not reach the edge of the load-bearing wall).
Size and depth: on the surface of the wall and inside it;
How complex repair work what is the risk of the destruction of the wall: dangerous and non-dangerous;
Time since destruction: stable or unstable;
The size of the opening of the split or crack itself: microscopic (up to one millimeter), small (up to three millimeters), medium (from four to eight millimeters), large (more than ten millimeters), very large (from fifteen millimeters or more).

A few main reasons for the appearance of such destruction on the wall, which, by the way, are quite a lot:

Settling or destruction of the soil itself. This problem can cause uneven natural burning of the soil (its strong and weak sections), incorrect and unacceptable load of the main foundation, leakage into the soil is very a large number runoff and polluted waters. It is these reasons that can lead to the appearance of large indirect splits or to the formation of vertical cracks that can reach right up to the edge of the load-bearing wall, and so on.
Strong hardening of the soil on which the house stands. A similar phenomenon can cause severe frosts, which can cause an uneven rise in the foundation. In particular, hardening of the ground is very dangerous for a building that has not yet been completed, the walls of which have not yet hardened and have not acquired the necessary stability. Specifically, in this case, uneven and deep cracks can form near the walls, and when the soil begins to thaw after the winter, it is more likely that the opposite process can occur - the foundation will settle, which can lead to new damage to the foundation. bearing walls.
A new repair for a load-bearing wall may be needed after the addition of a small building or room, as the foundation may not withstand the new, additional weight and settle.
Uneven and unstable loads on the foundation of the house. For example, if a house is built in Art Nouveau style, then luxurious and long glazing (which are very often used in this architectural style) can quite often alternate with small blind areas of the house, which will lead to big difference in weight and sedimentation.
If the pit is located next to the building, then very high temperature conditions also adversely affect the soil, which in the future can lead not only to soil settlement, but also to its excessive looseness. It is for these reasons that medium-sized cracks can form on the walls.
Extra load due to neighboring houses. On a common foundation, the zones of greatest stress overlap each other and allow the soil to settle very strongly.
The reasons can be not only in the soil itself, but also above it. For example, the collection of heavy building material in large quantities next to an unfinished building and already in the ground itself, additional loads and stresses may appear, and it is they that can cause a very strong external settlement of the foundation and the appearance of large cracks and splits.
Permanent impact on the foundation. For example, if you drive piles on the territory of a residential building, you constantly move heavy vehicles, compressors work - all this leads to drowning of sandy soil and strong softening of clay masses in the soil. In the aggregate of all these factors, you can get soil settlement and cracks on load-bearing walls.
Influence high temperatures can cause vertical cracks and splits in the walls of your home. Filling cracks in masonry is mainly required for longer buildings that do not have expansion joints.
overload brickwork. In this case, cracks can appear between the walls and on the pillars. Such cracks can be identified by the characteristic closedness and verticality of their direction. Overloading masonry. Appear in piers and on pillars. A characteristic feature of crush cracks is closedness and vertical direction.
Various non-hazardous shrinkage deformations can be observed on the plastered walls of the house - these can be small or small cracks, which are very randomly scattered over the entire area of \u200b\u200bthe wall and are mostly closed, and most importantly, they do not reach the edge of the wall. They appear due to shrinkage of too thick plaster mortar.

Crack Filling Technology

There are many ways to close a crack in brickwork:

You can install a brick castle or a castle with an anchor;
Strengthening walls with tension bolts;
Repair of a through crack with steel staples;
Carry out repair work in the place of unlocking the floor slab;
Strengthen the cracked wall;
Make an overlay from hardened steel;
Install special brackets
Install a floor slab;
Cover the wall with a finishing layer.

See this video for more details:

Conclusion

Apparently, the above can be noted that for general condition houses made of building bricks must be monitored very carefully. Since the sooner a crack or split is detected, the less time will have to be spent and Money to fix this problem.

Errors during construction, leading to the appearance of cracks in the house

The old private houses were built by the owners, who used the help of relatives and friends. Sometimes they did not even have a specific plan, so the houses were built without calculations and thoughtlessly upset by extensions of individual rooms. Information on how to properly make a foundation or reinforce concrete was also lacking.

Often, some believed that the more iron in the foundation, the better. Such a base was reinforced with anything, up to pieces of tin and any scrap metal. The second common option for building a foundation leading to the appearance of cracks is the complete absence of reinforcement. The foundation of the house was laid out of brick or wild stone, not taking into account the peculiarities of the soil on which it was built.

All this led to the fact that many houses began to sink over time, the foundations cracked, and the extensions moved away from each other, forming rather large and dangerous cracks. Some of them appear, but eventually stop growing and do not require strengthening the foundation. To determine the method of correcting a defect, you must first find out whether the crack threatens to collapse the wall or not, and then determine the cause of the crack.

How to determine the type of crack

Cracks are superficial, in which only a layer of plaster cracks, and through, passing through the entire thickness of the wall. To find out the type of damage, it is necessary to establish whether the crack continues to grow or whether it has already settled and does not change in size.

This is determined using glass beacons. A narrow long strip is cut out of thin glass, which is fixed with gypsum at its ends on both sides of the crack. The central part should remain clean and be on top of the crack. It is better to knead the gypsum thicker so that it is easier to glue the glass. Its walls are so smooth that the ends of the glass beacon are constantly slipping, so you need to hold it with your hands for several seconds until the plaster completely hardens.

Signs of determining the depth of cracks:

superficial (retractable cosmetic repairs) - after a month, the glass remains intact. Such a crack has already stopped and is not growing;
destroying the house (requiring major repairs) - the glass burst within a month. The discrepancy continues and it is necessary to look for the causes of this process and urgently eliminate them.

Most common cause the appearance of such cracks is a violation of the integrity of the foundation and subsidence of the soil. Destruction occurs with loose soil or a small area of \u200b\u200bthe foundation, not designed for the weight of the walls. Sometimes the foundation is blurred groundwater. If you do not restore the strength and integrity of the foundation and do not exclude its further subsidence, it will be impossible to repair the cracked wall. No matter how many times it is plastered and no matter how it is strengthened, the crack will appear again.

We remove cracks in the house that can destroy it

You can strengthen the foundation different ways, but the most reliable is to make it whole again with the help of proper reinforcement and an increase in the area of \u200b\u200bsupport on the ground. To achieve this, you need to dig a trench close to the foundation, about one and a half meters long and 40-50 cm wide. The depth should be about 40 cm below the foundation, but not less than to the freezing point.

Then we remove the soil from under the foundation, to the level of the bottom of the trench. This will allow concrete to spill under the old base and increase its area by almost half, while reducing the load on the ground by the same amount.

We reinforce this space with reinforcement rods with a thickness of at least 14 mm, laying them horizontally along the foundation and sticking the ends into both sides of the trench by at least 20 cm. There should be six or more such rods. Two rods at the very bottom, two in the middle and two on top. Such an arrangement of reinforcement in the foundation makes it work not for bending, but for breaking, which is ten times more effective.

We drill holes in the foundation to drive pieces of reinforcement into them and weld them with the rods laid earlier. Then we fill this trench with concrete, making sure that the solution fills the void under the foundation well. Ideally, it is recommended to use a vibrator for this, but if this is not possible, you should vibrate the concrete well by hand using a long rail.

There are several such trenches under the wall, the number is determined by the distance. The gap between the trenches should be about two meters. After the concrete has set (usually two weeks are enough for this), you can start digging the same trenches between the resulting new foundation blocks.

By pulling out the following trenches, you will free the ends of the reinforcement bars (which were previously driven into the ground by 20 cm) and will be able to connect the individual blocks of the new foundation together into a solid reinforcement belt using welding and two-meter pieces of rods.

After pouring all the trenches with concrete, a strong new foundation will be obtained with an increased area of \u200b\u200bsupport on the ground and tightly connected to the old foundation. Now you can safely proceed to repair the crack itself, since the new reinforced foundation will not allow more wall diverge.

To repair a crack, first of all, it is necessary to clean its edges from such parts of the wall and plaster that are barely holding on. Then it must be filled with some kind of mortar, the choice of which depends on the width of the crack and the building material from which the wall is made.

If the crack is small, the most in a simple way will fill it mounting foam followed by plastering and puttying. When the crack is large, the hole is filled with the material from which the damaged wall is composed, with further finishing.

The most difficult repair is a crack on the wall, which is lined with finishing bricks. Before laying, broken bricks are knocked out, and new ones are put in their place, adjusting according to the masonry pattern.

Cosmetic repair of cracks on the walls

If the glass beacon has shown that the crack is no longer expanding, there is no need for such a complex repair. It is enough just to produce cosmetic.

To do this, the crack must be processed, removing all the pieces that do not hold well, and filling it in, as described above. When the hole is closed, the surface is plastered and puttied. In this case, it is recommended to use a construction mesh for plastering.

The mesh must be glued onto the crack so that its edges go beyond the sides of the crack by ten centimeters and only then plaster this place. The mesh will create additional reinforcement and prevent the appearance of new microcracks from shrinkage of the material.

Also, when repairing a house, you sometimes have to deal with microcracks that appear on normal and well-fortified walls due to thermal expansion. This is usually due to the fact that a reinforcing mesh was not used during their puttying. It is best to completely putty such walls, reinforcing them with a mesh. This will ensure that microcracks will not appear in the future. But if this is not possible in this moment, you can use elastic putty mixtures to repair such defects.

Do not try to fill large cracks with mounting foam or other materials, as you will accelerate its expansion. Through cracks are the most dangerous and their strong divergence leads to the collapse of floor slabs. This method can only be used temporarily to survive the cold season, during which overhaul make it difficult.

The content of the article:

Cracks in the walls are a diagnostic sign of a change in the stress state of enclosing structures. The reasons for the appearance of these shortcomings can be very different, but the vast majority of them are associated with deformations of the foundations that exceed the maximum allowable values for load-bearing walls. Such damage can reduce the structural reliability of the building and its performance. If cracks are found in the walls, they are inspected, the nature, place and cause of deformation are established. Based on these data, the necessary technical measures are planned and carried out.

Types and causes of cracks in the walls

Wall cracks can be classified by dividing them into groups:

Due to: shrinkage, deformation, temperature, structural, as well as those resulting from wear or weathering of the walls.
By destruction: shear, crush and tear.
In direction: inclined, vertical and horizontal.
By outline: curvilinear, straight and closed (not capturing the edges of the walls).
Depth: through and surface cracks.
According to the degree of risk: dangerous and not dangerous.
Over time: stable and unstable cracks.
According to the size of the opening: large - more than 1 mm, small - up to 0.3 mm, hairy - up to 0.1 mm, developed - up to 0.5 mm.

The main causes of cracks in the walls can be:

Uneven compression of soils. At the same time, the cracks on the walls are inclined and reach their edges. By the magnitude of the opening of cracks and their direction, it is possible to determine the type of settlement and deformation of the building, as well as to find the location of the cause of the defect. In addition, precipitation can occur from uneven loading on foundations, soil leakage into old pipes, damage during construction, and for other reasons.
Availability of extensions or add-ons. They cause a change in the state of the foundation: an additional compressive stress appears under the building in the ground, as a result of which the foundation settles. At the same time, adjacent walls can have inclined cracks with the direction "down", and the opening - "up". The same phenomena often occur when a partial superstructure occurs along the length of the building.
Uneven load on the foundation along the length of the building. Longitudinal walls of buildings often have glazed areas of considerable size, turning into blind parts of above-ground structures. They all create different loads on the foundation, making its settlement uneven. With a large load from floors on the longitudinal internal walls, settlement can also occur. Cracks appear in the corners of the transverse walls.
Excavation near an existing building. In this case, the building is located near the slope or on it. Soil shifts capture the foundation area, and inclined cracks appear in the walls from the side of the pit. Sometimes the slope of the adjoining wall is associated with the threat of its collapse.
Interaction of adjacent foundations. In this case, the stressed sections of the foundations overlap and increase the local compression of the soil. They have an inclination to each other, subject to the simultaneous construction of buildings, if the buildings are built in different time, the slope is towards the building, which was erected later. An existing, for example, building on piles can receive settlement and inclined cracks in the walls with a new building located close to it on a natural foundation.
Effect of surface loads. They can arise from storage close to the walls of industrial raw materials, building materials or products. From the impact of such loads, the compression of the soil and the settlement of the foundation appear, causing cracks.
Dynamic influences. These include the movement of loaded vehicles, driving piles, the operation of compressors and hammers in production shops and others. Such impacts affect the foundation soil and can lead to the formation of cracks in above-ground structures. At the same time, sandy soils are compacted, and clayey ones soften. As a result of such processes, foundation settlement occurs.
Soil freezing and thawing. Freezing of the bases can cause the foundations to be raised by heaving forces. This process is especially dangerous for buildings under construction, when their walls are light in weight and have low bending rigidity. The walls on which all other floors must be erected receive numerous cracks, which negatively affects the further work. The settlement of foundations during thawing of the soil is greater than during its freezing, while the walls can get new cracks. The presence of basements often exacerbates the situation: it is possible for the outer walls to detach from the transverse partitions. Cracks in this case occur along the entire height of structures and can cause a violation of their stability.
Temperature deformations. They can cause cracks if the length of the building is long and there are no expansion joints. Damage in this case occurs in the middle part of the structure, the cracks have a vertical direction.
Shrinkage deformations. The cracks arising from their impact usually appear in the corners of the wall openings of large-panel buildings and have a radial direction. Such damage is not dangerous. Small closed, randomly located or oriented cracks sometimes appear on plastered walls, not reaching the corners. Their cause is the shrinkage of a solution of high fat content.
Wall overload. It leads to crushing of the masonry and is accompanied by the appearance of cracks in the supporting structures, pillars and piers. The cracks are closed and have a vertical direction. They are the initial sign of wall collapse and are extremely dangerous. Local deformations during overloading of structures of old buildings are manifested by cracks in the places of supports of beams and trusses.
Material wear. Periodic changes in temperature and air humidity affect the integrity of brick walls. Due to weathering, small cracks may appear on them over time. They are shallow, and do not pose a danger to massive structures.

In addition to the above reasons, cracks can appear at the junction of old and new walls, depend on the order of masonry, etc. Such cracks are straight, open along the entire height and are not dangerous. Sometimes cracks can also appear at the joints of the partitions and the ceiling. They indicate the deflection of the beams, the settlement of the floor or the shrinkage of the wall material.

Before you close the cracks in the wall, they should be carefully examined. During visual examination of cracks, the depth of their opening, age, location and direction are determined. When wall damage occurs at different times and for various reasons, their analysis becomes much more complicated.

For it, you need to have documentation on the history of design, engineering geology, operation of the building, location of underground utilities and a working draft. For a visual presentation of the results of the survey, cracks are indicated on the drawings internal walls, facades, then numbered indicating the beginning of their disclosure at a given moment in time.

The technology of eliminating cracks in the walls

After diagnosing wall cracks and eliminating the causes of their appearance, problem areas can be sealed in various ways.

Seal permanent cracks in the wall

Shallow cracks can be repaired by plastering with mortar. When kneading, cement putty or PVA glue should be added to it. Plastering should be carried out on a previously prepared section of the defective surface. To do this, before fixing a crack in the wall, the problem area and the area adjacent to it must be cleaned of destroyed fragments and dust, primed, and a special reinforcing tape should be applied to the gap.

Cracks of medium opening are eliminated using a metal mesh. In this case, the destroyed wall covering must be removed, and the resulting solid base should be primed. Then, along the crack, holes should be drilled in increments of 30 cm for mounting dowels, insert them and fix the mesh with screws equipped with wide washers.

The mesh size of the metal mesh is 5x5 cm. If it is necessary to apply several mesh strips to a large emergency area, they overlap by at least 10 cm. The plaster mortar must be applied to the wall through the mesh. After that, the surface should be slightly leveled, wait for it to dry completely and apply the final layer of plaster.

You can effectively eliminate a crack in the walls with mounting foam. During polymerization, it slightly increases in volume, so its dried excess must be cut off with a knife, and then cover the problem area with any suitable finishing material: plaster, paint, etc.

Elimination of unstable cracks in the walls

Determining a progressive crack is easy. This will require strips of paper that need to be glued in the middle, bottom and top across the crack. If after a while the strips break, you will need to look for and eliminate the causes of the defect.

It is possible to stop the development of large cracks with a significant opening by installing a channel (anchor) or metal plates. The work is done in this way:

First, it is necessary to knock down the plaster from the emergency section of the wall, focusing on the length of the selected plate. If it is 1 m, then the surface should be cleaned 50 cm on each side of the crack. The depth of the resulting strobe should be equal to the thickness of the plate.
Its fastening is carried out depending on the material and wall thickness by means of dowels or long bolts. For the latter option, through drilling of the structure is performed.
The crack and strobes should be cleaned and filled with mounting foam, and then the anchor should be inserted into the recess and fixed with fasteners. It is recommended to install the screed system in three places of the problem area: across near the end and the beginning of the crack, as well as in its middle. After that, it is necessary to fix the reinforcing material in the emergency area and perform plastering.

A similar operation can be performed using brackets instead of plates:

They can be made from rebar. After selecting rods desired length their ends should be bent at a right angle by 15-20 cm.
Then, across the crack in several places, it is necessary to make grooves so that the brackets sit in them deeper than the level of the existing wall surface. For example, with a reinforcement diameter of 10 mm, the depth of the furrows should be 13-15 mm.
The ends of the brackets must be inserted into the pre-drilled holes. Staple driving is excluded, since this process can lead to crack expansion.
After installation required amount staples, you need to follow the standard procedure: cleaning the surface, priming it, reinforcing it and plastering it.

How to remove cracks in a drywall wall

Such coatings are characterized by small cracks. Defects in the form of a cobweb indicate that when finishing the walls, too much layer of gypsum putty was applied to the plasterboard sheets or the thermal regime was violated when it dried using heaters and hair dryers. Vertical or horizontal cracks usually occur at the joints of sheets. The sources of such defects may be the weakening metal frame walls or the absence of reinforcing tape on the seams of the plasterboard.

You can get rid of the "cobweb" only by removing the damaged layer and applying a new one, its thickness should not exceed 2 mm. If you need to apply another layer, you need to wait for the previous one to dry.

When the frame is weakened, sealing cracks in a wall made of plasterboard is very problematic. And with reliable fastening of the coating, its defects can be easily eliminated:

Cracks should be cut at an angle of 45 degrees with a sharp knife.
The resulting grooves should be filled with gypsum mixture.
Apply reinforcing serpentine tape on top of the closed crack, then level the surface with putty and sand with an abrasive mesh.

How to fix cracks in plaster walls

Before the cracks in the wall can be covered up, the peeling plaster must be completely removed, and then primed and a new coating applied. Before performing this work, you should read the instructions on the packaging of the material. It indicates the proportions of the batch and the recommended layer thickness.

You can hide the existing cracks in the plaster with the help of fiberglass. It will counteract the expansion of old cracks and the formation of new ones. Before starting work, deep grooves should be sealed with gypsum putty and a penetrating primer should be applied to the wall.

How to remove cracks in the walls of log cabins

Cracks in the walls of wooden buildings arise from the influence of moisture from the inner layers of a log or beam. The formation of such cracks can be minimized by means of a compensation recess, which is sawn along the entire length of the log to a depth of no more than 1/5 of its diameter.

Formation of large cracks in old wooden buildings is not a reason to panic. These defects do not pose a danger and absolutely do not affect the performance of the walls. An example of this is the cracked log cabins erected in remote villages decades ago.

Therefore, the repair of cracks in the walls of log cabins is only aesthetic in nature. Can be used for this various materials but none of them are durable.

The sealant does not provide long-term adhesion to the wood, the cracks in it will have to be repaired every 2 years, applying new layers on top of the old ones. Wood, absorbing and releasing moisture depending on the season, periodically changes its volume. For this reason, any sealing material peels off.

The best solution for sealing cracks in timber or logs is caulking cracks with linen hemp braids or moss.

Prevention of cracks in the wall

As mentioned above, the main reasons for the appearance dangerous cracks are foundation deformations. Therefore, when designing them, it is necessary to comply with a number of requirements:

Column foundations located in heaving soils must be fastened bottom straps or grillage.
In houses with ground floors or technical basements, recessed walls are best made in a monolithic design. At the same time, it is not recommended to connect them with reinforcement into a solid structure with a slab foundation.
The foundations of heaving soils should not freeze under slab foundations with the built box of the house.
The widening of the drilling supports should be located below the level of freezing of heaving soils.

To prevent the appearance of cracks, the following measures can be applied:

Dismantling of emergency walls and installation of new block or brickwork;
Production of a monolithic concrete reinforcing belt;
Replacing or strengthening supports;
Restoration of the blind area;
Increase the length of the bearing walls and strengthen the walls.

How to remove cracks in the walls - look at the video:

Most of the cracks that appear on the walls of houses are due to violations specifications, rules, building codes, lack of supervision over their observance or low qualification of performers. Therefore, when building buildings, it is important not to allow all this. Good luck!