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Crack injection is one of the advanced but cost-effective processes to seal cracks on concrete slabs, floors, walls, or ceilings. The whole injecting process involves placing ports along the crack line, applying sealant, and pumping epoxy/polyurethane through the ports into the crack.

The process is completed by removing the ports as the sealant and epoxy are fixed in the crack. Later on, that particular area of the surface is smoothed with a floor grinding machine to have a traceless finishing.

Typically, concrete tends to crack with age, and there’s no way to stop a concrete foundation from cracking in residential or commercial structures. Practically, there’s no crack-proof concrete.

One of the top reasons for cracks in concrete foundations is moisture condition. When moisture is naturally removed from the concrete, it moves from its foundation place, leaving a gap. Gradually, cracks start to appear.

However, cracks in concrete foundations may also turn up due to other common reasons, including harsh weather, natural calamities, excessive heat, etc.

Usually, small cracks in concrete foundation may not require crack injection repair. Most small cracks are cosmetic or due to corrosion, posing no intense threats to the overall structure or unacceptable leaks.

However, things need to be taken seriously when you notice cracks that are:

• wider than one tenth of an inch
• gradually getting wider
• horizontal foundation crack
• diagonal cracks
• wider at one side

Moreover, if you see any cracks leading down the walls or across the ceiling, you may need some specialized sealant or repair like crack injection.

Crack injection is a reliable and effective solution to seal most crack types in concrete. With this low-cost and efficient method, you can fix fine cracks to larger structural cracks in concrete.

Crack injection is helpful in preventing water ingress or concrete spalling.

The time it takes for a crack injection process to take effect depends on various factors. Some common factors are crack width, thickness or viscosity of epoxy applied, length of the crack, etc.

Since each port drilled into the crack needs to be filled with epoxy/polyurethane and the epoxy must reach the top of the crack, it may take 15 to 45 minutes to get done with each crack.

However, the ultimate effectiveness can only be measured after 24 hours of the crack injection process. You have to be patient for the curing to take effect within the sealed area.

The materials that go into the crack injection process may include epoxies or polyurethane. Each of these materials offer sealing solutions for varied cracks in concrete foundations.

Epoxy happens to be a durable and strong adhesive compound used to fill small to large cracks in concrete foundations. It can restore the surface durability apart from fixing the cracks.

Many engineers may prefer polyurethane foam to fix cracks in concrete. Once filled into the crack, the polyurethane starts to inflate and fill the whole area inside the crack, decreasing the chance of future cracking or leaking.

An effective crack injection process hardly leaves any trace of the previous cracks on the surface. If you’re giving the curing process after sealing at least 24 hours, the cracks are highly likely to be evenly filled.

On top of that, ports are removed once the curing is over, and the surface is smoothed with a grinding machine to make the surface look completely anew.

• Whether the crack was sized up accurately
• What material was injected into the crack
• What tools were used to complete the crack injection process
• Whether the curing process was given enough time to complete

Although it’s best to get a crack injection process done by the professionals, you can also DIY for your foundation cracks. Today, there are DIY crack repair kits in the market which you may purchase at $75 to $225.

There may be a requirement for additional tools that would sum up the total cost within $300-$400. However, apart from considering the cost in DIY crack injection, you should measure the risks involved for not hiring professionals.

Incorrect DIY crack injection may leave you with additional costs of exterior injections and waterproofing repair. These costs may often go through the roof, making your DIY decision a rough one.