Sealing a crack takes an afternoon. Knowing whether it will stay sealed is the real job. Poway Structural repairs foundation cracks anywhere in the city, and we start by asking one question: is this crack finished moving? If it is, we repair it. If it isn’t, we find out what’s moving it first, and when that needs engineering, we coordinate with licensed engineers as needed.
Diagnosis first, on its own page
Whether a crack comes from shrinkage, a cut/fill seam, clay, or a slope is covered on foundation cracks. This page picks up after that, once the cause is known and the question is how to fix it.
Methods at a glance
| Method | What it does | Fits when |
|---|---|---|
| Epoxy injection | Bonds the two faces back together and restores much of the concrete’s strength across the gap | The crack has stopped moving and the concrete around it is sound |
| Polyurethane injection | Fills the crack with a foam that stays slightly flexible and blocks water | A stable crack that lets water through |
| Rout and seal | A shallow saw cut along the top of the crack, filled with sealant | Surface cracks in a slab where moisture and looks are the concern |
| Stitching | Steel pieces set across the crack and grouted in | A wider crack in a footing or stem wall that needs to carry load across the gap |
| Section replacement | The broken length of footing is cut out and cast again | Concrete too damaged to bond |
| Support first | Piers, drainage, or wall work stop the ground from moving | The crack is still growing |
Stopped or still moving?
That question decides the method. A crack that’s done moving can be closed with injection or a sealant, chosen by whether strength or water is the concern. Pencil marks at each end, checked over a few months, are the simplest way to know which case you’re in.
A crack that’s still moving needs the cause handled first. Glue a live crack rigid and a new one opens next to the repair. So the sequence runs support, then water, then the crack itself, with the crack last because it’s the only step that can’t be undone. How support gets built is on the settlement and fill settlement pages.
Stem walls, garage slabs, and walls outside
Not every crack is in the house slab. Stem walls, the short concrete walls under a raised floor, crack from settlement and age. Garage slabs pick up shrinkage cracks, and those are usually harmless. Retaining walls crack from pressure behind them, which makes the wall a separate repair with its own rules. See retaining wall repair.
Your part, our part, the City’s part
A hairline crack that has stayed the same for a year is a fine weekend job with a tube of concrete crack sealant. Before you seal anything with offset or growth, have it looked at. Once it’s filled, you can’t watch it anymore. A cosmetic patch isn’t permit work. Structural crack repair, footing replacement, and piers generally are, through City of Poway Building Services, or through the County for parcels just outside the city line.
Straight answers
Why not just inject everything with epoxy?
Because epoxy makes a crack rigid. On a crack that’s still moving, that just moves the crack over a few inches.
Is stitching the same thing as injection?
No. Injection fills the crack. Stitching adds steel across it so the two sides share load again. A footing crack can get both.
Does the floor have to come up?
For a slab crack under carpet or tile, the covering over the crack has to come up so the concrete can be reached. Stem walls and footings are usually reached from the crawl space or from outside.
Will injection work if the crack is damp?
Polyurethane is made for that and reacts with water. Epoxy wants a drier crack, so a wet one may need to dry out, or a different method.
Ready when you are
Tell us where the crack is and whether anyone has patched it before. One close-up and one wide shot help us see it in context.
Sources
City of Poway Building Services. Local causes of cracking, and their sources, are on the foundation cracks page.