Over time, your concrete foundation, basement, or driveway is bound to crack. This can be for a number of reasons, from temperature to tension. If you see a crack, there is no need to worry. Many cracks can be easily fixed with a crack repair kit.
Classification of Cracks
Cracks are classified depending on the direction, depth, and width of the crack. The following are some of the cracks you may see in your concrete and what they look like:
- Hairline - These cracks are generally small and randomly placed in areas of the concrete that are exposed.
- Pattern - If the volume of the concrete is inconsistent, this can cause fine openings near the surface in a regular pattern.
- Checking - Irregularly and closely spaced, these cracks have fairly shallow openings.
- D-Cracking - These cracks are fine and found in a random pattern at close intervals.
Types of Cracks
Cracks in your concrete can occur for a number of reasons. Here are some of the different types of cracks and why they are created:
- Shrinkage - This type of crack can occur in unhardened concrete only. Generally, it consists of fairly straight lines which run parallel to the floor.
- Settlement - Settlement cracking occurs when unhardened concrete is restrained around some obstruction or reinforcement.
- Plastic - As a type of shrinkage crack, this can only happen in unhardened concrete. On top of the concrete, you will see diagonal lines which are caused by the surface drying too quickly. This could be a result of a delay in the application of the curing membrane.
- Structural - This crack usually occurs when the steel in reinforced concrete structures is corroded, or there is an over stressing of the framework.
- Thermally-Induced - Temperature changes can put stress on the concrete causing the cracks.
These are just a few of the cracks you may find in the concrete around or in your home. Once you know what kind of crack it is, you can simply get some crack repair products and fix it yourself in no time at all.