How to Fix Concrete Foundation Wall Cracks

Identify cracks and install injection ports

• Try to identify cracks in your basement early on. Repair works best when cracks are 1/4-inch wide or less, although this approach will work for cracks up to one inch wide.
• Put on rubber gloves and eye protection.
• Use a wire brush to remove any dust, grit and debris on the concrete bordering the crack. If your wall is spalling (flaking off in large pieces), take a grinder with a cup wheel to remove all loose material.
• Fit a tube of crack prep surface paste into your caulking dispenser. The product linked is the most effective I’ve tried for concrete crack repair.
• Thread a fresh nozzle onto the tube. Start at the top of the crack if it runs vertically.
• Dab a thin bead of paste about an inch long onto the concrete where the crack begins, on both sides.
• Press a plastic injection port (included with the crack prep surface paste we used here) into the paste, centering it over the crack so the port leads directly into it.
• Repeat the process, installing a port every 18 inches along the length of the crack.