Floor Crack

Floor Crack

Sinking & Settling Concrete Floor Slab Repair in Greater Albany

diagram of a repaired concrete slab floor

Concrete slab piers can extend deep below the floor to reach competent supporting soils and permanently stabilize the floor.

Do you have a concrete slab floor that is showing signs of sinking, sagging, or settling? Are the walls separating from the floor below or ceiling above?

IF you have a problem like this in your home, you could have a sinking or settling concrete floor slab. This problem can lead to cracks in floors and walls, uneven surfaces, and a weakened foundation.

Luckily, the foundation repair experts at Adirondack Basement Systems can help you solve this problem permanently! We provide a complete foundation repair solutions in Albany, Schenectady, Troy and nearby areas in New York. Call us today to get a free estimate.

Signs of slab settlement

When a floor slab settles, the damage can manifest itself in many ways. Along with cracks in the concrete, the floors can separate from the walls as they sink downwards. Alternatively, the interior wall may be pulled down with the floor, instead separating from the ceiling. Walls can also pull away from other walls, and interior wall cracks can form -- commonly off the corners of interior doors.

(Click each photo to enlarge.)

 
Slab floor cracks showing in a Ballston Spa home Large slab floor cracks in a Castleton On Hudson home A floor slab separating from the wall in a Slingerlands home. A partition wall separating from the floor in a East Greenbush home.
a sinking floor leaving a large gap between the wall and floor in a Rensselaer home The ceiling and wall separating as the wall sinks with the slab floor in a Watervliet home partition walls being pulled away from the foundation walls in a Glens Falls home. wall cracks along a doorway in a Gansevoort home.

What causes a concrete floor slab to settle?

When a concrete floor settles, it can mean serious damage to your home. The causes of floor slab settlement are almost always due to the soils underneath being unable to support the weight of the concrete. They often accompany other foundation problems in your home.

The three most common causes of settling concrete floor slabs are as follows:

street creep symptoms in a driveway in Wynantskill

Drying & Shrinking of the Soil Under the Slab

HVAC (Heating, Venting, and Air Conditioning) systems may be installed beneath the floor slab. Over time, the ductwork can leak air, which can dry out the soil.

As the soil dries and shrinks, gaps form under the floor slab, creating voids. Because the soil no longer supports the floor slab, the floor begins to crack and sink into the voids.


garage walls cracking due to street creep

Washout of Soil Under the Slab

This is usually caused by plumbing leaks. If the plumbing leak is severe and there is a path for the water to flow through, it can wash soil out from under the slab.

With a void underneath the floor, there's nothing supporting the concrete slab anymore. In time, it begins to crack and sink downwards.


foundation wall cracks due to street creep in Wynantskill

Poor Compaction of Fill Soil

During construction of a new home, layers of soil are commonly moved around or spread out to get to the desired grade level. When the home is built, footings may be deepened to extend below weak fill soils and avoid a foundation settlement issue.

The slab, however, remains on the fill soils. If the fill was poorly compacted, the fill soil compresses and settles, and a void is formed under the slab. In time, the slab cracks, breaks, and settles into the void.


Ways to repair floor cracks

Supportworks dealers have many tools at their disposal to reverse concrete slab settlement and restore the good condition of concrete floors. Here are the many ways Adirondack Basement Systems might choose to resolve your floor crack:

Looking for foundation slab repair contractors In NY?

At Adirondack Basement Systems, we provide proven solutions for concrete slab floor leveling -- as well as other foundation repair solutions -- to homeowners throughout New York. We provide each of our customers with a free, no obligation slab repair quote, in writing, before any work is done. To schedule your appointment, call or e-mail us today!

We proudly offer all our foundation repair services in Albany, Schenectady, Troy, Saratoga Springs, Cohoes, Colonie, Clifton Park, Guilderland, Latham, Queensbury and throughout the surrounding areas.

Looking for a price? Get a no cost, no obligation free estimate.

Proudly Serving Greater Albany

We serve the following areas

Our Locations:

Adirondack Basement Systems
80 Sheehan St
Mechanicville, NY 12118
1-518-631-3099