Is your basement floor sinking? Concrete slabs in the house can sink. It is hard to believe that the floor in your basement could sink. When you think about needing to repair concrete, driveways, or sidewalks, it usually comes to mind. It’s hard to believe that the concrete that was poured to build your home would sink. The funny thing about cement is it doesn’t know where it’s at. Concrete can settle no matter where it’s at, around the outside of your home or in it. Concrete in your basement can sink and can be repaired. If you aren’t sure your floor is sinking, or you think you may have a void under it, call us.
Hey Kansas City, is your basement floor sinking? Look for these signs:
- A gap between the wall and the ceiling
- A gap between the wall and the baseboard
- Room slopes
- Bowl-shaped concrete floor
- Cracks in the concrete
- Basement doors not closing
Your walls connect to the ceiling. When you see your basement floor sinking, it will start to settle, and you will notice a gap between the wall and the ceiling, the baseboard and the floor, or a support post and the ceiling (as the photo indicates). The ground can settle in a finished or unfinished basement. Another indicator of a basement floor sinking is you begin to feel or see the room sloping to one side. You may begin to notice cracks in the pavement. The floor may also become more bowl-shaped. If your basement is finished and your floor has carpet on it, if there are any cracks, you won’t be able to see them, but you may notice the room sloping. Not being able to close a door is another indicator that your floor is sinking and needs repair.
Is the basement floor sinking in a new house?
If you don’t think this can’t happen to a new house, think again. A sinking basement floor is not reserved for older homes. Cement slabs sink due to the ground beneath them. Depending on our weather, Missouri and Kansas can lack moisture in the soil. When moisture evaporates from the soil, the soil compacts, and the cement slab that sits on top of the dirt begins to sink. The home had a broken sewer line in one of our basement floor jobs. The homeowner had no indication of how long the sewer line had been broken. This broken sewer line caused the garage and the basement floor to sink significantly. This, in turn, caused the upstairs floors and walls to begin to sink as they were supported by the four columns on the ground level. The masonry fireplace had begun to fall from the wall as well.
How to fix a sinking floor.
The process to raise and repair your basement floor is the same process we use to raise your driveway or sidewalk. There are many situations where we work with Foundation Repair experts and Peering Specialists to ensure your home is safe and your basement is the support the home needs it to be. If you call a Foundation Specialist and they tell you it’s your floor, give us a call. We can evaluate the situation and help you correct it.
The basement can be a difficult place to access for repair work. We can reach spaces with our foam lifting equipment that traditional mud jacking equipment can’t. Traditional mud jacking is messy (water, sand, cement- you get the picture), whereas foam lifting is not. We make it a point to protect your home during the repair process. We lay down tarps to protect your floors, trim, and paint.
A sinking basement floor can be repaired and made stable again with our polyurethane foam techniques. Concrete Raising Systems in Kansas City will do the repairs with fewer holes and less mess, and it will not sink again (as long as the sewage pipes are fixed!). If you suspect your basement floor may be sinking, contact or call us today at (816) 419-8306 for a quote today!