How To Fix Large Cracks In Walls - Step-By-Step

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Whether it’s made of concrete, stone, or brick, a crack in a wall is a blemish no homeowner wants.

Concrete and masonry constructions with large cracks lose a lot of strength and can’t sustain heavy loads. Such cracks need to be repaired to prolong the lifetime of the walls.

The natural settling of a hose usually causes cracks in walls over time. This can be repaired on the weekend or during a holiday.

All you need are simple tools and materials from your local store. Keep reading to find out how to fix large cracks in concrete, brick, stone, garden, and interior walls.

How To Fix Large Cracks In Concrete Walls?

To fix large cracks, you need to undercut the sidewalls of the crack to make it V-shaped. It allows the sealer to key into the crack and produces interfacial adhesion.

Additionally, a chemical bond between the sealer and the concrete is formed.

Requirements And Procedure

Hammer, a masonry chisel, sealer or patching compound, wire brush, paintbrush, and trowel.

Follow the steps below to fix your concrete wall.

Using the chisel and hammer, expand the crack’s base.
With a wire brush, remove all debris from the crack. Ensure the crack is cleaned thoroughly, even if it means using a pressure washer.
Dry the crack using a vacuum or brush. All dust should be cleared. Also, there should be no water pools in the crack.

Mix the repair patching compound in the right proportions.
Spread the sealer with a trowel over the crack. Ensure that there are no air pockets by stabbing the patching material deep into the crack using the trowel. Fill up the concrete surface.
Using the trowel, smoothen the patch’s surface and feather the compound into the surrounding concrete.

Texture the surface of the sealer by brushing it with a dry paintbrush.

How To Fix Large Cracks In Stone Walls?

A stone wall built correctly stands for a long time. However, sometimes it’ll need repairs. A stone wall may crack due to earthquakes, weather, time, or other events.

You can fix large cracks in stone walls depending on your patience and stone masonry skills. The following piece highlights how to repair a crack in a stone wall.

Requirements And Procedure

Masonry chisel, wire brush, hammer, trowel, blower, mortar, dust mask, and safety eyewear

Follow the steps below to fix stone walls:

With the hammer and masonry chisel, increase the size of the crack. It enables you to clear out the crack, remove any loose mortar or stones, and create an environment ready to accept fresh mortar.

Using a wire brush, clean all the debris and dust from the crack. A blower attachment of an air compressor is suitable for clearing out the dust.
Prepare the masonry mortar. Make sure it’s mixed in the right ratios for consistency with existing mortar.
Using a trowel, fill the crack with mortar to the masonry surface and remove any excess.

Allow the mortar to dry completely and brush the crumbs off the stone with a soft-bristled broom.

Sometimes, the crack might be too big to fix with mortar or crack sealer. Replacing cracked stone is the only solution.

You require a trowel, mortar, stone, diamond blade saw, a masonry chisel, and a hammer to fix this. The steps below highlight what to do.

Remove cracked stone or a piece of the cracked stone that needs to be replaced. Use a diamond blade saw to score the stone. Using the masonry chisel and hammer, open the score marks and remove the damaged stone.
Remove the surrounding mortar with a hammer and chisel.
With a blade saw, cut your stone to the right size. Work the surface to match the stones around it.

Mix your mortar in the right ratios.
Soak the stone and the stones around in the water. This allows the mortar to cure slowly.
Tuck the stone.

After the mortar has been set, tool the profile and brush away excess mortar.

How To Fix Large Cracks In Brick Walls?

Requirements And Procedure

You need – rake bar, a masonry chisel, hammer, wire brush, and mortar.

Steps on fixing cracks:

Using a rake bar, remove the old cracked horizontal and mortar from the joints. Don’t go deeper into the wall to avoid damaging the bricks.
Remove the vertical joints. Use a chisel and a hammer to accomplish so. With the hammer, tap the chisel on the mortar until it cracks. Scrub the empty joints with a wire brush to ensure all extra mortar is removed. It prevents water or air from entering the space behind it, prolonging the walls’ life.

Spray the brick wall with water. A dry brick wall absorbs all of the new mortar’s water, causing the wall to split again.
Fill up the crack with mortar. Make sure you don’t leave any gaps. Ensure the mortar is not too hard as the wall will crack again.
To flatten the mortar, dampen the pointer and push it into the joint.

How To Fix Large Cracks In Interior Walls?

Larger holes and cracks require additional attention and care.

Requirements And Procedure

You need – blower, water, a masonry chisel, hammer, trowel, and filler.

Follow the steps below:

Cut back the edges of the damaged area up to the sound plaster
Eliminate all the dust using the blower attachment of an air compressor.
Spray the crack with water and then apply the filler. The layers should be ¼ inch thick.

Lightly score the first layer in a criss-cross pattern. It helps grip the next layer.
Apply pressure and wait for it to dry.
If need be, hire a professional plasterer to ensure the crack is filled evenly.

Fill in the hole or crack with additional layers if needed, and spread the final layer to round up the edges, feathering at the end for a smooth finish.

How To Fix Large Cracks In Exterior Walls?

Exterior walls can either be concrete, stone, brick, or garden walls. To fix large cracks, follow the above procedure depending on the nature.

How To Fix Large Cracks In Garden Walls?

Fixing a garden wall is totally different from fixing stone, concrete, brick, or interior walls.

Requirements And Procedure

You need – masonry chisel, hammer, sand, cement, water, and helical reinforcing bar.

Steps to follow:

Use the hammer and masonry chisel to chase slots at 30cm intervals along a 50cm length of the wall on each side of the crack.

Remove any loose debris from the slots. Flushing them with water is the best method.
Prepare grout. Mix the cement, water, and sand in the right ratios. You can use commercial grout.
Fill the slot with gout up to two-thirds full. Spread it evenly.

Push the reinforcing bar into the grout until it reaches about two-thirds of the slot depth – to firmly encase the rod, trowel displaced grout.
Use a nice wall chase to conceal the slot. Fill up cracks between helically reinforced brickwork using a suitable and undetectable filler.

How To Fix Large Cracks In Walls – Conclusion

Fixing large cracks in walls cannot be ignored. It enhances the strength and durability of the walls.

As a homeowner, cracks will always appear on different parts of the walls of your house or garden wall. This guide will help you fix large cracks using easy-to-use, readily available tools.