To maintain the integrity and useful life of your home's foundation and to avoid costly foundation repairs, it is important that your home maintenance program include the proper maintenance for your home's foundation.

The concrete foundation is what supports the weight of your home or building and should be kept dry and insect free.  See also:  Basements and Pest Control.

Shown in the "Maintenance" tab above are the recommended routine maintenance tasks for your home's foundation. The "Questions / Answers" tab above shows our answers to related questions. And the "Articles" tab above provides links to related informational articles and sources.

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 Maintenance Task:  Inspect foundation

The foundation of your house or building should be checked for the following:

1. Check foundation walls, floors, concrete, and masonry for any cracking, heaving, or deterioration.  Repair as necessary.

2. Make sure that soil against your foundation is properly graded away from your house.  Soil should slope 4-6 inches away from the foundation for a distance of about 3 feet away from foundation walls.  Fill in areas where water may puddle against the foundation.

3. Make sure that the splash pans for the roof gutter downspouts direct water at least 3 feet away from the foundation, and that the water does not drain back against the foundation.

4. Inspect foundation walls for signs of termites (such as evidence of tunnels or dirt bridges).  Check flashing and termite shield.  If you suspect termites, contact a professional exterminator.

5. Inspect where pipes go through the foundation (including in the garage) and caulk and seal as necessary.

6. If you have wood siding, be sure that no dirt, mulch, shrubs, etc. are touching your wood, as this can become an easy pathway for pests and moisture to enter your home.

Damage to your foundation can cause the house or building to shift and crack.  Termite damage can be devastating (see Pest Control).

QUESTIONS & ANSWERS from "Ask-a-Wizard":

QUESTION from "Heartmom": 

What is the best way to get rid of cracks in the walls or ceiling of a house? If you can't get rid of them, what is the temporary "Fix," and how often must this "Fix" be done?

ANSWER:

Heartmom:

Let me respond to the second part of your question first. Your question about what to do if you can't get rid of cracks in your wall or ceilings, and how often a “temporary fix” might have to be repeated, is very important. The reason it is important is that it gets at the need to determine WHY the cracks are forming in the first place. Usually, cracks result from a house naturally settling on its foundation, or periods when you house may have experienced large changes in temperature or humidity, etc. Small cracks created by these events can be successfully repaired and should last for a long time. But if your repaired cracks end up showing up again in just a few months, getting bigger, or are joined by cracks in other parts of the wall or ceiling, then this may be an indication of a bigger problem, such as: the wood framing in the walls or ceiling may be flexing due to excessive moisture; or the structural integrity of your house might be compromised; or that your home needs a humidifier for the winter; etc. If this is the case, then it would be best to talk to a building contractor who can diagnose the problem before more serious damage is done to your home.

Now regarding the first part of your question, the initial step to fixing a crack in the wall or ceiling is assessing whether you have plaster or drywall (drywall is also known as sheetrock, plasterboard, or wallboard). 

With plaster, you will need to check to see if the metal lathe on which the plaster is applied needs to be secured with some additional nails. The cracks can then be filled with plaster compound. After it dries, you can sand it and paint the affected area, and carefully “feather” it out to the surrounding areas.

For repairing drywall wall or ceilings, the patch compound you will use is called “joint compound” (also sometimes call “spackling putty”). Applying drywall joint compound typically involves putting several coats on, and sanding in between each coat. Use a sanding block to help keep your work flat and smooth.

Sometimes larger cracks both in plaster and drywall need to have the crack area enlarged to remove loose pieces. This can be carefully done with a utility knife. A very wide crack will need more reinforcement to help it stick properly. And this is where patching tape (also called joint tape) will be helpful. If the section is very large, then you may even want to cut back the wall or ceiling all the way back to the middle of the studs or ceiling joists (the middle of the studs so that you still have something to nail to), and then adding a new section of drywall (and then patching the seams with drywall tape.)

One important note is that textured ceilings installed before around 1979 may contain asbestos, which is hazardous to breathe when disturbed. If your house is more than 25 years old, you should have the ceiling tested. And if the test comes back positive, then you will need to have a licensed asbestos abatement contractor tell you what your options are. Do NOT work on it yourself if you suspect that there could be asbestos involved.

We hope this helps.
Regards,
Home-Wizard.com
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