Stair Step Cracks In Concrete Block Walls Florida

Stair step cracks in walls well trained and experienced home inspectors like michael del greco will accurately report any cracks that are found in brick cmu or poured concrete walls even if they do not look like they are going to fail.

Stair step cracks in concrete block walls florida.

A stair step crack is a diagonal crack but since mortar is usually not as strong as concrete block or brick the crack migrates to the mortar joints as it zigzags along a path of least resistance. Hairline cracking within concrete block walls often referred to as stair step cracking or mortar joint cracking is an example of an imperfection or distress but does not typically compromise structural integrity. Cracks in brick cmu and poured concrete walls that have a pattern to them can be indications of serious structural problems that can be expensive to cure. According to almost home stair step cracks in cinder block foundation walls usually found in unfinished basements are a result of soil settling beneath the center of the wall.

Some cracking on the block wall was noted in a few areas around the perimeter of the dwelling. Fill in the cracks or holes with concrete. A typical cause of diagonal or step cracking in a concrete block wall and some brick or other cmu walls is frost heave or settlement but as you can see in the photo below a collapsing masonry block foundation may also show diagonal cracking near wall corners. All of which are anticipated can be predicted and need to be accounted for in design and construction.

Sometimes a stair step crack will mostly follow the mortar joints then take a short cut through a defective block or brick before returning to the stair step pattern. Instead your foundation may be expanding and retracting in response to the weather. These generally appeared to follow the mortar joints between the courses of blocks stair step pattern and are a normal occurrence found in homes of this design. The crack will be a result of that rapid change.

Stair step concrete block walls often crack along their block lines. Hairline cracking within concrete block walls is the result of internal stresses resulting from shrinkage creep and thermal expansion and contraction. This is fixable in many cases but a professional should inspect it before you repair to ensure that the wall doesn t need to be rebuilt. The gaps in the wall can run in different directions but one common crack is called a stair step where the crack follows the mortar at a diagonal spreading across many blocks.