4 Advantages of Using Carbon Fiber for Basement Wall Repair
When your basement walls begin to crack and bow, they require a repair method that has the strength to be able to withstand the forces that are causing the walls to bow.
Among wall repair products, it doesn’t get much stronger than carbon fiber. That strength, along with benefits related to its size and installation process, makes it the best option for many wall repair jobs.
The Benefits of Carbon Fiber
1. Strength
If you were just to look at carbon fiber, you would never guess the strength it has when properly installed. It generally comes in rolls, can be cut with scissors, and is less than a quarter of an inch thick.
The thin sheets don’t exactly project the same strength as a rigid steel beam.
Yet, believe it or not, that thin sheet is in some ways stronger than steel. That includes the high tensile strength required for stabilizing bowing basement walls.
When properly applied, that strength will allow the walls to withstand the pressure being applied to them from the soil outside.
2. Low-Impact Installation
Some repair options for bowing walls require excavating along the side of the house outside the wall. Others involve tearing up a portion of the basement slab floor.
Carbon fiber sheeting requires none of these things. The wall itself will be ground down slightly in the places where the sheets will be applied, and any cracks will be filled in order to have a level surface to apply the carbon fiber.
The application takes place entirely in the basement, with epoxy applied to attach the carbon fiber to the wall. When it comes to structural repairs, perhaps only crack filling has a lower impact.
The low-impact nature applies to time as well. Because all of the repairs take place within the basement and no excavations are generally necessary, installing carbon fiber also takes less time than some of the alternatives.
3. Repairs Can Stand Out Less
Initially, you will notice carbon fiber sheets on your wall. The addition of the black fabric to the wall is hard to miss.
The good news? You can paint over carbon fiber. You can also drywall over it. No beams, no large metal plates on the wall.
You get structural repairs that you can make without it looking like you’ve had structural repairs if you have a finished basement.
4. Can Provide Greater Support Around Cracks
Other bowing wall repair options provide stability for any fixed crack at only certain points. Only with carbon fiber can you cover an entire crack, or at least most of it, to provide greater support for the repaired cracks.
This strength can prevent a crack from reopening or lengthening, helping to prevent issues that basement wall cracks can bring, such as water problems.
Is Carbon Fiber Right For Your Home?
So this is the big question: Are carbon fiber sheets the best solution to fix your bowing basement wall?
The answer, unfortunately, is “it depends.” There is a reason we also offer steel H-beam installation for bowing wall repair and a reason that we do a 27-point inspection before engaging in foundation repair work. It is important to take the specific circumstances of each job into account before assigning a solution.
That is because there are certain cases where carbon fiber, for all its advantages, is not the best option. Among those is if the wall has begun to “shear” or slide inward.
Some other cases might call for carbon fiber, plus. Carbon fiber on its own will not straighten a wall; it will only stabilize it. In most cases of minor bowing, this is enough. If the problem has become severe enough that we must straighten the wall, excavation around the exterior of the wall will likely be necessary.
In this case, carbon fiber or H-beam installation might accompany the wall straightening to make sure the wall remains stable and the same problems don’t come back.
Need Bowing Wall Repair in the Amarillo or Lubbock Areas? Contact Childers
At Childers Brothers, foundation repair is our business. Our rigorously trained and certified team has plenty of experience diagnosing and repairing bowing walls. We can find the right wall repair option for you. If you are in our Texas and New Mexico service area and want an expert to inspect your basement or foundation wall, contact Childers Brothers today.