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For many people foundation repairs are a necessary evil when they are having settling or heaving problems with their home. Most are not up to speed on the technical aspects of structurally repairing their homes basement or foundation, so they look through the phone book or go online and look for a repair expert in their area. With little knowledge or research a foundation repair contractor is chosen based on price or convenience. This is where problems can start, the lack of knowledge is the enemy of quality workmanship.

 
Quality foundation repair contractors have years of experience and a host of quality products and employees at their disposal so that they can apply the best solution to your homes unique situation. The bad contractors base their business on price and convenience. They are able to install their pier systems very quickly and inexpensively because they are adapting your situation to their foundation repair solution and equipment. No thought is given to the real factors involved with structurally stabilizing a basement or foundation.

 
These real world factors include:

            Structural weight

            Structural elevations

            Structural strength of the current foundation

            Pier system capacities

            Synchronized lifting

            Soil properties

            Drainage and water runoff

 
One of the simplest methods to see if you are receiving a quality foundation repair is to inquire about the equipment to be used on your repair. Many low cost, fly-by-night contractors use simple bottle jacks (car jacks) is drive pier sections into the soil. They will then use these same car jacks in an attempt to stabilize your home. This should throw up a red flag to all homeowners. If the contractor will not spend money on quality, engineer approved equipment they most likely will not repair your home in a quality, engineer approved manner.

While a relatively simple manner to filter out poor installing contractors, it is a good rule of thumb to narrow down your choices. Simply put, bottle jacks are great for temporary support of cars, beams and trailers but when being used for foundation repairs they can cause damage to a homes foundation. Bottle jacks have no pressure gauge to regulate the pressure being applied to a foundation, only a crude mechanical means for adjustment. Bottle jacks have a very small head or saddle, which presses against your foundation when the mechanical pump is depressed. This greatly increases the stress on a foundation causing cracks and possible ruptures in the footing or wall. Increasing the square inches of contact area greatly reduces the applied force on the foundation. Most quality foundation pier systems accomplish this by using a steel bracket with a large surface area for the footing to rest on attached to a specifically designed hydraulic cylinder.

 
The lack of a pressure gauge is another deficiency of bottle jacks. With now means of measuring the force applied to the foundation there is no way of knowing if the foundation can sustain this force. Quality structural repair systems have a gauge and valve to measure and limit the hydraulic forces applied to your home. When lifting a structure, multiple heavy duty hydraulic cylinders and valve banks are used to complete a synchronized lift. This way the foundation is supported and lifted evenly, as not to apply unequal forces on a structure.

 
It should now be obvious why engineers and quality foundation repair contractors do not implement bottle jacks to repair your homes foundation. So when you start your research for a foundation repair contractor start with this one easy filter and narrow your choice from there.

All too often homeowners and businesses try to repair worn, eroded and pitted floors with materials that crumble which ends up leaving large holes or depressions. Once the repair attempt fails the fix is often more difficult then the original problem. Instead of having a few damaged areas, the new holes in the repaired material leave lingering doubts about the remaining repaired surfaces. Will more of the repair material fail? Should the owner go to the expense and effort of trying to remove it? While these questions do not have a universal answer you can make efficient and long lasting repairs to original repairs using 100% epoxy.

Top-coat repairs to floors are often laid with cement like materials that deteriorate from moisture and abrasion. These materials have limited adhesion and are subject to having pockets blister off the substrate which eventually crumble and become dust. A coating of 100% solid epoxy can level those floors and seal them from further damage. By using a squeegee type motion, liquid epoxy can be pulled over floor irregularities allowing them to fill in. Because epoxy is hard, durable and impervious to liquids once sealed further erosion is usually stopped.

Repair of repairs follows several steps.

1. Use a mallet and scraper to find areas of substrate which are about to come loose and remove it.
2. Clean the surface using a rotary scrubber with a high alkaline cleaner followed by a high acidic cleaner and scrub rinse.
3. After drying, use a 4″grinder with a masonry wheel to bevel the edge of craters so edges are about 45% towards the floor.
4. Sweep off excess ground material.
5. Use a glazing compound and putty knife to fill hairline cracks so the epoxy will not sink in and continue to show them.
6. For larger cracks, fill sand into them using a broom until sand becomes visible which will keep your epoxy from sinking through the cracks. Make sure no sand remains on the surface.
7. Mix up your two part 100% solid epoxy in one gallon batches so it stays as fluid as possible.
8. Use a brush and 3/16 lint free roller to cut in around the edge of the room and around legs and other obstacles.
9. Mix more epoxy just as you need it so you are not working with thicker, tackier material that is over 15 minutes old.
10. Dip your roller and apply to all flat areas.
11. Pour epoxy directly into any cavities and holes.
12. Use your roller like a squeegee pulling just towards you and lifting as needed to achieve level surfaces over each hole or problem area.
13. Allow the floor to harden about 15 hours and then use a 3M type-sanding screen on your rotary scrubber to remove high spots and problems.
14. Sweep off dust and residue caused by your screening.
15. Repeat steps 5 through 12 for a second coat.

You should have repairs to your repairs which will have a good chance of lasting quite some time. A heavy impact to your floor may still allow layers of cement type patch to let go but more often than not you will avoid additional problems. Your floor will be relatively flat and good looking while being easy to keep clean and maintain.

Durall Industrial Flooring supplies kits of materials that are customized to owner specification and delivered directly to the job site. Kits include full directions and 24/7 help lines staffed by seasoned flooring experts, so professionals and amateurs alike can successfully install a quality floor.

Web visitors can obtain free, job-specific quotes on materials or nationwide turnkey installations by completing a simple questionnaire at http://www.concrete-floor-coatings.com.

For a high-resolution photo example, visit: http://www.concrete-floor-coatings.com/photos

For more information, contact Harvey Chichester at: harvey@concrete-floor-coatings.com Phone: 1-800-466-8910 or 952-888-1488 (24/7)

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Foundation repairs are an expensive and difficult task to perform, and almost always need professional help for doing it properly. It is important to build a good and sturdy foundation while constructing a new home as it will help you to avoid foundation related issues later on. Efficient home contractors or separate foundation contractors should be employed to avoid any foundation problems that may arise later on.

While foundations differ from region to region, the basic functionaries of a foundation repair company is almost the same. Timely ‘nursing’ of foundation cracks and allied waterproofing issues would result in a better dry basement and crawl space walls that are clean of mold.

Foundations are built differently in different regions, depending upon the frost line and the humidity of the area, as well as the budget of the homeowner. Therefore, the foundation repair costs also differ. Slab foundation repairs are lesser than the costs of crawl space and basement foundation repairs.

Sometimes waterproofing systems are put in place for maintaining dry basements. These include French drains, crawl space vent fans, piering, etc. which have to be re-hauled and restructured during a foundation repair service schedule. Foundation problems such as cracked walls, bowed walls and cracked foundation bases are quite expensive to repair. But, however expensive it might seem, foundation repairs cannot be ignored or it might lead to a catastrophe or unhygienic in the home, at the very least!

Concrete foundation repairs have gained an edge over traditional forms of foundation repair techniques. These usually include reinforced piering with poured concrete and steel rods and shims. Concrete foundation costs more than the usual foundation construction methods, but it is profitable in the long run. Moreover, concrete basements have also become more popularly used foundation reinforcement these days.

Piering or anchors are also used in regions where the soil contains excessive humidity or water concentration. The helical piers lift the crawl space and basement flooring off the humid soil, disallowing black mold and similar growth because of water seepage and damp basement conditions. Waterproofing foundations is a major responsibility of the home contractors, and if not given due attention, it may pose serious problems as the constructed property ages.

Another problem with foundations in regions with soft or humid soil is the unevenness of basement flooring and resultant cracked walls in the crawl space. Sinking foundations can also cause major damage to the whole property. And with unattended foundation problems, tragedy may strike any moment for the homeowner.

It is vital to choose your foundation contractor with precision and after thorough research. The employed individual or the foundation repair company should be able to analyze and report the problems plaguing the basement foundations and be able to provide an approximate cost of the foundation repair service. Damaged foundations not only are a threat to safety, they significantly reduce the resale value and overall look of the residential property concerned.