Carbon ’58 Wall Straps

Carbon Fiber Strapping

’58 Foundations & Waterproofing offers three solutions to stabilize or repair a bowed basement wall. Each basement bracing solution is dictated by the depth of the bow and the intended result – stabilization or straightening. Walls that are bowed 4-inches or less can be saved. Walls that are bowed more than 4-inches may have to be reconstructed.

When the bow of your wall is 2-inches or less, Carbon Fiber Strapping can be used. It is the least invasive stabilization technique. This 8-inch wide material is epoxied to your bowing wall to prevent any further movement.

First the wall is scarified, which means all paint and residue is removed from the wall to reveal a clean, porous surface. Then the Carbon Fiber material is soaked in epoxy and placed on the porous wall so it bonds tightly. Strips run from the top of the wall to the floor and are mechanically fastened to the wood framing and the slab. On a typical 8-foot wall with 7-foot of exterior backfill, the strips are placed 2-foot from the corner and then every 4-foot.

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Why Is My Basement Wall Bowing?

A bowing basement wall is typically caused by hydrostatic pressure. This is the force of water-saturated soil expanding and pushing on the exterior of the wall. Because there is nothing on the interior to counter that force, the wall begins to move. If left untreated, the wall can continue to move inward and eventually may collapse.

Bowing walls are most often seen in foundation walls constructed with concrete blocks. These concrete blocks are held together with mortar, and the mortar (unless it is reinforced), is the weakest spot. This is where you are most likely to see the failure. The walls are strongest at the corners, so the bowing is typically found toward the middle – in the form of stairstep foundation cracks.

Hydrostatic pressure due to poor drainage of the immediate exterior is normally to blame. Freezing and thawing in the Northeast contributes to the problem, as well as water-saturated clay-like soil in the Southeast.

We Treat Your Home Like Our Home

Unless you’re putting in helical tiebacks to straighten the wall, all work is done on the inside.

We know that any construction project can cause dust and debris! We don’t like it either. Our experienced team will put up plastic curtains to contain the dust and debris in jackhammering is necessary with the I-beams. When scarifying the walls to apply Carbon Fiber Strapping, we use a vacuum system to remove the fine particles. In addition, we create a negative pressure environment in the basement, so everything is blown safely outside.

With any basement bracing installation, we clean thoroughly upon completion of the project.