Foundation crack and parging repair in Scranton
Sealing a leaking crack in a poured concrete foundation wall in Scranton costs $450 to $900 per crack with polyurethane or epoxy injection, and most are done in a single visit of two to three hours. Block foundations from the 1950s through the 1980s, which is what most of Clarks Summit, Moosic and the newer parts of Dunmore sit on, do not get injected. Block is hollow, so water travels inside the cores and shows up feet away from where it entered. Those walls get a rebuilt cove where wall meets slab, a fresh parge coat, and a crystalline coating, priced with the stone interior package at $3,000 to $8,000. The first question we answer on any crack is whether it is a shrinkage crack that just needs sealing or a movement crack that is still opening, because the second one needs a different conversation.
Part of the Anthracite Masonry Waterproofing service list for Scranton. Full ranges on the cost guide.
What you are probably seeing
- ■A vertical or diagonal hairline crack in a poured wall that weeps after rain
- ■A horizontal crack at mid-height on a block wall, sometimes with a slight bow
- ■Stair-step cracking following the block joints from a corner
- ■Parging that has bubbled, cracked into a map pattern, or fallen off in sheets
- ■Water tracking along the cove where the slab meets the wall
- ■Rust stains bleeding from a crack, a sign of wet rebar or a tie rod
Shrinkage crack or movement crack
Poured walls crack as they cure. A vertical crack that has been the same width for years and only leaks is a shrinkage crack, and injection fixes it for good. A crack that is wider at the top than the bottom, a horizontal crack on a block wall, or any crack with a measurable change over a season is movement, and in this county that means checking two things: whether the grade outside is loading the wall with water, and whether the ground itself is moving. Lackawanna and Luzerne counties sit over abandoned anthracite mines, and the state runs a mine subsidence insurance program specifically because homeowner policies exclude that damage.
We put crack monitors on anything we are not sure about and read them again in four to six weeks. Injecting a crack that is still moving wastes your money, and we would rather lose the small job than sell it.
Injection for poured walls, parge and cove for block
Injection works by drilling ports along the crack, sealing the surface, and pumping a polyurethane resin that expands into the full depth of the wall and stays flexible. Epoxy is used when the crack also needs structural bonding. The repair is inside the wall, so it works whether or not the exterior is accessible, and there is no digging.
Block walls need a different approach. The cove at the base is ground out and rebuilt with a hydraulic cement fillet, then the wall is parged and coated with a crystalline product that penetrates the block face. When water is coming up through the slab or the cores are filling from below, interior drain tile is the honest fix and we quote it separately.
How the job runs
- 1
Classify the crack
Width, direction, and whether it is changing. Monitors go on anything questionable before money is spent.
- 2
Injection or parge
Poured walls get port injection with polyurethane or epoxy. Block walls get a rebuilt cove, parge coat and crystalline coating.
- 3
Address the water source
Downspouts, grading, and window wells get checked the same visit, because a repair that ignores the source leaks again nearby.
- 4
Warranty and paperwork
Injected cracks carry a written warranty against re-leaking, and the resin data sheet stays with your records.
What this work costs in Scranton
| Job type | Typical range | What moves the price |
|---|---|---|
| Stone foundation interior waterproofing (repoint, parge, crystalline coating) | $3,000 to $8,000per basement | Linear feet of wall, how much rubble has to be raked and repacked, whether the floor slab needs a curb, access around utilities |
| Interior drain tile with sump pit and pump | $4,500 to $12,000per basement ($60 to $120 per linear ft) | Perimeter length, slab thickness, battery backup pump, discharge distance to daylight or a storm connection |
| Foundation crack injection (poured concrete walls) | $450 to $900per crack | Crack length, active water flow at the time of injection, polyurethane versus epoxy, number of cracks done in one visit |
Every job type with what moves it is on the cost guide.
Questions about foundation crack and parging repair
- How much does foundation crack injection cost?
- $450 to $900 per crack in Scranton. Several cracks in one visit price toward the low end each. Cracks with active water flow during injection or cracks longer than the full wall height price toward the top.
- Can a cracked block foundation wall be injected?
- No. Block cores are hollow and resin has nowhere to go. Block walls get a cove rebuild, parge coat and crystalline coating, and drain tile if water is coming up under the slab.
- Is a horizontal crack in my basement wall serious?
- Treat it as serious until proven otherwise. A horizontal crack at mid-height on a block wall usually means soil or water pressure is bowing the wall. We measure the bow, put monitors on it, and bring in a structural engineer if it is more than an inch out of plane.
- Does homeowner insurance cover foundation cracks?
- Standard policies generally exclude ground movement and seepage. Damage from abandoned mine subsidence is covered only by the separate Pennsylvania DEP mine subsidence insurance, which is inexpensive and worth carrying anywhere in the Lackawanna Valley.
Get a written price
Address first, then what you see. We call back with the range and a time for the hose test. Or call (570) 909-2820.