Bricks, Masonry, Asphalt and Concrete - How to seal expansion cracks in your foundation?

My house is 2 years old, it's a standard Bi-Level on a slab concrete foundation. I have some settling/expansion cracks in my foundation that are about 1/8" thick or less. But these cracks travel from the ground up to about the second floor of my house on the outside. What can I get to seal these smalls cracks and also prevent them from getting wider, etc? Something that matches concrete would be helpful.

Thanks

You say you have a concrete slab foundation. What are the walls sitting on the concrete made of?

Any concrete or cracks in new construction are probably either settlement cracks or shrinkage cracks. You rarely get expansion cracks in masonry. With age and increasing moisture, brick expands while block and mortar shrink. All materials expand when heated and shrink when they cool.

If the walls are brick veneer they are probably not shrinkage cracks. They would normally be due to foundation settlement cracks or cracks due to the back-up (block or wood) moving (up, down in or out). You should find out why since structural cracks should be covered by your warrantee.

Before you seal them and forget about it try to find out why they are happening. Sealing the cracks will not hold the building together. If you find out they are not active cracks and find the reason that they are there or you correct the problem, go ahead and fill them. Depending on the material, you should use a flexible sealer if the movement is normal and will occur again. I would use a clear adhesive caulk since you probably don't want to paint the brick or concrete. If the movement causing the cracks is eliminated and the cracks are not active you can use a more brittle material like epoxy. If the cracks are in masonry joints you can chisel out the old mortar and tuckpoint the joint. Do not skimp on the materials. If it is not right, you will be trying to put good material on top of the old material you applied earlier.

I hope I had the right adea about what was cracking.

Dick

Well my house is a bi-level, and the first story is cinderblock and concrete from the ground up to the floor of the second story. Then the second story is made out of wooden rafters that I guess sit ontop of the concrete from the first story. The cracks are in the concrete of the first story. So what would these be?

My recommendation is to use a Turptech router (www.turptech.com) to remove the old mortar not a chisel.

Then ad a good lime mortar preferably mixed with hydraulic lime

Best regards
Timm