If a vertical crack widens at the top or bottom the wall is either settling or gradually heaving which may present serious issues.
Stair step cracks in concrete block walls.
Footings can move for many reasons.
The crack will be a result of that rapid change.
Stair step concrete block walls often crack along their block lines.
A stair step crack is a diagonal crack but since mortar is usually not as strong as concrete block or brick the crack migrates to the mortar joints as it zigzags along a path of least resistance.
Hairline cracking within concrete block walls often referred to as stair step cracking or mortar joint cracking is an example of an imperfection or distress but does not typically compromise structural integrity.
The continuous pattern usually follows the grout or cement lines between cinder blocks.
Vertical and diagonal cracks in concrete walls typically indicate foundation movement.
If the cracks or holes don t take up the majority of the block or extend to more than a few blocks try using concrete to fill in the damage.
Patch smaller cracks or holes with concrete.
Stair step cracks may also signify heaving.
Concrete is usually enough to bind together minor wall damage.
This is fixable in many cases but a professional should inspect it before you repair to ensure that the wall doesn t need to be rebuilt.
When the frost melts the wall drops.
Hairline cracking within concrete block walls is the result of internal stresses resulting from shrinkage creep and thermal expansion and contraction.
All of which are anticipated can be predicted and need to be accounted for in design and construction.
In some cases the ground can settle under or push in on the walls creating cracks.
Sometimes a stair step crack will mostly follow the mortar joints then take a short cut through a defective block or brick before returning to the stair step pattern.
Very serious step cracking damage in block foundations or walls vertical movement in a concrete block or brick wall might appear as either vertical cracks but more often as step cracks in which the crack pattern follows the mortar joints between the masonry units in a stair stepping pattern.
If you notice a stair step crack think of it in the same terms you would a diagonal crack.
Instead your foundation may be expanding and retracting in response to the weather.
Hairline cracking within concrete block walls often referred to as stair step cracking or mortar joint cracking is an example of an imperfection or distress but does not typically compromise structural integrity.
The gaps in the wall can run in different directions but one common crack is called a stair step where the crack follows the mortar at a diagonal spreading across many blocks.
Stair step patterned cracks many times are an indication the footing under the foundation wall is moving.
