Almost every house in Shreveport has a crack somewhere. Concrete shrinks as it cures, brick and mortar react to heat, and a house on clay soil moves a little every season. What matters is the kind of crack and whether it’s growing.
Reading a crack
Hairline and vertical
These show up in slabs and poured walls, often from shrinkage as the concrete cured. Usually cosmetic, but worth watching.
Stair-step in brick
The crack follows the mortar joints up or down from a corner. It’s a common sign that part of the foundation has dropped.
Diagonal from a door or window
You’ll see these running off the corner of a frame, inside on drywall or outside in brick, and they often arrive along with a door that sticks.
Offset
One side of the crack sits higher or sticks out further than the other. Get this one inspected soon.
A simple test: put a pencil mark at each end of the crack and write the date next to it. Check it again in a month and after the next big change in weather. If it has run past the marks, it’s active.
How cracks get repaired
For concrete, the common approach is injection. The crew seals the surface of the crack, then pumps epoxy or polyurethane into it through small ports. Epoxy bonds the concrete back together. Polyurethane stays a bit flexible and is often used where some movement or water is expected.
For brick veneer, cracked mortar gets ground out and repointed with new mortar. Badly displaced bricks may need to be taken out and relaid. Cracks in interior drywall are taped, mudded and painted, usually by a different trade.
If the crack is a symptom of a sinking corner, sealing it alone won’t last. That’s a slab foundation repair or house leveling job first, and the cracks get closed up after.