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Carbon Fiber Waterproofing Advantages

Author: Ohio Homeworx
Date: November 21, 2022

Carbon Fiber Waterproofing

Close-up picture of carbon fiber. Ohio Homeworx logo in top right.

What is Carbon Fiber?

"Carbon fiber is made of thin, strong crystalline filaments of carbon that is used to strengthen material. Carbon fiber can be thinner than a strand of human hair and gets its strength when twisted together like yarn." The composition of carbon fiber is carbon atoms which bond together to form a long chain. It's a great building material due to its unique makeup. This material is stronger than steel, yet so much lighter. It's also very stiff. Carbon fiber material comes in a variety of "raw" building blocks. This including yarns, unidirectional, weaves, braids, and more. These building blocks are then used to create carbon fiber composite parts.

Why is it Used for Waterproofing?

Basement wall with carbon fiber waterproofing.

Carbon fiber doesn't absorb water from the environment. It remains unchanged when immersed in water. “Carbon fiber is a high-strength strand that is woven into a fabric that is virtually unbreakable and does not stretch. When used for structural foundation repair, it is epoxied to the damaged wall at intervals determined by the type and severity of the damage.

The strength of carbon fiber improves durability when used in a building structure. It's stronger and more durable than even concrete. Carbon fiber can completely stabilize your wall. It will not move due to its strength. It's also popular due to the fact it repairs different types of foundation cracks.

Different types of foundation cracks include vertical, diagonal, and horizontal cracks. Vertical cracks are common and don't imply that a building has structural damage. Diagonal cracks imply that a building’s foundation has settled uneven. When one side of the foundation sinks more than the others leads to diagonal cracks. These imply considerable structural damage to a building. Horizontal cracks result from foundation bowing.

A good carbon fiber will repair each type of foundation crack. That's why it's important to use a reliable brand of carbon fiber. Using a high-quality carbon fiber will reinforce the durability and longevity of it. You need carbon fiber repair materials that reinforce your foundation walls. Using a trusted brand that values research and product tests will give the best results. That's why we use Rhino Carbon Fiber for our repairs.

Advantages of Carbon Fiber Waterproofing

  • Quick Installation- The process of installation is super simple. First, they grind flat the area of the wall where the strip will go. Next, they apply a bed of high-strength epoxy. Pressure embeds the carbon fiber strip, and the steel angle is then bolted to the top. Depending on the size of the area, the whole process can get completed in one day.
  • Incredible Strength- Carbon fiber is a super strong material. It's even used in the construction of commercial planes. It cannot break. The fibers don't stretch so when applied right the wall repairs are permanent.
  • Low Visibility- Carbon fiber strips only leave small bumps on the wall, a fraction of an inch thick. This means you can put paint over it and hide it. You can even construct a normal stud over it if you have a finished basement.
  • No Maintenance- Once they're done with the carbon fiber repair, you don't need to maintain it. It requires no maintenance.
  • Low Cost- You can get carbon fiber repairs for approximately half the cost of steel beams.
  • Universal- You can apply carbon fiber on any type of foundation crack. It can repair minor cracks and it can also repair serious cracks. No matter how severe, this material is strong enough to mend and maintain cracked walls. 

What Do We Recommend?

Rhino Carbon Fiber is the brand we use and recommend. They have the best carbon fiber kits for repairs and basement waterproofing needs. Their carbon fiber is light weight, easy-to-install, strong, and non-corrosive. Their product is top of the line, and it eliminates the need for maintenance.

Each product is made, tested and quality controlled to meet and exceed project requirements. Rhino Carbon Fiber meets residential and commercial requirements. Their carbon fiber has 3 attributes that engineers, specifiers and contractors look at. These depend on the project on-hand:

Rhino Carbon Fiber is an industry leader. They provide strong, efficient, and easy-to-use products. They also back their product with a 25 Year limited warranty. By offering a variety of concrete crack repair and structural strengthening solutions Rhino Carbon Fiber. These include crack injection, anchoring epoxy, CFRP, crack bridging and stitching. These reinforce and strengthen cracks, preventing them from expanding while resisting water.

Why It Works

Close-up of a wall with Carbon Fiber waterproofing applied.

Rhino’s Carbon Fiber has proved their product works by showcasing case studies. These are videos and photos of their carbon fiber materials applied in real life. These case studies explore residential and commercial examples using different products offered. Carbon fiber works for waterproofing and cracks for a few reasons.

The first of these is the high stiffness and strength. This allows the carbon fiber to withstand lots of weight without getting deformed. This allows carbon strips or strands to not stretch, keeping the foundation solid. The second is the ability to withstand temperature variations. Carbon fiber has low thermal expansion properties. It's also able to withstand high temperatures. It repairs cracks that develop due to expansion and contraction from temperature changes. The third reason it works is the low weight. The low weight of carbon fiber makes it possible to use it in fixing different types of cracks.

Conclusion

Cracks in your wall can be normal and common. If you notice a crack, let us help repair it ASAP before it gets worse. Carbon fiber works better than other materials for cracks and waterproofing. This is because of its unique makeup of incredible strength, stiffness, and lightness. This product allows us to repair cracks and offer a maintenance free solution long term for you. Rhino Carbon Fiber offers top quality carbon fiber products. The benefits of carbon fiber repairs are a no brainer.

Let us help you get your basement in the best shape and take the problem off of your hands. Trust us and trust Rhino Carbon Fiber for your carbon fiber waterproofing needs. Contact us today to learn more or get a quote!

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