Garage Foundation Stem Wall Repair — Moline, Illinois

A concrete garage stem wall in Moline was breaking down, likely from conditions when it was originally poured. Behncke Construction removed the deteriorated concrete, prepared the foundation, and bonded a new layer of repair material to restore the wall and protect the concrete that remained.

Project photos

Project overview

Not every concrete problem comes from age. The stem wall of this Moline, Illinois garage was breaking down, and the likely causes point back to when it was poured: concrete placed in excessively cold temperatures, an improper mix, or inadequate curing.

Project details

Rather than coat over the damage, the crew removed the deteriorated concrete, properly prepared the sound foundation beneath it, and bonded a new layer of repair material to the stem wall. The finished repair restored a clean, nearly new appearance and protects the remaining original concrete.

What homeowners should know

A stem wall is the short concrete wall between the footing and the framing; on a garage it is what the walls sit on and what the slab meets. Concrete that freezes before it has developed adequate strength can be permanently weakened, and a mix with too much water or poor proportions never reaches full strength at all. Either way, the surface starts to scale and crumble years later, and homeowners often assume it is simply old.

Freeze-thaw cycles then do the ongoing damage: water enters the porous surface, expands when it freezes, and pushes more material loose each winter. Poor drainage around the wall accelerates it. That is why a durable repair starts with removing everything that is already failing and bonding new material to concrete that is still sound, rather than patching over the weak surface.

Watch any concrete foundation element for scaling, exposed aggregate, and chunks breaking loose, and keep water draining away from it. Caught early, a stem wall can usually be restored in place; left alone, the deterioration eventually reaches the structure above. Related reading: garage wall and floor problems.

Photo highlights

• The repaired stem wall after the new material was bonded and finished.
• The finished repair along the garage wall.
• Cracking in the deteriorated concrete before the work.
• The breaking-down surface along the floor before repair.
• Deteriorated concrete removed from the wall.
• The wall prepared down to sound concrete.
• Bonding the new repair material to the wall.
• The finished corner.
• The repaired run along the garage floor.

Related services

• Garage Wall & Floor Problems
• Concrete & Flatwork
• Foundation Repair
• Our Work in Moline
• More recent project updates