Carbon Fiber Straps Installation in New Jersey

Carbon Fiber Strips for Bowing Basement Walls in Central & Northern NJ and the Jersey Shore

If you fracture an arm or leg, you’ll have to spend some time wearing a cast. The point of the cast is to hold the bone in place while it heals.

Carbon fiber strips are like a cast for bowing basement walls. They’re designed to stabilize and reinforce bowed or cracked foundation walls. The only difference is that unlike a medical cast that will eventually come off, carbon fiber strips are a permanent solution. We provide stabilization to your basement wall so you won't have to worry about it again.

Carbon fiber strips (also known as carbon fiber straps) are ideal for stabilizing bowing basement walls. Compared to other bowing basement wall repair strategies, carbon fiber strips are a newer, more affordable solution that still offers the protection you need. As your local foundation repair company, Blue Umbrella specializes in carbon fiber strip installation, servicing central and northern New Jersey. We’ll be happy to advise whether this type of repair is right for you.

Dealing With Bowing Basement Walls in Your New Jersey Home?

Contact Blue Umbrella today to discuss how carbon fiber straps are the right solution for your NJ home. Get your free inspection and estimate.

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When to Install Carbon Fiber Strips

When it comes to buckling wall repair, one of the most important factors to consider is how far the walls have bowed inward. We will typically recommend carbon fiber strips if the basement walls have bowed less than two inches. If the walls in your home have bowed between two to three inches, we will likely recommend steel I-beams as opposed to the carbon fiber strips. If the walls have bowed more than three inches, the foundation walls will likely need to be replaced.

It’s also important to note that while carbon fiber strips are ideal for stabilizing buckling basement walls, they will not straighten the walls. If you want to completely straighten the walls, then they’ll need to be replaced. The type of wall is another factor to consider. Carbon fiber strips are designed specifically to work for poured concrete walls and concrete block walls.

What Are the Benefits of Installing Carbon Fiber Strips / Straps?

Carbon fiber strip installation has become a very popular and effective method for stabilizing foundation walls. This approach comes with a number of benefits for New Jersey homeowners, including:

An affordable, permanent, and highly effective solution. Compared to steel I-beams, carbon fiber strips are less expensive to install. Carbon fiber is an incredibly strong material that doesn’t stretch. It’s even used to build commercial aircraft and is five times stronger than steel. The straps will be just as effective 10 years down the road as they are the day they’re installed.

No maintenance. Once the foundation repair is complete, you don’t need to worry about maintaining the strips. Most home repairs aren’t a set-it-and-forget-it type of deal, but this is an exception!

A fast and seamless installation. Since there’s no excavation required, we can install the carbon fiber strips in as little as one to two days.
Minimal disruption to your home. Carbon fiber strip installation involves a minimal amount of noise and disruption. While there will be a little bit of dust and noise in the basement, the installation is fast and quiet compared to other home renovations. Another major advantage is that the carbon fiber strips consume virtually no space. They lay flush against the wall and can be painted right over.

How to Install Carbon Fiber Straps

The carbon fiber strip installation process is pretty straightforward to understand but requires professional installers to ensure it is done correctly. This is not a DIY project you want to try in your NJ home.

Step 1: Inspect the Basement Walls

First is an on-site estimate to ensure carbon fiber strips are the right foundation repair solution for your New Jersey basement or crawl space. We’ll measure how far the walls have bowed inward and make sure the strips will properly adhere to your walls before installation.

Step 2: Plan Out Installation

Next, we determine how many carbon fiber strips will be needed and where to install each strip. Typically, we’ll install strips 2 feet from the corners and then leave 4 feet of space between each strip

Step 3: Prepare the Surface

Then we remove all paint and residue from the wall where the strips will be installed so the strips will fully adhere to the clean surface. Without proper adhesion, the strips will not do their job properly. We fill in horizontal cracks with high-compression grout or epoxy to prevent future expansion. Any large cracks are stitched with a composite crack stitch.

Step 4: Place the Strips

Afterward, we lay the pre-cured and pre-pregnated straps flat against the wall to create a tight seal. We apply a structural epoxy that bonds the straps securely to the wall, making the walls stronger than when they were built.

Step 5: Secure the Strips

We fasten each carbon fiber strap to the flooring system using a top anchor. The anchor is secured using hangar bolts drilled into the rim joist or sill plate above the wall. The top anchor prevents the straps from de-bonding and stops the wall from tipping at the top. Securing the top and bottom of each strip ensures that any pressure pushing against the wall will be evenly absorbed by the entire strip.

The bottom of each carbon fiber strap is secured with a solid carbon plate anchor and carbon fiber pin, preventing the wall from shearing at the bottom. Anchors are added below the slab and into the foundation, securing the top and bottom of each strip ensures that the entire strip will evenly absorb any pressure pushing against the wall. The anchor is inserted and secured with structural epoxy.

Step 6: Curing the Epoxy

A mylar film is applied over each strap which helps the epoxy fully cure. After 24 hours, the film can be removed, and your carbon fiber straps can be covered or painted over as you wish.

New Jersey Walls Prepared for Carbon Fiber Straps

New Jersey Carbon Fiber Straps Installed in New Jersey

Carbon Fiber Strap Top Anchor Attached to Bowing Basement Wall in New Jersey

Mylar film applied to carbon fiber straps in a new jersey home

Can You Install Carbon Fiber Straps Yourself (DIY)?

There are many do-it-yourself foundation repair kits that include carbon fiber strips. Since this approach is less invasive and time-consuming than other foundation repair strategies, many homeowners believe they can handle it themselves. But the reality is that these kits do not contain the same high-quality, highly durable materials that contractors use.

Additionally, not all carbon fiber strips are created equal. Only established foundation repair and basement waterproofing companies like ours have access to professional-grade products that are truly effective. Not only do we have the right products, but we also have the experience and training to determine how many strips are necessary for the job and where each strip should be installed. This is something that only years of experience will teach you.

While you can certainly try to DIY carbon fiber strip installation, we do not recommend it. Mistakes can lead to even more expensive foundation repair work. Fixing your home's foundation is not a DIY project. Call Blue Umbrella, your New Jersey foundation repair company. We use only the highest-quality carbon fiber straps by Fortress to ensure that your basement walls are the strongest they have ever been.

Blue Umbrella Waterproofing is a Platinum Fortress Contractor

Fortress Stabilization Systems Invisibeam

We use (ICC-Building Certified)Fortress Stabilization Systems to provide complete solutions for bowed, sheared, or tipping basement walls.

Fortress Stabilization Systems were designed with 20+ years of engineering and testing to provide the strongest anchoring system from top to bottom. Just like seat belts keep you securely in your seat in a car, fortress top and bottom anchors on the carbon fiber straps keep your wall strapped in place, providing safety and security.

If you have Blue Umbrella install Fortress Stabilization Systems carbon fiber straps in your basement, you are getting foundation repair done once and done right.

Invisibeam Carbon Fiber Straps

Invisibeam is the carbon fiber strap system by Fortress Stabilization Systems. The composite reinforced foundation system is only available through Fortress and comes with lifetime warranties. The ICC certified system prevent bowing, tipping, and requires no maintenance.

What Does ICC-Building Certified Mean?

Fortress Stabilization Systems carbon fiber straps are ICC-Building Certified. ICC-Building certification means that the carbon fiber straps have been through accredited testing and proven to be effective, ensuring your basement repair passes building code inspection.

Fortress stabilization systems products obtained ICC-ES certification through a rigorous ICC testing process performed by an ISO 17025 accredited laboratory at the University of Miami, Structures and Materials Laboratory.

Blue Umbrella is Platinum Certified by Fortress

Blue Umbrella is part of an elite group of contractors with Platinum Certification from Fortress Stabilization Systems. As a platinum contractor, we receive factor direct training, and our installations are backed by Fortress' manufacturer's lifetime warranty.

Basement Wall Repair & Waterproofing Solutions

One of the major reasons the walls of your home may have moved in the first place is water buildup in the soil surrounding your basement walls. This waterlogged soil presses up against your basement walls due to hydrostatic pressure resulting in bowed basement walls.

Imagine that your basement is a boat that’s taking on water. Only installing the carbon strips is like bailing yourself out and getting the situation under control.

But to truly resolve the issue, you need to go straight to the source and seal the leak. And in the case of New Jersey basements, much of the time, the source is hydrostatic pressure pushing up against the foundation walls and causing them to bow inward.

To relieve that constant pressure pushing up against the walls, we might recommend installing a French drain or an exterior drainage solution. It all depends on what’s happening in your home, which we’ll be able to share during an on-site estimate.

Let Blue Umbrella Fix Your Bowing Basement Walls

If you need New Jersey carbon fiber strip installation, turn to Blue Umbrella, your friendly, experienced foundation repair, and basement waterproofing specialists. We’ll be more than happy to assess your home and advise on which foundation repair strategy will work best for your basement and your budget. We are Jew Jersey's carbon fiber crack repair pros.

We service homes and businesses in Greater Jersey City, Newark, Paterson, Elizabeth, and throughout Central and Northern New Jersey. See our full service area.

Reach out to Blue Umbrella today to schedule a free foundation inspection and estimate. We will visit your home, answer all of your questions, and explain the right foundation repair solution for your NJ home.