Reinforcing Basement Walls With Steel I-Beams

Steel I-beams in basement walls are used to take the pressure off the walls and convert it to the beam instead as a way to reinforce a home’s foundation. They are often used once the weight of the soil pressing into your basement’s walls is causing the walls to bend or buckle. Steel I-beams are only a temporary solution to a more serious problem, however. If your basement walls can’t support the weight of the soil around them, they will have to be rebuilt eventually.

Jackhammer
Quick mix cement
1-gallon bucket
16 3/8-inch lag screws
Wrench

Instructions

- 1
  Use a jackhammer to create holes right next to the wall in your basement that need reinforcement. The holes should be 3 feet deep at the base of the wall. Position the holes so they are directly under at least four different floor joists in the basement ceiling. Floor joists are the beams that hold up the floor above the basement.
- 2
  Pour half an 80-pound bag of quick mix cement into the hole and add half a gallon of water to it. Allow the cement to thicken to the point it can support the beam.
- 3
  Place the steel I-beam into the hole. The beam should be tall enough that it can reach the floor joists in the basement ceiling. Position each beam over the joist above it. Pour the rest of the cement into the hole and add another half gallon of water to it. Allow the cement to dry.
- 4
  Insert the lag screws into the sides of the I-beam and screw them into the floor joists with the wrench. Use at least two screws for each beam.

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