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The Costs of Repairing a Cracked Floor in a House

A cracked floor in a house may be the result of several different issues. Floor cracks may form due to the settling of the house’s foundation or due to the dropping of items on the floor’s surface, for instance. The costs of repairing a cracked floor in a house can vary widely, because the floor repair depends on a variety of factors.
  1. Flooring Type

    • The type of flooring that requires repair is one of the biggest factors in determining how much it costs to repair a cracked floor. A concrete or cement floor, for instance, can be filled in with leveling compound or cement patch, which sets up on the floor’s surface and requires no additional coverings. Flooring types such as tile and hardwood, however, require additional repair or replacement. Generally speaking, the more expensive the original flooring type, the higher the repair cost.

    Size

    • Another important factor in the cost of floor repair is the size of the crack that forms in the flooring. A larger crack requires more materials, which increases the cost of the repair. A crack that runs only 1 to 2 inches may cost next to nothing to repair, while costs for a crack that runs all the way across a floor may add up quickly. When trying to estimate the cost of repairing a cracked floor, assume that the cost goes up in proportion to the size of the crack.

    Replace or Repair

    • Consider repairing a piece of flooring instead of replacing it, as the cost of the repair will be lower than the cost of replacing the planks or tiles. Having leftover materials from the original flooring job also substantially decreases costs. In the case of a cracked tile floor, for example, you can generally repair small surface cracks or broken pieces at the corners of the tiles. On the other hand, tiles broken through the middle should usually be replaced.

    Costs

    • Due to the varying costs of flooring, and the varying repair strategies, the cost of repairing a cracked floor in a house can range from just a few dollars to hundreds of dollars, depending entirely on flooring type and the extent of the damage. A small container of leveling compound to fix a concrete or cement floor, for instance, runs under $10, while hardwood flooring can cost $10 or more per plank. So, the cost to fix a long crack in concrete and a long crack that goes through five hardwood flooring planks differs significantly.