How to Caulk Cracks in the Walls of a Basement

If you have a stone or plaster wall in your basement and it has developed cracks over the years, you don't need to get involved in a big structural wall-replacement project. As long as they are just moisture cracks, you can simply fill those cracks with caulk, which is a purely cosmetic but perfectly acceptable solution. Get caulk that matches the walls, so that it’s relatively invisible once you add it.

Dry scrubbing brush
Caulk, to match the color of the wall
Caulk gun
Razor knife
Long framing nail

Instructions

- 1
  Scrub each crack in the wall vigorously with a dry scrub brush, to remove any dirt or loose material. Blow the lines clean.
- 2
  Set the back end of a caulk tube into your caulk gun, and then snap in the front. Cut off the end of the tube with a razor knife, making the cut at a 45-degree angle and about one-fourth inch wide.
- 3
  Push a framing nail into the hole to break the seal inside and release the caulk.
- 4
  Set the tip of the caulk gun to one end of the first crack. Tilt the caulk gun at a diagonal angle. Squeeze the trigger of the gun until the caulk comes out the tip.
- 5
  Pull the caulk gun back along the crack, continuing to squeeze the trigger, so that caulk fills the crack. Run the gun from end to end along the crack.
- 6
  Run a damp sponge lightly over the whole caulk line, flattening the caulk and melding it with the wall. Repeat this process for each crack in the wall.

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