Rebuilding Crumbling Basement Wall
Sean Connolly
4 years ago
last modified: 4 years ago
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GN Builders L.L.C
4 years agoRelated Discussions
fixing crumbling mortar around blocked in basement window
Comments (5)Concrete and mortar are porous materials--more or less depending on the chemicals and aggregates used in making them. So you can never use concrete as waterproofing, but only as a way to slow bulk (liquid) water. Remove the crumbling mortar and repoint with a new proper "mortar mix" available at any hardware/big box/building supply centre. If you can access the blocks from the exterior, you can either dampproof them with asphalt cutback or waterproof them with Platon or similar plastic membranes. It wouldn't be surprising that the POs filled the window but didn't take that extra vital step. There are crystalline waterproofing materials that can be effective from the inside, but I believe they now come in mostly industrial sizes and the preps using sulphuric acid are not a diy job....See MoreRebuilding a Structural Brick Wall
Comments (9)You don't just need a structural engineer, you probably need a soil engineer to figure out what foundation problems are soil-related, and to top it off, a feasibility study for the intended use. You have no water tight roof that I can see, probably no safe floors either, which means there are two unstable side walls to support/shore while the rear load-bearing wall is disassembled to the footer, perhaps beyond, then rebuilt. Months for the mason's crew, only then can you safely tackle the roof and floors, add windows and you will have a weather tight structure, which by the look of things needs all systems replaced from the street in. Such a great project for the fortunate restoration contractor! If you can pay him. If this were the rear of a 150 foot deep structure, it would probably make the best sense financially to pull down about 20 or 24 feet of it and put in a good foundation without having to stabilize the side walls. The new could be wood-framed or masonry, but time would be saved either way. Casey...See MoreBasement wall scaling/crumble
Comments (4)Likely uncontrolled moisture. If the crumbling is only surface, it can be parged. Though if it's to be covered anyway, why bother? Attempts at "sealing" only trap moisture that eventually pushes off the sealers. There are major legal and governmental actions being taken now in the wake of foundations in thousands of homes in Connecticut, Massachusetts and Quebec crumbling from bad aggregate. The US supplier insists the problem is poor installation, i.e., concrete formers adding water into new pours to speed installation and reduce their labour input....See MoreCrumbling brick chimney - advice needed!
Comments (19)I have no experience with the Proform system which appears to be pretty new. I'd check on Hearth.com for further information and opinions. I did have a Supaflu liner installed more than 20 years ago which has performed extremely well without any problems at all. Others, however, have apparently experienced serious deterioration which may be due to improper mixing of the liner material. A cursory look at the Proform website shows that the liner is installed then inflated and cured with steam. This is different from Supaflu which pumps a semiliquid slurry around an inflated former. The material strengthens the interior of the chimney because it makes its way into any voids in the mortar and becomes firmly attached to the brick from bottom to top. I don't think this happens with Proform. I also don't think it's really possible to pour a true footer from within the chimney. Footers should be wider than the chimney and support its weight from below. Stuccoing (parging?) the interior would also be very difficult. Using this method on the exterior would be possible, but would not be, in my opinion, as secure as repointing the brick. Proform may be an excellent lining system, but doesn't seem to really do much for rebuilding and restoring your chimney. Rebuilding brick by brick, then using a stainless liner, which are fine, seems a better option to me....See MoreGN Builders L.L.C
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Sean ConnollyOriginal Author