skip to main content

Retaining wall cap repair

Marc Lecourieux

3 years ago

I bought the house a year ago and don’t know how old the wall is. It’s doing it job but is showing it’s age. My neighbor has made a few comments about its appearance. I’m about to put up a privacy fence and will probably never see the wall again until it needs full replacement. I want to do the right thing and help my neighbor out with his view. It’s the least I can do since I’m putting up 6’ of white vinyl. What are some suggestions for a cheap fix? The caps are 18x11x3.5 on cinder block. TIA

Sort by:Oldest

Comments (4)

PRO
GN Builders L.L.C
3 years ago
The right and cheapest way...power wash everything, clean it real well, let it dry... apply masonry bonding agent, patch all the voids, and apply parging.

You can do all the cleaning...for the rest of it, most likely you will need a mason, they will do a better and cleaner job so it lasts... Unless you have some experience working with plaster, try doing it yourself, and as I said before prepping that wall is the most important part if you want the finish to last.

You can add a cap if you want but that will cost more... Not sure what type of cap you have in mind, try to compare the price to limestone, they come in much longer lengths and might end up costing you less.

Good luck
3onthetree
3 years ago
last modified: 3 years ago
I would expect the solid "caps" to be 15 5/8"x11 5/8"x3 5/8", unless those are old cinder block where standard sizes may be all over the board. Since you need to parge anyway, its not severely critical how you block up/fill under the parging.

Double check your 6' fence height with your AHJ, because if it is going right against this wall, the height of the retaining wall might be included within that 6' height max allowed.
Related Discussions
Mythreesonsnc - re: retaining walls
Q
Comments (18)
I don't think you are crazy either. The house goes in the south as well. The older section of Mountain Brook, AL has numerous stone homes. None are for sale at the moment, so no pictures online. One thing I was told when we were building, is mortar mix has changed. The older mortar mix contained more lime, and was more chalky in appearance. Your stonemasons sound like they know what they are talking about. Our home is a mixture of three stones as well. I don't necessarily think square stone look more formal than round. Ours are more square, but hand chiseled on-site. I have seen cut square stones and they are more formal looking to me. That said, I had originally torn out a lot of magazine pages of the style of stone you are wanting to do. The thing that stopped me in the end, I think, was fear of it not looking like those pages so I went this route. For me, it was the right choice. If our entire house was stone, I would probably have gotten the stonemasons to give your version a shot. But I felt the way I went blended more with the mortar washed brick portions of our home. I haven't regretted my decision. You're taking the time with yours, so I don't think you will either. Scary, all the same! Love your home and can't wait to see it finished. We live in a horse community. athensmomof3, I read about your appraisal woes. The mistakes of lenders has caused a multitude of problems. Hope yours is resolved soon!
...See More
Concrete Retaining wall spalling - Seeking Solutions
Q
Comments (8)
Usually rebar starts to rust and expand most when it is exposed. It's interesting that the damage seems to be starting from the inside. When I look at the top of that wall, it appears that there are a lot of air bubbles that got entrained in the pour and possibly no vibrator was used to drive them out. This could be the cause of easy moisture migration and internal rusting. Hopefully this will not be a problem with lower sections of the wall. I don't think you need to get this fixed tomorrow, but you do need to get if fixed soon to stop continuing internal damage, cracking, and spalling.
...See More
Repairing loose blocks of the retaining wall
Q
Comments (8)
Because dry-stack blocks aren't a precision building material in terms of tightness of fit, particularly going around curves. If you don't believe me about how these blocks are put together, just lift several of them off: I bet you don't see any residue of mortar or glue, which is normal. You could have loose blocks for any number of reasons, including soil settling, animals, kids running around, frost heaving, or an incompetent wall builder. I'm not saying you can't mortar or glue a loose block, but, if you ever need to rebuild or modify the retaining wall, it will just make the job harder. I have a wall similar to yours and had to take it apart in one place to combat soil settling. I unstacked some blocks, added gravel to the base, and reset the blocks. Years later, it's still fine.
...See More
New England Fieldstone retaining wall vs CMU retaining wall + veneer
Q
Comments (31)
Re. frost line: Since what my mason is doing is basically a dry stack wall; from here: http://www.doityourself.com/forum/lawns-landscaping-outdoor-decor/451549-frost-line-retaining-wall.html#b A dry stack wall does not matter. The joints have enough space to allow this heaving movement. The large spacious joints in a dry stack wall are like expansion joints in other strucures, they will take movement.
...See More
Jennifer K
3 years ago
last modified: 3 years ago
Put plantings on either side of it. It's a perfect access path in a garden. Addtionally, I'd suggest that your neighbour put in some plantings of his own. A clean, un-mossy cement wall is not going to be any prettier than a weathered, mossy one-- less so, I'd say. And I suspect the back side of your up-coming privacy fence won't make him any happier.
PRO
Mystic Pools, LLC
3 years ago
As stated, clean up the wall and remove all the dirt and any moss. A power washer will work nice.

If you have masonry skills,repair the crumbling areas and parge as neeeded.

For an inexpensive cap, you could use pre-cast paver wall caps with construction adhesive. Home Depot and Lowes have cheap caps in different colors.

We have an occasion set thermal bluestone on pools with construction adhesive when making a repair.

You can paint the remaining exposed wall with an exterior masonry type to add color.

Clear out the leaves in front and behind the wall also and add some plants.

Related Stories

GARDENING AND LANDSCAPING 7 Out-of-the-Box Retaining Wall Ideas

Go Beyond Railroad Ties With Stylish Rock, Metal, Blocks, and Poured Concrete

LANDSCAPE DESIGN Garden Walls: Dry-Stacked Stone Walls Keep Their Place in the Garden

By Olander Garden Design

See an ancient building technique that’s held stone walls together without mortar for centuries

LANDSCAPE DESIGN Garden Walls: Gabion Evolves From Functional to Fabulous

By Olander Garden Design

The permeable rock-, concrete- or glass-filled steel cages are showing up as retaining walls, planters, benches and more

LANDSCAPE DESIGN Garden Walls: Pour On the Style With Concrete

By Olander Garden Design

There's no end to what you — make that your contractor — can create using this strong and low-maintenance material

BATHROOM DESIGN Room of the Day: Renovation Retains a 1920s Bath’s Vintage Charm

By Becky Harris

A ceiling leak spurs this family to stop patching and go for the gut

LANDSCAPE DESIGN Garden Walls: Mortared Stone Adds Structure, Style and Permanence

By Olander Garden Design

Learn the pros and cons of using wet-laid stone walls in your landscape

REMODELING GUIDES You Won't Believe What These Homeowners Found in Their Walls

By Mitchell Parker

From the banal to the downright bizarre, these uncovered artifacts may get you wondering what may be hidden in your own home

GARDENING AND LANDSCAPING How to Pick a Nice Wall for Your Garden Room

By Billy Goodnick Garden Design

Made by hand, prefab or growing from the ground, garden walls are key landscaping elements. Here's what to think about for your yard

MODERN HOMES Houzz Tour: 800-Year-Old Walls, Modern Interiors in Provence

By Vanessa Brunner

Old architecture and new additions mix beautifully in a luxurious renovated vacation home

HOUZZ CALL Ever Found or Left a Note in the Wall the Way This Couple Did?

By Gwendolyn Purdom

The remodeling couple whose note from previous homeowners went viral tell us about their fun find. What’s yours?

Sponsored

Castle Wood Carpentry, Inc

1 Review

Custom Craftsmanship & Construction Solutions in Franklin County

More Discussions

Sliding glass doors leaking

16

short term rental tips?

3

Self-leveling left "ridges" - how to fix?

3

Window Selection and Install Question

1

Advise on refinishing old wood windows?

2