Help, I'm spalling!

January 21, 2007 4:40 AM

The parging is flaking off my basement walls. How do I repair it?

We don't get water, but it's starting to crumble. Knock off all the loose stuff and then put a skim coat of some sort of mortar mix? What kind of product? Sand mix, mortar mix? Then paint with Drylock or something similar?

posted by fixedgear to Home & Garden (1 answer total)

Best answer: The top Google result for "parging" is pretty explicit on how to make and apply new mortar. If your basement were mine, I'd knock the loose stuff off, patch it with new stuff, and paint the lot after bits had stopped coming loose.

Unless you're getting freezing and/or ground movement, the flaking parts are probably doing so because they dried too quickly and didn't bond properly with the wall. If cement is going to set strong and stick well, it has to stay damp for a few days to let its hydration crystals grow properly.
posted by flabdablet at 5:59 AM on January 21, 2007