Basement walls, care to try?

Question

Here's the deal: I'm in an 88-year old Philadelphia row-home. The basement, basement wall consists of about 2 feet of bluestone underneath and a double course of bricks on top. The brick had a skim coat of some type of morter or plaster at one time, but moisture and plant roots have taken most of it off.

I've chipped away whatever was left of the top coat, ground the brick joints, and gotten off all of the loose stuff. I'm not looking to tuckpoint the bricks. It isn't an exterior wall.

My question is what do I use to recoat and seal the surface before I paint? can I use a float and a sand cement mixture to seal it? Thickset mortar? Plaster? Bondo? What do use in an application like this?

A couple of pictures are available at:

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Many thanks, -Tom

mark Ransley · Accepted Answer

Use mortar mix, but the white is effloresence, you need to use muriaticacid to remove it . Nasty stuff.

TomB · Answer

Thanks, Mark. Do I have to neutralize the acid before I apply the mortar? Also, is there a particular mortar I should use? How thick do I want to get it? How long does it need to cure before I can paint it (with oil or latex)?

I'm really out of my area of knowledge on this one.

-Tom

mark Ransley · Answer

Neutralize  no , just wash off completely with a hose. But acid istoxic you need good ventilation  outdoors, a big fan. A cartrigerespirator , old clothes and gogles. It will burn lungs. You use a stiffplastic bristled  brush on a pole to scrub down after it stops foaming,about 5 minutes. You also apply acid with the brush. Just use mortar mix.  How thick  no more than 1/2 inch, but im not sure on that, maybe alittle thicker.  Paint over with latex. Or if you have moisture comming through and witheffloresence you do use UGL. a Portlant cement , rubber based paint. Wait time , read the ugl can or 30 days  or more for latex. The key is cleaning bad mortar from the joints even if its deep. Oldstuff turns to sand if its continualy water damaged.

TomB · Answer

Thanks again Mark. Most informative. I'll let you know how it comes out. BTW, if I handle the effloresence, but don't handle the moisture that caused it in the first place...

Well anyway, I'll let you know how it comes out.

-Tom

mark Ransley · Answer

Then  Ugl   is your  best bet  up to 7 coats

Basement walls, care to try?

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