Yeah. I hear you. Still I want to give repair a try since there isn t a crack in it. I found some long 26 gauge syringes that a can slide into the gap.
Outside foundation cracks could let in water, which could then freeze and expand the crack allowing more water to enter in the future.
As I always say, no crack is a good crack, and that includes outside foundation cracks. Therefore all cracks should be fixed immediately. Before answering the question we need to know if it is the foundation that is cracked or is it the coating on the foundation that is cracked. Therefore we do need to address the stucco coat over the foundation known as parging. What are outside foundation cracks on Parging? Parging is a stucco coat or finish coat that is applied on a wall made of Concrete Masonry Units (CMUs). Parging is a thin coat of mortar and Portland cement mix applied to a CMU wall to act as a finish coat to improve the appearance and act as a moisture barrier. Parging can be applied to new or existing walls. Here in New Jersey, we have many homes with foundations made of CMUs that are parged on the outside. It is a very common construction practice. On the exterior of the house we only see the parging, or stucco, coat above grade where it is visible even though typically it does go all the way down the wall to the footing. Herein lies the problem. Why does parging crack so often? The same coat of parging on the same wall is both above and below the frost line at the same time. Therefore the parging reacts to freezing and thawing differently on different parts of the wall based upon whether that part of the wall is above the frost line or not. The parging above the frost line will crack based both upon the parging itself freezing and thawing as well as the adjoin soil freezing and thawing. The parging is not the foundation. As we just discussed, the parging coat is applied TO the foundation after the foundation has been constructed. The parging is not the foundation, but rather, a coating on the foundation. Think of the wallpaper on a dining room wall. If the wallpaper tears, it doesn’t mean that your wall is no longer sound. It is the same thing with the parging coat on your foundation. When the parging cracks, it is the parging that has cracked and not the foundation itself. How to fix cracked parging for under $10 Get an old toothbrush and thoroughly clean the crack. Make sure there is no dirt or debris inside the crack and that the surface is clean. Go to Home Depot and buy a quart of pre-mixed stucco patch for about $7.28. and a plastic 2” compound knife for $0.98. This ready to use product has a granular texture to blend in with the existing stucco/parging. Carefully fill the crack with the stucco patch. If it is the not the parging, but rather foundation that is cracked, you should be very concerned and call a foundation crack repair specialist immediately. A-1 Basement Solutions' motto is No Problems...Just Solutions. We do everything for you. By taking care of all the details, A-1 Basement solutions makes the job worry free. Learn everything you need to know about your basement. Click here to get our FREE BASEMENT GUIDE: "Why Basements Get Wet and How We Make Yours Dry." Was this information useful? We would like to know. We welcome you to post your thoughts and comments below.
I have been in the process— oh, for about THREE years now!! — of parging the foundation walls of my home. Most new homes since the 60s and 70s have concrete block or poured concrete foundations. But waaaay back in the olden days (as when my house was built), foundations were built from field stones or cut stones. My home has cut stones. Over the 150 year span that my home has been standing, the field stones are still in excellent condition– it’s just the mortar that stinks. Stone foundations have limestone mortar. It is water-permeable and over time and rodent-chewing (chipmunks are notorious for chewing away the mortar to build nests between the stones), the mortar begins to fail. In severe cases, this can cause foundation failure. In less severe cases (such as mine) this can mean a pocked, ugly appearance and some water leakage. Parging is the application of a thin coat of sticky cement over the wall surface. I’ve got about half of my interior basement done– what a job! My basement is huge and has 6′ high walls– and about 1/3 of the house’s exterior foundation wall (about 2 feet high). The mix you use for parging must be special– it has to be sticky (that is, it must stick to a vertical surface without plopping down and off) and must remain stuck to the walls after it is dry. I had one dummy at Lowe’s tell me I needed mortar mix for the job, and me- being the dumb homeowner– listened to him and bought $200 worth of the stuff. Only to find that this is the WRONG stuff and crumbles off over time. :-p What you need to use is something call Sand Mix. It’s a combination of sand and portland cement. It should not crumble off if applied properly. There are even some acrylic additives you can add to the mix to make it even stickier- the additive is a lot like Elmer’s glue and comes in tall bottles. You pour it in to your Sand Mix mix. I didn’t use it. I’m too cheap (the additive is very pricey). I mixed up the Sand Mix and so far, it’s been working well. This is what I did about four years ago, and it’s holding up great: To make the mix, you add water to the Sand Mix. You should only mix up as much Sand Mix as you are going to use in about 30 minutes. Otherwise, it will start to harden and won’t work anymore. Here’s what you will need for parging your walls:
Why does my basement leak. Water leakage is caused by several factors. The drain tile that is installed on most new homes may become clogged with silt and settlement.
I am in the process of investigating a retaining wall. It is a shape of ___ The short side the diagonal is about 10 long and the long side is around 26 lon.
ElastiPoxy Contraction Joint Sealant and Crack Filler Kit. RadonSeal ElastiPoxy Joint Crack Filler Kit is a commercial grade low viscosity, self-leveling, 100.
Concerns with outside foundation cracks
I have been in the process oh, for about THREE years now.. Of parging the foundation walls of my home. Most new homes since the 60s and 70s have concrete.