Fieldstone Basement-Foundation Wall Repair

Fieldstone Basement-Foundation Wall Repair

Here's a picture of a fieldstone basement wall. As you can make out, the previous owner had plastered over the fieldstone basemetn wall. While it may have looked nice at first, this repair may have actually led to the deterioration of the wall over time.

The limestone mortar actually holds together better if it stays a little wet. The plaster may have prevented the mortar from properly "breathing" and the end result was a lot of dust (wall) on the basement floor. The plaster also gradually eroded away over the years. Now it's time to do a little fieldstone basement wall repair.

I've done a little research and found others with similar problems. One homeowner had a concrete facing over his fieldstone basement walls that started slouging off and the loose dirt/mortar packing was coming out as well. He indicated that he was going to staple chicken/concrete wire over the walls and then concrete over that. Another homeowner suggests cleaning it with diluted acid first and then "shotcreting" the walls. "Shotcrete is mortar or (usually) concrete conveyed through a hose and pneumatically projected at high velocity onto a surface." (Thanks Wikipedia)

Fieldstone Basement-Foundation Wall Repair

Here are a few more suggestions for repairing fieldstone basement walls from homeowners that I've found through a little research. One suggests adding sand to the mortar to save a little money. He also suggests using a bonding agent by painting it over the mortar and then repointing. Finally, he suggests painting on a coat of sodium silicate ("waterglass") to keep the dust down.

Another homeowner suggests putting a couple coats of stucco over the stone. There are plenty of ideas out there.

Here's a shot of a section of the fieldstone basement wall after the repair. It looks pretty sharp but this is going to take a lot of time and effort.

Fieldstone Basement-Foundation Wall Repair

Finally, here's our homeowner getting after the basement wall repair. You just need to go at it with trowel and hands.

Tip - place your mortar bucket/container right below the area that you are repairing so that it can catch any mortar that doesn't stay in the wall.