![]() Your foundation wall has cracks that look like stair steps.One or more sections of your foundation wall are bowing inward or collapsing from exterior forces such as water and tree roots.The trapped moisture freezes inside the wall, causing mortar deterioration and spalling of the concrete blocks. Any coating on the inside of a concrete block wall will prevent the normal migration of moisture. Remove all the loose cement or paint and allow the rest to flake off over time. Your interior foundation walls are parged or painted and appear to be trapping water because the parging or paint is flaking off.Maintaining the Gutters on Your Historic House Grade the ground around your foundation so it is angled away from your foundation and add ground extenders to your gutter downspouts. To solve this problem, you need to get the water to move away from your foundation. Your concrete blocks always seem wet and are deteriorating from excessive moisture.Repairing Mortar on Your Historic Masonry Building The mason should also install tiling around the foundation to channel water away from your foundation. If this is the case, the foundation may need to be repointed while the foundation is exposed. Have the mason verify the condition of the mortar when the foundation is exposed, because excessive moisture for an extended period of time can leave mineral deposits that break down the mortar. You should hire a professional mason to dig around the exterior of the foundation and coat the exterior surface with a waterproofing material. The cement coating (parging) on the exterior of your foundation wall is deteriorating.If this is the case, your foundation may need to be repointed while it is still exposed. Have the mason verify the condition of the mortar while your foundation is exposed, because excessive moisture for an extended period of time can leave mineral deposits that break down the mortar. You should hire a professional mason to dig around the exterior of your foundation and coat the exterior surface with a waterproofing material. This problem occurs because no exterior waterproofing was ever installed below ground. The mortar between your concrete blocks is showing excessive deterioration, and water is entering your basement.Your concrete blocks are cracked or broken.Mortar is missing or crumbling between your concrete blocks.Click the link on each subject to learn how to solve the problem. The most common problems you are likely to encounter with your concrete blocks are discussed below. You may want to hire a preservation masonry professional to identify the cause of any problems you are having with your concrete block foundation. Typical Concrete Block Foundation Problems They have a honeycomb shape that you can see by looking at the top of a block. Today, concrete blocks are made with hollow voids, but they are designed to carry heavy loads. Some early versions of concrete block were entirely solid. By 1900, cheap Portland cement was in wider use, and it greatly strengthened concrete blocks. Modern concrete blocks have sand and gravel added to them. The concrete blocks used in Wisconsin up to about 1900 often had coal clinkers - the cinders or waste created from burning coal - added to them. ![]() Source: Bob YappĬoncrete blocks have been used in one fashion or another since early Roman times. Excessive moisture may be the cause of this concrete block foundation cracking at the mortar joints as well as the paint peeling. ![]()
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