How to Repair a Crumbling Foundation Part 1 of 3

How to Repair a Crumbling Foundation Part 1 of 3

Watch this video to discover the process to fix your crumbling foundation or concrete steps or wall.

This is Video One in a Three-Part series, as mentioned in the June 6, 2014 AsktheBuilder Weekend Warrior.

I'm outside here at Lynn's and it's raining. I'm under a little bit of an overhang of the roof here, and it's just that very miserable day.

But we're gonna talk a little bit about the crumbling cement that on the outside of Lynn's concrete blocks. She's going to be asking questions and I'm gonna point out what's wrong.

Look at this down here right now. So you can see some of the block is just crumbling apart. Here's pieces of it. Here when I push my finger, it's really solid. I mean really solid.

So what's happened is that some of the outside concrete block is just deteriorated and you want to know what we can do tend to fix it. It is really, really pretty simple. We're going to show her how to do that up on a porch.

So did you have a question while I was here about this action?

[Lynn asks] "I am questioning the integrity of the block. Now it looks like what you're showing is just cosmetic?"

Yes, it is just cosmetic. As I am pushing right there, it is just as solid this it can be. This is good. So what we're going to do it, when it comes time to fix it, so it's still crumbling there a little bit. So what I would want you to do is take that really stiff brush that I will show you up above - the one that you called a wallpaper brush - that I would use that to brush and get every possible piece of loose material off.

You would also want to get all the loose paint off. Because we don't want to put the new cement mixture and stucco mixture on top of the paint. If you did, the paint would peel and take off the cement mixture patch.

If you are going to do all of this, this is one of a few times where a pressure washer would work. With a pressure washer, you can easily get all this paint off here, and it will probably blast a bunch of this loose material off also. Then you would just let it dry, and you would be ready to go.

If you’re interested in learning more about the estimates for foundation repair I have an article here.

I can tell you looking at right now I have no trouble in telling you that I think the structural integrity of the foundation is fine. You've got nothing to worry about it's just a cosmetic issue and we're gonna solve that by just putting new stucco coating on to match this chambered - looks like a raised door panel, which is very neat look. You'll be able to duplicate that look with some of the simple tools that I have up on the porch.

So lets go up on the porch where it is dryer. It is not dry. [Lynn says] "Welcome to Maryland." And I'll show you how I would fix it.

Here are links to all of the videos in this series:
How to Repair a Crumbling Foundation Part 1 of 3
How to Repair a Crumbling Foundation Part 2 of 3
How to Repair a Crumbling Foundation Part 3 of 3