Patching crumbled brownstone around door

http://cdn.brownstoner.com/4fe1594495c2a-.jpg

Hey all, I want to do some light patching of some areas around our front door where the brownstone has just crumbled away. It’s very loose and dusty. After I shopvac up all the loose dust, what’s the best concrete mix I can buy at Home Depot for this? And seeing as there are some areas that are fairly deep, should I be screing down wire mesh first to give the cement something to grip on to? Any other prep of the loose areas I need to do? Thanks much!

Sweet-Action

in Exteriors 13 years and 1 month ago

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Sweet-Action | 13 years ago

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The reason for the spalling is probably beacuse the previous owners painted the whole damn brownstone. From my understanding, that is a terrible thing to do to brownstone, which prevents it from “breathing” moisture in and out. Now obviously I do see there is something very wrong here. And yes, I’ve consulted with several of the most recommended masons from this site about the overall condition of our façade. All of them recommend a full re-surfacing. We have to wait a while to get to do this (around the door is the worst part). The prior owners also abused the doorway with tons of lead anchors, lag bolts and screws to poorly attach the security gate that can be seen in the photo. So the whole area has lots of holes and cracks. We have since removed the gates, and want to patch the holes, and worst parts of the crumbling. So yes, I am looking for a short-term solution that removes some serious eye sores from the front of our house. We do plan on eventually having the whole thing re-surfaced.

wyckoff | 13 years ago

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Sorry that you can’t see it, but  there’s something very wrong with that picture.  You have serious spalling happening in an area that’s inside a storm door.  Presumably you don’t get a lot of moisture there.  There are two commong forces that cause spalling – either freeze thaw or excessive pressure.   Do yourself a favor and have a mason look at it.  Schmering cement over that is just going to end up costing you more in the end.

Sweet-Action | 13 years ago

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Thanks for the deep insight Wyckoff. Constructively contributing to a community doesn’t appear to be your strong suit. Any homeowners with actual knowledge to share care to weigh in?

wyckoff | 13 years ago

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Don’t take this the wrong way, but based on the condition of that stone and the wooden door corner in the upper left of the picture, home maintenance isn’t exactly your strong suit.  I wonder what else is wrong or could be wrong with the masonry that’s leading it to crumble.  Do yourself a favor and call a pro.

Sweet-Action | 13 years and 1 month ago

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Oh and it will need to stand up to foot traffic as well, as some of the threshold has worn down as well.