Fixing the walls of a brownstone basement

hey namahs, looks like your foundation has been worked on a bunch already – i’m seeing cinder block, poured concrete, something else? makes me very curious about the age of your house. to answer your question though, you can probably just patch with cement but I would NOT paint with Drylok. I would never paint with Drylok or any other “waterproofing” paint. As a previous poster said, your foundation is in contact with the ground and will always have water vapor moving through it. If you stop that movement on the inside of the wall, any moisture trying to move through will stop there and possibly condense, leading the inside of the wall to start to deteriorate.

Guest User | 8 years and 7 months ago

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Guest User | 8 years and 7 months ago

string(1) "3"
string(6) "197413"

Our brownstone has a river stone foundation. The mortar between the rocks has deteriorated in some areas. We need someone to “point” the foundation, or skim the walls with concrete to fill these exposures. Any suggestions? Thanks!

Arkady | 8 years and 7 months ago

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Park Slope Brownstone – 646 554 4513

resident2 | 8 years and 7 months ago

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Do not skim the whole wall with concrete, you will just create a bigger problem down the road.
Just get a masonry contractor to come a clean out and re-point the joints. Any of the masonry contractors that you see working on the exterior of buildings can do it.

Guest User | 8 years and 7 months ago

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Thanks!

empathie00 | 8 years and 7 months ago

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Hi Resident2, your response brings up something I’ve been wondering for awhile – our fieldstone foundation is painted in dry lock paint. We still get quite a lot of seepage though. Does this likely mean that the majority of the water (that’s not seeping into the cellar) is stuck in the walls? And therefore likely causing damage? Just wondering what we should do (and hoping it doesn’t involve ripping up the backyard to have to waterproof from the exterior !!)

resident2 | 8 years and 7 months ago

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Reply to empathie00: Rock wall foundations will always have some water penetration because it is in direct contact with the soil directly on the outside of it.
The key is to make sure that the water (rain, snow etc) drains away from your house on the outside. Make sure all your leaders are pitched away from your house or go straight into sewer lines etc. Some people install concrete paths patios etc right against the house that are pitched away from the house. If you have a garden directly against your house, you will get more water seepage.

namahs | 8 years and 7 months ago

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Sorry to hijack this thread but I have similar problem. We just removed the sheetrock on the basement floor and the foundation walls seem like it needs repair. Anyone know what type of foundation this is? Can I just smooth it out with concrete mix and apply drylok paint? I want to do this correctly so any advice would be greatly appreciated. I have a contractor, just want to double check his fix would not cause bigger issues down the road. [Foundation](//muut.com/u/brownstoner/s1/:brownstoner:VQLv:foundation.jpg.jpg) [Foundation2](//muut.com/u/brownstoner/s1/:brownstoner:8xHR:foundation2.jpg.jpg)

Guest User | 8 years and 7 months ago

string(1) "3"
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hey namahs, looks like your foundation has been worked on a bunch already – i’m seeing cinder block, poured concrete, something else? makes me very curious about the age of your house. to answer your question though, you can probably just patch with cement but I would NOT paint with Drylok. I would never paint with Drylok or any other “waterproofing” paint. As a previous poster said, your foundation is in contact with the ground and will always have water vapor moving through it. If you stop that movement on the inside of the wall, any moisture trying to move through will stop there and possibly condense, leading the inside of the wall to start to deteriorate.

Guest User | 8 years and 7 months ago

string(1) "3"
string(6) "195579"

hey namahs, looks like your foundation has been worked on a bunch already – i’m seeing cinder block, poured concrete, something else? makes me very curious about the age of your house. to answer your question though, you can probably just patch with cement but I would NOT paint with Drylok. I would never paint with Drylok or any other “waterproofing” paint. As a previous poster said, your foundation is in contact with the ground and will always have water vapor moving through it. If you stop that movement on the inside of the wall, any moisture trying to move through will stop there and possibly condense, leading the inside of the wall to start to deteriorate.