Deteriorated brownstone over a half a century of layers of paint.

This brick wall partially exposed to the elements since it’s in the vestibule under the stoop has been painted for years with multiple layers of paint. This had created a seal that has stewed the brick and pointing. As I kept stripping I noticed that underneath a cement patch job where the brick meets the brownstone the original stone has completely deteriorated and turned into dust. Now I’m afraid to continue since I’m not sure if removing the cement will compromise the structure of the stoop as it is the main supporting wall for it. The cement patch job goes from the floor all the way to the top.
The question is should I go on and remove the dusty brownstone and properly re point it or stop right there and cove the patch job with a molding? [IMG_20200527_170356288](//muut.com/u/brownstoner/s1/:brownstoner:YDcr:img_20200527_170356288.jpg.jpg) [IMG_20200527_170350948](//muut.com/u/brownstoner/s1/:brownstoner:q1Tr:img_20200527_170350948.jpg.jpg) [IMG_20200527_170347751](//muut.com/u/brownstoner/s1/:brownstoner:iOzZ:img_20200527_170347751.jpg.jpg)

aeonray

in Renovation 4 years and 11 months ago

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NeoGrec | 4 years and 11 months ago

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The photos are not quite as scary as your description! IMHO you would probably be fine stopping your excavation at this stage and covering it. Would it be so bad to fill the gap with concrete? After all, that’s all that “new” brownstone is.