It has been suggested to me, that skim coating over the fieldstone/ lime interior of my basement foundation is okay.
it's something that certainly would improve appearance. One suggestion has been to rake out old mortar and to inject hydraulic concrete into joints; another, to rake out, and quick-crete away.
I've been told by some online articles, to leave it alone- let the basement breathe,etc... (120 yrs. old, after all...)I do wonder if hydrostatic pressure could only be more damaging to such an old foundation if I were to use something that is so impermeable.
Truthfully, I want to rake and tuck-point from the inside w/ the right material in hopes that it provides some structural advantages, a cleaner appearance, and cleaner environment (old mortar is crumbly after all)...Finally, the interior was painted over -and I hate to say- w/ a white latex to offer a cleaner appearance, and that only complicates things...
All thoughts are very welcome to cure my 'masonry anxieties' and to better inform me of my options; links to useful sites, too, would be helpful as I've found few thus far. thank you very much -h

 

The first step will be to remove the paint. It can then be tuckpointed, preferably with a lime mortar. Use the search function to find several posts about how to make and use it. As search terms, use "lime mortar" and "tuckpointing".

 

Making the inside "pretty" does not provide a structural advantage. The foundation is a massive gravity wall with compact soil behind it, so most movement has already taken place by now.

If anyone suggests "injecting" hydraulic cement into the joints, I would quickly scratch them from the list of reliable sources.


Cleaning and repairing (with the appropriate materials) of the 120 year old wall is the way to go.