concrete wall repair questions...pics included


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Old 04-03-11, 12:42 PM
K
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concrete wall repair questions...pics included

This past winter the concrete wall under my steps started to crumble. I'm in Eastern Nebraska if the weather here depends on how I fix it.

I have access to the inside of that wall and it appears that the previous owner tried to seal this wall with a spray in foam.

I'm not really sure what product to use to repair this. What would you recommend?

Anyway, here are the pictures, I can answer any questions you have or provide more pictures if necessary.

Thanks in advance,




 

Last edited by kinar; 04-03-11 at 01:40 PM.
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Old 04-03-11, 12:49 PM
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Could you post the links for the pics...can't enlarge them from the thumbnails.....http://forum.doityourself.com/electr...your-post.html

I'd guess you have water that has gotten in and frozen, thus blowing out the blocks. Could be the paint(?) kept it from migrating out and evaporating. How do you have access to the inside? Is this connected to a basement?

At a minimum, you're probably looking at replacing the first course of block, or at least several of them.
 
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Old 04-03-11, 01:50 PM
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Thanks for the reply.

I edited the original post to include the full size images and added one of the inside of the wall where you can see the spray foam that was used by the previous owners (we've been in the house for just over a year now).

My basement has an unfinished "closet" which is the area under the front steps and this is the corner of that closet. The total room size is about 3x5 ft.

I had a feeling that the repair would consist of replacing the damaged blocks. Can you point me in the direction of some reading materials on the best method of doing this?
 
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Old 04-03-11, 02:50 PM
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You can replace the block and only need to repair the exposed portion of the block if you can get buy some 4" (3 5/8" actually) high block that are thinner than those in place. - Just knock out the damaged portion and fill in with new block.

The real cause if the overhang of the porch slab since it does not have "drip" cast on the bottom. Without a drip, the water from the porch runs to the edge and down the face. A good portion of the water follows the bottom of the slan to the wall where is is absorbed by the block and then freezes. Any salt on the porch accelerates the deterioration.

Dick
 
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Old 04-03-11, 03:35 PM
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Thanks for the info Concretemasonry.

I understand what you are saying about the water running off the portch into the bricks. How do I fix this to prevent the rest of the wall from suffering the same fate? Would simply applying a good water sealent to the top section of the wall and the joint between the slab and the top of the wall suffice to make the water run down the wall instead of being absorbed? Or is there other considerations that need to be taken into account?

I've been doing quite a bit of searching around the internet today about replacing blocks/bricks and have a pretty good understanding of what I'm getting myself into in terms of project scope.

There are the 3 obvious bricks from the picture that needs to be replaced but after examining the rest of the wall up close, there are a few that appear to be just starting to crumble. Will those need replaced as well or is there somethign I can do to slavage them and prevent any futher damage?

Something I read is that I need to figure out exactly what type of block was used and replace with the same. Does that make sense? this house was built in 54 and I am not sure how I would even go about doing that. Would any concrete block of the same size work? Or is there something specific I need to keep in mind?

Also, how much is weather going to play a part in doing this? Does it need to have not rained for X number of days before/after I do this?

Lastly, Gunguy45 mentioned that the pait on there might have been a factor in sealing in the moisture? I already had planned on repainting the entire wall once complete. How long do I need to wait after doing the repairs before repainting? Is there a specific type of paint I should use?
 
 

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