# Crumbling block wall



## Betheweb (Jul 26, 2016)

Customer has some kind of waterproofing paint on basement walls. It is peeling and block underneath is soft. Is there some kind of primer that could penetrate in and stabilize that so paint will stick?


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## lilpaintchic (Jul 9, 2014)

Betheweb said:


> Customer has some kind of waterproofing paint on basement walls. It is peeling and block underneath is soft. Is there some kind of primer that could penetrate in and stabilize that so paint will stick?


Scrape it, grab a wire wheel and get it to a sound surface, vacuum and use hydrolic cement to float anything that needs it. Especially if there's an active leak. Then you can use loxon or whatever masonry primer ya want and top coat with drylock or an equivilant.

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## CApainter (Jun 29, 2007)

Betheweb said:


> Customer has some kind of waterproofing paint on basement walls. It is peeling and block underneath is soft. Is there some kind of primer that could penetrate in and stabilize that so paint will stick?


The system LPC mentioned, seems like a good option. However, the problem with these basement masonry walls, that don't have a moisture barrier on the exterior grade side, is that they will continue to drive the masonry alkalines to the interior side during ground saturation, causing efflorescent blooms, which contributes to coating breakdown.

Short of digging out the exterior side and installing a moisture barrier, you can suspend drywall over the interior side of the block wall..


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## lilpaintchic (Jul 9, 2014)

CApainter said:


> The system LPC mentioned, seems like a good option. However, the problem with these basement masonry walls, that don't have a moisture barrier on the exterior grade side, is that they will continue to drive the masonry alkalines to the interior side during ground saturation, causing efflorescent blooms, which contributes to coating breakdown.
> 
> Short of digging out the exterior side and installing a moisture barrier, you can suspend drywall over the interior side of the block wall..


Yes. That is the likely culprit. Might need a French drain, might need a back hoe, might need a pump But none of those are painter related. And putting drywall over that is begging for problems. The owner needs to be able to monitor that situation not cover over it with paper and gypsum. And again, that's not painter related either.

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## CApainter (Jun 29, 2007)

lilpaintchic said:


> Yes. That is the likely culprit. Might need a French drain, might need a back hoe, might need a pump But none of those are painter related. And putting drywall over that is begging for problems. The owner needs to be able to monitor that situation not cover over it with paper and gypsum. And again, that's not painter related either.
> 
> Sent from my SM-G930V using Tapatalk


Well, if you're trying to manage a structural defect with paint, it may be considered paint related.

And as far as problems with suspending drywall over a masonry wall, as long as you maintain a cavity and moisture barrier between the masonry wall and drywall, there will typically be no problems. I mean we are talking about natural migration of moisture from an un-barriered wall, not a crack with water pouring in.


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## lilpaintchic (Jul 9, 2014)

I guess it's fresh in my mind because I'm currently dealing with this issue. and there are active leaks. house was built in the early 20's and has had multiple expansions. there's only about 3 ft of space between the back of the house and a steep hill. the basement is basically buried in the hill side. Ho's are not interested in repairing the external conditions, they'd rather take on the maintenance. they have 2 sup pumps. it would be unwise in these conditions to suspend drywall though i understand what you're getting at. if we knew it was going to stay relatively dry, that'd work. that's not the case here, that's for sure. and i have no idea about the op's situation. we ARE the contractor. and all things considered, this is the best option for this particular home owners budget and situation . I was just giving the op the info based on the info he provided from the perspective of a painter and what he could reasonably do with a paint brush. it's residential, not commercial.


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## CApainter (Jun 29, 2007)

lilpaintchic said:


> I guess it's fresh in my mind because I'm currently dealing with this issue. and there are active leaks. house was built in the early 20's and has had multiple expansions. there's only about 3 ft of space between the back of the house and a steep hill. the basement is basically buried in the hill side. Ho's are not interested in repairing the external conditions, they'd rather take on the maintenance. they have 2 sup pumps. it would be unwise in these conditions to suspend drywall though i understand what you're getting at. if we knew it was going to stay relatively dry, that'd work. that's not the case here, that's for sure. and i have no idea about the op's situation. we ARE the contractor. and all things considered, this is the best option for this particular home owners budget and situation . I was just giving the op the info based on the info he provided from the perspective of a painter and what he could reasonably do with a paint brush. it's residential, not commercial.


The OP described what seemed like a typical basement masonry wall situation that didn't have a moisture barrier. My Dads house had the same problem and we just kept scraping loose paint and re painting it with flat interior. 

I'm doing a job right now where an office was flooded by faulty plumbing. Some time back someone suspended drywall over a concrete wall. Of course I had to remove about two vertical feet of it along the length of the room. It is metal studded. 

One wall was giving me weird moisture readings. No insulation. Dry right at the base, wet about twelve inches up, then dry at two feet. Turns out the last contractor filled the wall with drywall debris. The scraps acted as a wick.


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## lilpaintchic (Jul 9, 2014)

CApainter said:


> The OP described what seemed like a typical basement masonry wall situation that didn't have a moisture barrier. My Dads house had the same problem and we just kept scraping loose paint and re painting it with flat interior.
> 
> I'm doing a job right now where an office was flooded by faulty plumbing. Some time back someone suspended drywall over a concrete wall. Of course I had to remove about two vertical feet of it along the length of the room. It is metal studded.
> 
> One wall was giving me weird moisture readings. No insulation. Dry right at the base, wet about twelve inches up, then dry at two feet. Turns out the last contractor filled the wall with drywall debris. The scraps acted as a wick.


Yikes, that'll be fun.

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## CApainter (Jun 29, 2007)

lilpaintchic said:


> Yikes, that'll be fun.
> 
> Sent from my SM-G930V using Tapatalk


I'd provide pics of my awesome drywall and taping skills, but no one really cares.


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## MikeCalifornia (Aug 26, 2012)

UGL does not go over a primer!! Must go directly to block, I think the UGL extreme will go over pretty wet block.


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## lilpaintchic (Jul 9, 2014)

MikeCalifornia said:


> UGL does not go over a primer!! Must go directly to block, I think the UGL extreme will go over pretty wet block.


The only reason I was considering loxon is because of severe crumbling and efforvesence. Not necessary even then?
I can be wrong. I like making more money to do less work.lol 

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## futtyos (Aug 11, 2013)

*What is the real problem?*



Betheweb said:


> Customer has some kind of waterproofing paint on basement walls. It is peeling and block underneath is soft. Is there some kind of primer that could penetrate in and stabilize that so paint will stick?


Without seeing any interior or exterior pics, we are just guessing what needs to be done. LPC mentioned that a French drain might be in order and CApainter says there might not be any moisture barrier on the outside. From what is being described, it sounds like there is a long term moisture/water problem that probably needs to be addressed.

Over the summer I was working on a basement in a frame house built in 1942. The chimney was 5 feet wide at the base and was flush with the foundation down to the bottom of the basement wall. The wall that the chimney was part of had been enclosed both with drywall and 12 feet of closets built in front of said wall. The vent pipe from the furnace was behind the drywall, making it very difficult to service if needed. Water was coming in through the wall behind the closets and mold was growing on the drywall. After the current tenants moved out, we removed all the drywall inside the closets and found the brick wall of the chimney to be very damp. I could go on and on about what was done next including chimney repair.

My point is, if water is making its way into the basement, the problem will probably increase as the water continues to find its pathways into the basement. I would address the water problem first before applying anything to the walls.

The house I was talking about above has since been rented again and I told the owner not to re-install any drywall over the brick chimney wall in the basement (which contains the cleanout for the fireplace - which was walled over with a board glued to cover it! I removed 4 full 5 gallon buckets of very damp ashes from this cleanout). As it stand now, I rebuilt what needed to be rebuilt to put the closet bi-fold doors back and left the foundation wall behind the closets open and unobstructed. I told the owner that it is a basement, not proper living quarters, at least not here in the midwest. The new tenants can put up plastic shelving units that won't get moldy inside the closets and close the doors so the bare basement wall will not be seen.

I forgot to mention that the water that was coming into the basement was coming in over an 18" sq concrete slab that was adjacent to both the brick chimney and the foundation wall. This slab was higher than the foundation wall. The basement waterproofing tech who came out had put the garden hose running right in proximity to the area where the leak was coming into the basement. He let the hose run for about 30 minutes full blast. There were no leaks in the basement. I took the garden hose and placed it so it would run over the 18" concrete slab, then went inside. As soon as I got to the closet, the water came trickling down over the foundation wall right where the chimney and foundation wall met.

You can do whatever you want, but if it were me, I would try to find out why there is a moisture problem and make the customer happy that you were not just trying to make money that would be not well spent.

futtyos


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## futtyos (Aug 11, 2013)

*Crumbling wall*



Betheweb said:


> Customer has some kind of waterproofing paint on basement walls. It is peeling and block underneath is soft. Is there some kind of primer that could penetrate in and stabilize that so paint will stick?


As I was loading my previous comment, I saw the words in your original subject line and post. "Crumbling block wall" and "block underneath is soft." How do you paint over wet?

In addition, I had a discussion with a clerk at Lowes big box store about another basement that has water problems. The basement in question has a solid concrete foundation. The foundation has now become very close to being level with the outside surfaces - earth, brick patio in the back, asphault driveway, etc., so that any water that comes down from the heavens has a difficult was finding its way away from the house. I suggested to the owner (the same owner of the property mentioned in my previous post) that he might consider a French drain along the back of the house, seeing as how a small pond would form there after a heavy rain. Concrete steps with a numner of cracks going down to the basement and a plugged drain in front of the basement door did not help matters.

I told this all to the clerk at Lowes. He told me about a friend of his who had a similar problem. She opted to do an indoor French drain. When the big downpour finally came, the hydrostatic pressure from the water on the outside of the cinder block basement foundation wall caused one of the cinder blocks to pop out onto the basement floor. That would be something interesting to see, but not to deal with.

Again, you might want to check out the source of the moisture coming into the basement you are deraling with.


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## PRC (Aug 28, 2014)

Xypex is probably the best waterproofing product for applying to the negative side of masonry or concrete walls.
http://www.xypex.com/products/coating-products/xypex-concentrate

You could remove the existing paint, patch the crumbled areas then apply the slurry over the whole wall. Once you confirm that the moisture is no longer present and the coating is cured (it's cementitious) then you can paint

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## futtyos (Aug 11, 2013)

*Diy?*



PRC said:


> Xypex is probably the best waterproofing product for applying to the negative side of masonry or concrete walls.
> http://www.xypex.com/products/coating-products/xypex-concentrate
> 
> You could remove the existing paint, patch the crumbled areas then apply the slurry over the whole wall. Once you confirm that the moisture is no longer present and the coating is cured (it's cementitious) then you can paint
> ...


This looks pretty interesting, but is Xypex (or Koster or any similar product) something that a painter would want to tackle, or should a contractor experienced in using these products be consulted? I might want to try this in my own basement, but I don't know if I would want to get a call back on a project like this.

futtyos


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## PRC (Aug 28, 2014)

futtyos said:


> This looks pretty interesting, but is Xypex (or Koster or any similar product) something that a painter would want to tackle, or should a contractor experienced in using these products be consulted? I might want to try this in my own basement, but I don't know if I would want to get a call back on a project like this.
> 
> futtyos


That would depend on the degree of water intrusion. A damp wall is one thing but any moving water should be addressed by the pros.

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## CApainter (Jun 29, 2007)

Betheweb said:


> Customer has some kind of waterproofing paint on basement walls. It is peeling and block underneath is soft. Is there some kind of primer that could penetrate in and stabilize that so paint will stick?


So, the OP never really described any moisture on contact. Just what sounds like the results of alkaline efflorvensence breaking down the paint, and concrete softness all likely due to migrating vapors trapped under a moisture barrier coating receiving vapor pressure under the interior coating side. 
This will continue to be a maintenance problem as long as the exterior vapor barrier issue is not addressed. At the end of the day, it is probably more cost affective to just add paint to the wall every four or five years, or when signs of break down begin to occur. It's not like this wall is a back drop for the Pope's pulpit.


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## Woodco (Nov 19, 2016)

I wouldnt touch that until they get to the source.


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## CApainter (Jun 29, 2007)

Woodco said:


> I wouldnt touch that until they get to the source.


I bet the homeowner wouldn't know the difference. And if you did explain all of the engineering that would need to go into mitigating the problem with the best of practices, they would just say, "Paint it".


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## futtyos (Aug 11, 2013)

*What to do?*



CApainter said:


> I bet the homeowner wouldn't know the difference. And if you did explain all of the engineering that would need to go into mitigating the problem with the best of practices, they would just say, "Paint it".



CApainter, you as well as otheres here may be right, but perhaps we are jumping the gun. After reading all the comments on his thread, the OP has not come forth with any description of what is causing the water problem with the basement blocks. Maybe we should wait until the OP has taken a better look at what the problem could be, then come back here and inform the rest of us so we don't just keep guessing. Just sayin'.

futtyos


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## CApainter (Jun 29, 2007)

futtyos said:


> CApainter, you as well as otheres here may be right, but perhaps we are jumping the gun. After reading all the comments on his thread, the OP has not come forth with any description of what is causing the water problem with the basement blocks. Maybe we should wait until the OP has taken a better look at what the problem could be, then come back here and inform the rest of us so we don't just keep guessing. Just sayin'.
> 
> futtyos


I suppose you're right. But, seeing so many instances over the years where an exterior masonry wall, above or below ground, is not protected against moisture permeation, the signs are all similar.

And there doesn't even have to be moisture. Just water vapor is enough to cause paint failure. And considering the hydrostatic pressures created in saturated soil, a coating on the interior side of a masonry wall, without a vapor barrier, doesn't stand a chance against failure. This includes cementitous veneers. . A wall would have to be pretty thick to be immune.

I've experienced cementitious veneer failure on concrete where moisture came in from behind and broke it down, delaminating the coating from the substrate. I've also seen moisture on the interior side of a concrete wall, (humidity, etc.), draw alkalines to the surface.


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## futtyos (Aug 11, 2013)

*Chicago area*



CApainter said:


> I suppose you're right. But, seeing so many instances over the years where an exterior masonry wall, above or below ground, is not protected against moisture permeation, the signs are all similar.
> 
> And there doesn't even have to be moisture. Just water vapor is enough to cause paint failure. And considering the hydrostatic pressures created in saturated soil, a coating on the interior side of a masonry wall, without a vapor barrier, doesn't stand a chance against failure. This includes cementitous veneers. . A wall would have to be pretty thick to be immune.
> 
> I've experienced cementitious veneer failure on concrete where moisture came in from behind and broke it down, delaminating the coating from the substrate. I've also seen moisture on the interior side of a concrete wall, (humidity, etc.), draw alkalines to the surface.


I live in the midwest where weather conditions normally guarantee that basements will have problems with moisture. I tell most people that finishing basements in the midwest is just asking for trouble. Perhaps even painting foundation walls is a bad idea depending on the area one lives in and the situation of the foundation in relation to the surrounding land and drainage patterns.

futtyos


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## CApainter (Jun 29, 2007)

The attached picture is the current project I'm working on. You can see the cavity between the tiled masonry wall and the drywall. Note: It is common for me to read around 0.78% moisture in areas of drywall that haven't been affected by moisture. It could be the consequences associated with existing in a coastal climate. That same reading is found eight feet up the wall.


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## CApainter (Jun 29, 2007)

I've already begun to hang the drywall. The magic is in progress!


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## Betheweb (Jul 26, 2016)

futtyos said:


> CApainter, you as well as otheres here may be right, but perhaps we are jumping the gun. After reading all the comments on his thread, the OP has not come forth with any description of what is causing the water problem with the basement blocks. Maybe we should wait until the OP has taken a better look at what the problem could be, then come back here and inform the rest of us so we don't just keep guessing. Just sayin'.
> 
> futtyos


I just asked if there was some kind of primer that would stabilize it (similar to the way RX-35 seals up peeling paper). It's not a backdrop for the Pope's pulpit. It is behind the washer and dryer. The root cause seems to be a sidewalk that is backpitched against the foundation.


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## futtyos (Aug 11, 2013)

*Pope's pulpit*



Betheweb said:


> I just asked if there was some kind of primer that would stabilize it (similar to the way RX-35 seals up peeling paper). It's not a backdrop for the Pope's pulpit. It is behind the washer and dryer. The root cause seems to be a sidewalk that is backpitched against the foundation.


Betheweb, thank you for elaborating on the problem you are facing. Since a pulpit is "a raised platform or lectern in a church or chapel from which the preacher delivers a sermon" I would think that few here at PT would imagine a pulpit being in a basement to begin with.

So, you say you have a basement wall that 1) is getting water funneled against it by a sidewalk that is backpitched towards the foundation on the outside, and 2) is blocked on the inside by a washer and dryer that prevent adequate ventilation to allow moisture coming through the wall to evaporate. Adding to this: your original comments "Customer has some kind of waterproofing paint on basement walls. It is peeling and block underneath is soft."

Sounds like there is a water problem of long standing that is not only not going away, but is constantly getting worse. My guess is that it will never dry out until the cause of the problem is addressed, namely, rainwater being funneled towards the foundation by a backpitched sidewalk. Mud-jacking the sidewalk is probably what needs to be done, at the very least.

I would imagine that even if there were a product to apply against the wet area you are concerned about, sealing that area off from weeping moisture out would only cause the water within the foundation wall to soak through another area where it can get through the wall and into the interior of the basement. I don't see a way to prevent water from weeping through the foundation wall other than to address the source of the water, namely, a sidewalk that has shifted and is now funneling water aginst the outside of the foundation.

When I come across this kind of problem, I tell the homeowner to get 2 or 3 estimates from basement water leak specialists as until the water problem is addressed and corrected, water will continue to saturate and destroy the foundation, which in your case you say is already starting to crumble.

My best guess is that until you can get the basement wall to dry out, there is nothing you can apply to it that will stabilize it so you can paint over a dry surface because it will never dry out, barring drastic climate change in your area. Since water seaks its own level and water seems to have found a pathway into the basment you speak of, I am also guessing that until the exterior water problem is taken care of, the water problem will just continually get worse until it gets really expensive to take care of.

Houses require maintenance. If your customers don't want to maintain their house, perhaps they should sell it "as is" and move to higher ground.

As to using Roman's RX-35, from the TDS: "*NOT Recommended For*: Exterior surfaces, _*non-porous surfaces such as concrete block or cement*_, or direct application over oil-based primers or paints."

"Surface Preparation: *Surface must be free from* grease and other *residues*, *dry, and structurally sound*."

From the TDS for Gardz: "*SURFACE PREPARATION: Surfaces should be **clean, dry, sound* and free of dust, dirt,
grime, grease, oil, wax, mildew, wallpaper adhesive, or *any contamination that may interfere with adhesion*."

PRC mentioned possibly using Xypex, but I would have my doubts as to whether Xypex, Koster or any other hydrolic cement would be advised to be used by any basement water leak repair contractor BEFORE and/or INSTEAD of correcting the exterior problem, but, then, I am not an expert on basement leaks. If the foundation was concrete, there might be an interior fix, but I believe you indicated that the foundation walls were cinder block. 
I suggest you pose your question to a couple of basement leak contractors and see what they say. Or go online and find a basement leak forum!

So my answer to your query would be: no.

Now I will see if I can get back to sleep. :sleep1:

futtyos


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## PACman (Oct 24, 2014)

futtyos said:


> I live in the midwest where weather conditions normally guarantee that basements will have problems with moisture. I tell most people that finishing basements in the midwest is just asking for trouble. Perhaps even painting foundation walls is a bad idea depending on the area one lives in and the situation of the foundation in relation to the surrounding land and drainage patterns.
> 
> futtyos


Yeah, painting a basement wall in Northern Ohio is plain stupid! Everyone has to do it though!


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## futtyos (Aug 11, 2013)

*Everyone?*



PACman said:


> Yeah, painting a basement wall in Northern Ohio is plain stupid! Everyone has to do it though!


I'll bite. Why?

futtyos


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## futtyos (Aug 11, 2013)

*good input welcomed*



Stuff-n-things said:


> This Is Great Information.


Stuff-n-things, what are your thoughts on this?

futtyos


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## PACman (Oct 24, 2014)

futtyos said:


> I'll bite. Why?
> 
> futtyos


Moisture content, cracked foundations, cheap below grade exterior sealants that dry up and crack in a few years, leading to leakage into the house. Piss poor drainage that changes due to the freeze thaw cycles that people don't ever want to fix. Yada, yada, yada. The biggest thing is the high moisture content most of the basement walls around here have. Traditionally, unless a cinderblock or concrete wall had a moisture content of 5% or below, all the time, the wall couldn't be painted. Even products like Drylock have a moisture content restriction on them that is frequently not considered in Ohio. Just slap it on and don't worry about it is the mentality. 

Did you know that all of those fancy floor epoxies aren't supposed to be applied to a concrete floor with a moisture level over 5%? It's pretty well hidden in the specs, where the average DIY'er or even paint contractor probably won't see it. Some if not MOST floor epoxy manufacturers hide the requirement completely from the consumers. Now how many concrete floors in Ohio do you think have a moisture content below 5%? Not very god damn many i can tell you that. This is why i don't carry or sell a concrete floor epoxy, especially one marketed as a "garage floor" epoxy. Because in Ohio, they are doomed to failure 90-95% percent of the time. And being a small business, i don't have the luxury of pawning that failure off on the manufacturer. It wouldn't be "Home Depot sold me some Behr epoxy crap that didn't do what they claimed it would." It would be "that so and so paint store is a rip off".


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## CApainter (Jun 29, 2007)

It's not like waterborne paints aren't subject to water permeation to some degree. But in the case of a masonry substrate, it's the alkaline components driven to the surface that destroys the paint.


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## futtyos (Aug 11, 2013)

*uneducated HO*



CApainter said:


> It's not like waterborne paints aren't subject to water permeation to some degree. But in the case of a masonry substrate, it's the alkaline components driven to the surface that destroys the paint.


What tickles me about all of this is that the HO knows there is an ongoing problem with water flowing towards the foundation instead of away from it, has an area of basement wall behind the washer and dryer that is crumbling from the exterior water, and still wants to put a band-aid on it (that will no doubt make it worse) even though it is mostly out of sight.

I had a mold removal job over the summer in a rental house I do work on from time to time for the owner. There is a finished room just as you get to the basment. One wall is all closet, 2 sets of bifold doors. The inside was all drywalled and there was mold growing near the floor under the left side closet. The renter said that 3 years ago, when they first moved in, there was water damage in the closet area, so all the drywall was torn out and replaced - without addressing the cause of the water damage. After the renters moved out (they did not want any mold removal done until they were out of the house) I removed all the drywall and studs inside the closet. The foundation wall and chimney were now visible, including the vent flu for the furnace. THis flu had been drywalled over. The chimney bricks were flush with the concrete foundation wall down to the floor. The bricks were very damp in many places. There were a number of issues that had to addressed in regards to water coming in from the outside over a concrete slab that was higher than the foundation as well as major repairs needing to be done to the chimney. After all this was done, I strongly advised the owner to not redryall over the basement wall, but ratyher to tell the new tenants to put plastic stand-up shelving in and keep the doors closed if they did not want to see any bare foundation or brick. It's a friggin basement, for heaven's sake! And one with water problems to boot. He wanted me to paint the foundation wall and brick. I told him no, that it would just make for more problems.

One of my former partners used to say "let's go get something done, even if its wrong." Put the most stress on the word "former" and you get the idea of what i thought about his attitude.

One more thought. If the sidewalk has pitched down towards the foundation of the house the OP speaks of, it probably is due to the settling of backfill around the house. Backfilling around a new house's foundation is sometimes not properly or adequately done, so over the years the ground gets pitched towards the house instead of away from the house, so rainfall ends up flowing against the foundation. I had this problem. A new house was being built down the block. I saw truck after truck hauling away clay, so I had a truckload dumped on my driveway, then I wheelbarreled it around the foundation to raise the ground level higher. This is not rocket science.

futtyos


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## CApainter (Jun 29, 2007)

Basically, a basement is a cave. And other than a few Troglodyte paintings of hunting trips and extraterrestrial visitations, very few are painted.


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## futtyos (Aug 11, 2013)

*Location*



CApainter said:


> Basically, a basement is a cave. And other than a few Troglodyte paintings of hunting trips and extraterrestrial visitations, very few are painted.


I wish the same was true where I live. I come across many that not only have the foundation walls painted, but are finished as if they were above ground living quarters! I come across these after they are mold infested because (pretend that comedian Sam Kinison is yelling this) BASEMENTS TAKE ON WATER! DON'T FINISH YOUR BASEMENT, IT TAKES ON WATER!

I guess I should not complain. If everyone could take care of their own problems with their own dwellings or places of business, there would be much less call for us here.

Ah! That's better. I think I will eat dinner now.

flubreelosh

Low blood sugar?


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## futtyos (Aug 11, 2013)

*Maybe I'm wrong.*



futtyos said:


> I wish the same was true where I live. I come across many that not only have the foundation walls painted, but are finished as if they were above ground living quarters! I come across these after they are mold infested because (pretend that comedian Sam Kinison is yelling this) BASEMENTS TAKE ON WATER! DON'T FINISH YOUR BASEMENT, IT TAKES ON WATER!
> 
> I guess I should not complain. If everyone could take care of their own problems with their own dwellings or places of business, there would be much less call for us here.
> 
> ...


On the other hand, Maybe PRC was right:






:smile:

futtyos


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## Brushman4 (Oct 18, 2014)

futtyos said:


> On the other hand, Maybe PRC was right:
> 
> Introduction to Xypex Crystalline Technology - YouTube
> 
> ...


Anyone who was born or has lived in the Chicago area knows that for hundreds/thousands of years this land was a quagmire, in so many words a swamp. A large area of Downtown Chicago, River North and into the Northern suburbs is/was reclaimed swamp land that was backfilled to build on. Therefore there will always be a continuing problem of wet basements and seepage!
This is not Tuscon Arizona.


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