Thanks for watching. I’m please to see that more and more home owners in the Minneapolis and St. Paul area are finding my videos and contracting us to do this foundation restoration work.
on the outside you can use that smooth cement, it have no rocks in it, you mix the cement like a cake you making, then get a putty knife and paste on the mortor. Its that kind of mortor thats goes on nice and smooth. To get it done really nice, put some bonding agent with the mixture. I filled in lots of holes outside of my basement. Everyday I do some and finally got all the holes enclosed, because holes outside can let cold air inside the basement. Also if you come upon a big hole just put in some mortor and push a rock inside the mortor and just paste around inside and smoothen it out. It like hobby and lots of fun when you doing it. Especially when you watch these videos and gain some knowledge of what to do
you can also dust off all the debris and wet it down, and then use motor and bonding agent. You paint on the bonding agent and the mortor, then when you get it all painted, then you paint over the rocks with dry lock. What do you think, my basement is just like that. A guy told me he would put on sheet rock and plaster it and make it look nice, but i think you have to fix the crumbling rocks first, because thats a foundation that needs to be reinforced. I
I have the same situation at my house. Thank you for the vdo. Do you think we should not finish basement if it is stone wall? I saw the problem about moisture behind the wall and hesitate to finish my basement.
I'm planning on working on my sandstone basement to re-do the mortar. Would the mortar you used work for that sandstone? I was told that firestone mortar would be best for it's stickiness but its more expensive, not that I mind but, I just want to do it right without completely breaking my bank. We just got this house back into our family a few years back and we are trying to get it back into shape. It's 100+ year old railroad business building that was lifted, moved, and then turned into house.
Do not use fire brick mortar. Or fire stone mortar. Use your average basic mortar. Mix from Home Depot. Any type of mortar mix will be eight good soft lime mortar for your sandstone. Type S or masonry mix is not recommended for a softer stone.
@@forsbergmicah I appreciate the feedback. Would you say the "Mastergrade Stone Mortar Mix of cement and mason sand mixed" would work in this situation? I'm having trouble finding what what I need at my local homedepot. If it needed to be softer would adding more masonry sand to that mortar mix help?
You dont wet it down on vertical pointing because it just makes a drippy slurry mess on the face of the stone. Try that on decorative brick or stone veneer and you have messy staining you'll never get paid for. It's not required on mortar. Mortar is limestone and sand, usually called s type or m type and does not/cannot have too rigid Portland or cracks will bust the whole wall.
So I have cinderblock walls in my basement and I don’t want to dry wall .. then .. I like the the stucco wall look and paint my ceilings black . Can I drylok wall and put stucco over drylok paint or should I just purge the walls with N type… I’m just not sure if the stucco will stick to the wall after drylok paint .. also where are u located ? I’m in south NJ close to Philly
AwwwwwwwMAN!!!! I’m in Chicago! Need some work done. I want me a cave feel winery room. Yeah! It would look amazing with your skilz. Ok ok Ok fine. I’ll do it my self. Thank you very very much for the information.
Do you have suggestions for someone who can do this to my basement in the Midwest Kansas City area And about how much does something like this run in cost
Lime is much better. Mixing Portand and Lime in the same wall is a recipe for a future disaster and the old wall is most definitely Lime mortar.@@forsbergmicah
I have a 110 yr old sandstone basement. The walls, I’ve been told by previous owner, are twice as thick as standard. The Weatherzation Program sprayed insulation. The walls are all uneven and bumpy as it was just left to harden. It’s only for storage with 5’ ceiling. What material would I use to just make them better looking ? I understand the frame should be pressure treated. Also since it’s not useable living space, what’s the cheapest material to use as wall boards? Thank you
Hello Micah, I have a new england property built in 1900 that is similar in repair need to this project. I learnt so much from your video for DYI but I am curious, I have an unfinished basement so what would the cost estimate range be for just the stone foundation repair work? Thanks
Wonderful work and very clear explanations. LOved watching it, and will be using this resource as a guide to repointing my stone wall basement here in Philly. OK to use hydraulic cement to point?
@@latte1020 Type N mix is a good place to start. And historic lime mortar mixes can go south on you real quick if your mix is wrong. In fact if your mix is off, the mortar will have no structural strength. On top of all that, mortar selection also depends heavily on what kind of stone or brick you have.
i plan on doing this to my basement walls. all limestone. joints are falling apart keep reading not to use Portland cement, to use lime mortar. any suggestions?
Is there likely toxic subdstance in old mortar that could damage ones health or contaminate the household environment we should know about.? old House from early 1900's. Thanks!
You should get an Ermator s36 self bagging silica extractor and an air scrubber or ventilation. The Shop-Vac and cyclonic device don't even come close to OSHA standards. That's just toxic.
We are using a harder mortar. Definitely limestone base. The soft mortar slides out pretty easily. We recommend dehumidifiers to deal with moisture. The stone is super hard. Not sandstone. Its flaky but dense. Similar to the granite in the area. Northern MN has the oldest agates in the world. Lots of geological diversity in this region.
Hi this video gives me hope! We have a c. 1900 home built on stone in PA but I’m having a terrible time finding lime or lime based mortar in stores. We’ve been here two years and I’ve been looking for over a year. Did you order yours? And what sealant did you use then? Our goal is to do this over this winter. Thank you so much!!!
Get Type N or Type S. All the hardware stores have it. Don’t worry about the right type of mortar. I use Type S which is against some popular opinion. It’s so close it doesn’t matter.
What you use is type N , it's softer the type S. If you use type S, add some extra sand to reduce the cement % to below 20% as it should be softer then harder
Obviously you don't even know what you're talking about. If your Google mortar types they usually include descriptions of when to use one over the other and if you had seen the stack of bags had the name right on it. Any how, for those who don't know, mortar is limestone and sand, does not contain Portland sment, cement is too rigid brittle cracks on Stone foundations, brickwork and masonry veneer.
Type S works great. I like it better than Type N. It’s stronger and hold longer. I don’t care what other people say. I’ve tried both types for 22 years and types S is what I use mostly except when someone requests type N.
After vacuuming the wall REVERSE the air flow and BLOW out all joints (a good exhaust fan is a good idea) ... in many cases you should pressure wash the walls to remove old dust and dirt to improve bonding. Lastly use a cement bonder in a spray bottle to premoisten the wall before applying a Type S Mortar.
"Type N mortar mix is a medium compressive-strength material of at least 750 pounds per square inch (psi) and a 28-day strength of 1,500 to 2400 psi. Type S mortar mix, on the other hand, has a compressive strength of at least 1,800 psi, but it's typically much stronger at 2,300 to 3,000 psi." Per Google@@rollandjoeseph I prefer to use a higher (and denser) compression mortar on basement walls. After 30 days I apply 2 coats of a penetrating sealer such as RadonSeal and follow that up in 30 days with BASF MasterSeal 581 White Cement-Based Waterproof Coating (Use to be called Thoroseal) As old stone walls are frequently made with an inner and outer wall system that resulted in large gaps or pockets between the two that would harbor rats and mice I have used a 'closed' cell foam in deep openings that mortar could not be forced into. While this adds little to no structural strength it does stabilize the stones and helps reduce rodent and insect pentation as well an water seepage (open cell foam absorbs water). I've seen many different methods of repair/restoring stone foundations and depending on the area of the country and geographical orientations to rivers and run off, this system combined with a French Drain around the outside of the home without having to dig up the entire foundation to install drainage and repair the outside wall has proven to work best for me.
You were doing fine up to the point where you used a Portland cement based mortar mix. This video is three years old so by now the first cracks will have begun to appear. You never use a Portland cement based mortar on a stone foundation laid before 1920. They used a Lime mortar mix back then. In another 10 years, all of the crap you've put in that wall will be falling out because of the reaction of the Portland v lime. You should read the secretary of the Interior's standards and guidelines for the repair and rehabilitation of old buildings, before you spout this nonsense on a platform seen by millions, who don't understand the damage you're causing. 90% of the work we do as Historic masonry repair specialists, is repairing the work masons like you got wrong between the 1960's and the 2000's. So keep doing this and you'll keep us in work, forever. Bloody amateur.
Maybe you and your Masonry Bible are right. But my experience shows me that you’re wrong. I’ve been doing this for 22 years specifically with Stone and the lime/Portland mortar. You think it’s so great. It comes out and starts cracking and it’s much softer. So, you can keep your religion of Masonry and do it the way you are told and preach your religion. I’m a protestant. The Pope don’t rule me. You Brits are so self-righteous about Masonry. The stone is different over here and so is the mortar. It’s not sandstone we’re working with. It’s a hard sediment lime stone. You stand behind your faithful leader, and your Bible, and you preach your religion because you think it’s the right way. There are many ways and you can’t fit them all in a book.
@@forsbergmicah I've been doing this since 1966, you do the math. As for the religious aspect, I'm an insomniac dyslexic agnostic, I lie awake at night wondering if there really is a dog!! Stone is stone is stone. Portland cement was named after Portland limestone. The stone here in the USA is no different to stone anywhere else in the world. The USA is not as unique as you seem to think it is. The fact you've been doing this wrong for 22 years, comes as no surprise to me. I've yet to meet an American mason who knows what he's talking about. As for the use of Natural Hydraulic lime, it's been used for thousands of years, the Coliseum in Rome being a prime example of the use of lime mortar. And let me ask you this young man, what on earth do you think they built stone and brick buildings out of in the USA, prior to the invention of Portland cement? Do you even understand the difference between Rosendale cement and Portland cement. You really should educate yourself on Masonry, before spouting the ridiculous nonsense you think is right.
This being a social platform I’ll address the audience: What works for me is what is best for my clients. I’ve asked some pretty knowledgeable masons and suppliers in the twin city area of Minnesota. There is not much of a noticeable difference when it comes to the basement work I do. I build and repair all sorts of stone structures such as front steps, patios, walls and more. I don’t always use one type or the other. Type S is the Portland mortar in debate. It consists of sand, lime, clay, and water. Type N consists of sand, lime and water. Clay is the element of debate. They say it’s too brittle and that it retains moisture and doesn’t allow the mortar to breathe. The basement walls I work on were originally constructed with type N, which is lime mortar. It has all turned to sand in less than 100 years. Unlike the Colossal. What is tuck point work going to do for it? It’s not for structural support. The weight of the house seems to keep it all together. Erosion is the number one purpose. Tuck point work stops erosion. It reduces efflorescence and it looks great. The stonework stands out. I’ve had clients turn their basements into sports dens, apartments, kitchens, bedrooms, family rooms, etc. Efflorescence is the only long term complaint. That seems to keep coming back. However I do offer spray application sealants to reduce it. There is debate on this subject also. There are some big companies who restore cathedrals, churches, mansions and the like and they are fastidious about types of mortar and application. They frown on using a grout bag to fill in the joints. I’d have to agree that using a Tuckpointer is better when you have smaller joints like they do on those custom cut stone projects. But you can’t do that with the big joints in the basement walls. So, as you can see it’s a big masonry world and we need more people like Keith to show us the “right” way with his masonry Bible and the authority of the Secretary of the Interior. Dear Lord of Masonry, please forgive me my tuckpoint transgressions and lead me into everlasting stone structures.
I can hardly wait to have our basement foundation repaired. Great video!
Thanks for watching. I’m please to see that more and more home owners in the Minneapolis and St. Paul area are finding my videos and contracting us to do this foundation restoration work.
I'll be working on a flagstone foundation from 1852 next week. I can't wait, there's something very exciting about working on an old house like that
Amazing! Love these videos. You should travel to Italy and repair one of the $1.00 stone houses!
Thank you for these informative videos!! Am looking forward to repointing my own basement mortar!!
on the outside you can use that smooth cement, it have no rocks in it, you mix the cement like a cake you making, then get a putty knife and paste on the mortor. Its that kind of mortor thats goes on nice and smooth. To get it done really nice, put some bonding agent with the mixture. I filled in lots of holes outside of my basement. Everyday I do some and finally got all the holes enclosed, because holes outside can let cold air inside the basement. Also if you come upon a big hole just put in some mortor and push a rock inside the mortor and just paste around inside and smoothen it out. It like hobby and lots of fun when you doing it. Especially when you watch these videos and gain some knowledge of what to do
V helpful & funny! Thanks for the great info!
Glad you enjoyed it!
So what was the mortar mix you used?
Thank you very much!
Great way to restore quality work!
Thanks co much for this video! Much appreciated!
you can also dust off all the debris and wet it down, and then use motor and bonding agent. You paint on the bonding agent and the mortor, then when you get it all painted, then you paint over the rocks with dry lock. What do you think, my basement is just like that. A guy told me he would put on sheet rock and plaster it and make it look nice, but i think you have to fix the crumbling rocks first, because thats a foundation that needs to be reinforced. I
You don't use cement or hard mortar, it has to be a lime based mortar so it can breathe
I have the same situation at my house. Thank you for the vdo. Do you think we should not finish basement if it is stone wall? I saw the problem about moisture behind the wall and hesitate to finish my basement.
very informative Mr. Rapidsmountain!
I'm planning on working on my sandstone basement to re-do the mortar. Would the mortar you used work for that sandstone? I was told that firestone mortar would be best for it's stickiness but its more expensive, not that I mind but, I just want to do it right without completely breaking my bank. We just got this house back into our family a few years back and we are trying to get it back into shape. It's 100+ year old railroad business building that was lifted, moved, and then turned into house.
Do not use fire brick mortar. Or fire stone mortar. Use your average basic mortar. Mix from Home Depot. Any type of mortar mix will be eight good soft lime mortar for your sandstone. Type S or masonry mix is not recommended for a softer stone.
@@forsbergmicah I appreciate the feedback. Would you say the "Mastergrade Stone Mortar Mix of cement and mason sand mixed" would work in this situation? I'm having trouble finding what what I need at my local homedepot. If it needed to be softer would adding more masonry sand to that mortar mix help?
Hi. Was there any weatherproofing done on the outside of the foundation? Doesn't that need to be done as well?
did you wet down the wall and joints before applying mortar?
You dont wet it down on vertical pointing because it just makes a drippy slurry mess on the face of the stone. Try that on decorative brick or stone veneer and you have messy staining you'll never get paid for. It's not required on mortar.
Mortar is limestone and sand, usually called s type or m type and does not/cannot have too rigid Portland or cracks will bust the whole wall.
how do you feel about spray foam after pointing
Do you know anyone in NY who does your quality work in NY?
I need to repair a 1930 stone mortar foundation wall similar to the one in your video.
So I have cinderblock walls in my basement and I don’t want to dry wall .. then .. I like the the stucco wall look and paint my ceilings black .
Can I drylok wall and put stucco over drylok paint or should I just purge the walls with N type… I’m just not sure if the stucco will stick to the wall after drylok paint .. also where are u located ? I’m in south NJ close to Philly
AwwwwwwwMAN!!!! I’m in Chicago! Need some work done. I want me a cave feel winery room. Yeah! It would look amazing with your skilz. Ok ok Ok fine. I’ll do it my self. Thank you very very much for the information.
What mortar mix did you use.
Did you spray a sealer after tuckpointing?
Do you have suggestions for someone who can do this to my basement in the Midwest Kansas City area And about how much does something like this run in cost
Awesome work, what sealer do you recommend?
Hi what type of mortar have you used for repointing this stone wall?
Use Type N for natural Stone. Type S is good too but only for super hard stone.
Lime is much better. Mixing Portand and Lime in the same wall is a recipe for a future disaster and the old wall is most definitely Lime mortar.@@forsbergmicah
Sidneyirvinggrosberg it’s hard to find lime though
I have a 110 yr old sandstone basement. The walls, I’ve been told by previous owner, are twice as thick as standard. The Weatherzation Program sprayed insulation. The walls are all uneven and bumpy as it was just left to harden. It’s only for storage with 5’ ceiling. What material would I use to just make them better looking ? I understand the frame should be pressure treated. Also since it’s not useable living space, what’s the cheapest material to use as wall boards? Thank you
Hello Micah, I have a new england property built in 1900 that is similar in repair need to this project. I learnt so much from your video for DYI but I am curious, I have an unfinished basement so what would the cost estimate range be for just the stone foundation repair work? Thanks
roughly $6000-$9000
Can you seal it after it’s already dried out ?
ryan faber yes
If I want to finish the floor of an old fieldstone basement, can I pour a thin layer of concrete just to level out and make things flat? Thank you!
Looks like they poured cement on my basement floor. I have a fieldstone foundation.
Wonderful work and very clear explanations. LOved watching it, and will be using this resource as a guide to repointing my stone wall basement here in Philly. OK to use hydraulic cement to point?
i'm trying to do this too in philly. Did you ever figure it out or find someone?
what type of mortar would you use with limestone?
i'm in PA a 1925 craftsman, need some help on the stone basement
Type N is suggested. I have used type S with long lasting success as well as Type N.
We have a c. 1900 stone foundation as well it’s been hard finding lime in home improvement stores
@@latte1020 Type N mix is a good place to start. And historic lime mortar mixes can go south on you real quick if your mix is wrong. In fact if your mix is off, the mortar will have no structural strength. On top of all that, mortar selection also depends heavily on what kind of stone or brick you have.
Oak Ridge that’s good to know! Thank you so much
i plan on doing this to my basement walls. all limestone. joints are falling apart keep reading not to use Portland cement, to use lime mortar. any suggestions?
Use type N , not type S ..or Google " lime mortar mix.
Now I know what I need to do. My room is half the size of yours.
Is there likely toxic subdstance in old mortar that could damage ones health or contaminate the household environment we should know about.? old House from early 1900's. Thanks!
No, it's usually just lime mortar from that era.
And before that it was horse hair and mud
What sealer are you using?
You should get an Ermator s36 self bagging silica extractor and an air scrubber or ventilation. The Shop-Vac and cyclonic device don't even come close to OSHA standards. That's just toxic.
What is the recipe of the mortar you use?
Where do I get one of those concrete batter bags? What are they actually called or who makes them?
It’s a grout bag
Kraft Tool Co.® Poly Grout Bag - sold at Menards for $6, if that helps.
Are you using Limestone mortar?
We are using a harder mortar. Definitely limestone base. The soft mortar slides out pretty easily. We recommend dehumidifiers to deal with moisture. The stone is super hard. Not sandstone. Its flaky but dense. Similar to the granite in the area. Northern MN has the oldest agates in the world. Lots of geological diversity in this region.
Hi this video gives me hope! We have a c. 1900 home built on stone in PA but I’m having a terrible time finding lime or lime based mortar in stores. We’ve been here two years and I’ve been looking for over a year. Did you order yours? And what sealant did you use then? Our goal is to do this over this winter. Thank you so much!!!
Get Type N or Type S. All the hardware stores have it. Don’t worry about the right type of mortar. I use Type S which is against some popular opinion. It’s so close it doesn’t matter.
What you use is type N , it's softer the type S. If you use type S, add some extra sand to reduce the cement % to below 20% as it should be softer then harder
Without information on your mortar mix this is pretty much worthless.Hopefully it is not just a portland mix.
Obviously you don't even know what you're talking about. If your Google mortar types they usually include descriptions of when to use one over the other and if you had seen the stack of bags had the name right on it. Any how, for those who don't know, mortar is limestone and sand, does not contain Portland sment, cement is too rigid brittle cracks on Stone foundations, brickwork and masonry veneer.
@@samsngdevice5103 There's a bag of portland cement there, and the "stone mortar mix" looks like portland-lime cement. Pretty tragic.
Type S works great. I like it better than Type N. It’s stronger and hold longer. I don’t care what other people say. I’ve tried both types for 22 years and types S is what I use mostly except when someone requests type N.
lots of hard work = many hands make heavy work light
After vacuuming the wall REVERSE the air flow and BLOW out all joints (a good exhaust fan is a good idea) ... in many cases you should pressure wash the walls to remove old dust and dirt to improve bonding. Lastly use a cement bonder in a spray bottle to premoisten the wall before applying a Type S Mortar.
Should use type N not S fyi
"Type N mortar mix is a medium compressive-strength material of at least 750 pounds per square inch (psi) and a 28-day strength of 1,500 to 2400 psi. Type S mortar mix, on the other hand, has a compressive strength of at least 1,800 psi, but it's typically much stronger at 2,300 to 3,000 psi." Per Google@@rollandjoeseph I prefer to use a higher (and denser) compression mortar on basement walls. After 30 days I apply 2 coats of a penetrating sealer such as RadonSeal and follow that up in 30 days with BASF MasterSeal 581 White Cement-Based Waterproof Coating (Use to be called Thoroseal) As old stone walls are frequently made with an inner and outer wall system that resulted in large gaps or pockets between the two that would harbor rats and mice I have used a 'closed' cell foam in deep openings that mortar could not be forced into. While this adds little to no structural strength it does stabilize the stones and helps reduce rodent and insect pentation as well an water seepage (open cell foam absorbs water). I've seen many different methods of repair/restoring stone foundations and depending on the area of the country and geographical orientations to rivers and run off, this system combined with a French Drain around the outside of the home without having to dig up the entire foundation to install drainage and repair the outside wall has proven to work best for me.
#LiquidLunch
Drywall and done
You were doing fine up to the point where you used a Portland cement based mortar mix. This video is three years old so by now the first cracks will have begun to appear. You never use a Portland cement based mortar on a stone foundation laid before 1920. They used a Lime mortar mix back then. In another 10 years, all of the crap you've put in that wall will be falling out because of the reaction of the Portland v lime. You should read the secretary of the Interior's standards and guidelines for the repair and rehabilitation of old buildings, before you spout this nonsense on a platform seen by millions, who don't understand the damage you're causing. 90% of the work we do as Historic masonry repair specialists, is repairing the work masons like you got wrong between the 1960's and the 2000's. So keep doing this and you'll keep us in work, forever. Bloody amateur.
Maybe you and your Masonry Bible are right. But my experience shows me that you’re wrong. I’ve been doing this for 22 years specifically with Stone and the lime/Portland mortar. You think it’s so great. It comes out and starts cracking and it’s much softer. So, you can keep your religion of Masonry and do it the way you are told and preach your religion. I’m a protestant. The Pope don’t rule me.
You Brits are so self-righteous about Masonry. The stone is different over here and so is the mortar. It’s not sandstone we’re working with. It’s a hard sediment lime stone.
You stand behind your faithful leader, and your Bible, and you preach your religion because you think it’s the right way. There are many ways and you can’t fit them all in a book.
@@forsbergmicah I've been doing this since 1966, you do the math. As for the religious aspect, I'm an insomniac dyslexic agnostic, I lie awake at night wondering if there really is a dog!! Stone is stone is stone. Portland cement was named after Portland limestone. The stone here in the USA is no different to stone anywhere else in the world. The USA is not as unique as you seem to think it is. The fact you've been doing this wrong for 22 years, comes as no surprise to me. I've yet to meet an American mason who knows what he's talking about. As for the use of Natural Hydraulic lime, it's been used for thousands of years, the Coliseum in Rome being a prime example of the use of lime mortar. And let me ask you this young man, what on earth do you think they built stone and brick buildings out of in the USA, prior to the invention of Portland cement? Do you even understand the difference between Rosendale cement and Portland cement. You really should educate yourself on Masonry, before spouting the ridiculous nonsense you think is right.
This being a social platform I’ll address the audience:
What works for me is what is best for my clients. I’ve asked some pretty knowledgeable masons and suppliers in the twin city area of Minnesota. There is not much of a noticeable difference when it comes to the basement work I do. I build and repair all sorts of stone structures such as front steps, patios, walls and more. I don’t always use one type or the other. Type S is the Portland mortar in debate. It consists of sand, lime, clay, and water. Type N consists of sand, lime and water. Clay is the element of debate. They say it’s too brittle and that it retains moisture and doesn’t allow the mortar to breathe.
The basement walls I work on were originally constructed with type N, which is lime mortar. It has all turned to sand in less than 100 years. Unlike the Colossal. What is tuck point work going to do for it? It’s not for structural support. The weight of the house seems to keep it all together. Erosion is the number one purpose. Tuck point work stops erosion. It reduces efflorescence and it looks great. The stonework stands out.
I’ve had clients turn their basements into sports dens, apartments, kitchens, bedrooms, family rooms, etc. Efflorescence is the only long term complaint. That seems to keep coming back. However I do offer spray application sealants to reduce it. There is debate on this subject also.
There are some big companies who restore cathedrals, churches, mansions and the like and they are fastidious about types of mortar and application. They frown on using a grout bag to fill in the joints. I’d have to agree that using a Tuckpointer is better when you have smaller joints like they do on those custom cut stone projects. But you can’t do that with the big joints in the basement walls.
So, as you can see it’s a big masonry world and we need more people like Keith to show us the “right” way with his masonry Bible and the authority of the Secretary of the Interior.
Dear Lord of Masonry, please forgive me my tuckpoint transgressions and lead me into everlasting stone structures.