How To Repair Stone Foundation Walls

To replace large stones that have fallen from the wall lay down a thick bed of mortar and set the stone in place.

How to repair stone foundation walls.

Use your shovel to dig a 1 foot deep trench along the perimeter of the stone foundation. Modern concrete foundations have helped minimize problems with foundations but if you live in a home that 100 years old or older you could have a stone foundation. Step 2 assess the damage. Pack more mortar around the stone.

While concrete is poured in a single batch to create a solid foundation or basement wall you can see that this is not the case with stone. This causes water leaks that lead to further decay of the mortar. A professional foundation crew will construct a one sided concrete form inside the old basement perimeter and pour a new concrete wall. In order to repair your stone foundation you need to tackle the problem from the both inside and the outside of your home.

Sometimes all it takes is a thorough cleaning to help your stone basement walls look almost new again. Although they can look very attractive the mortar joints are prone to weakening or cracking over time. If a space between foundation stones is wider than 3 inches or so fill it with mortar and then press a small rock firmly into the mortar to fill the space. Afterward a good masonry sealer will protect them against moisture and damage.

Stone foundation walls are common on many older homes. Pour an interior wall. All of these things can take their toll on basement walls made of masonry such as natural stone.