I recently purchased a house built in 1922 with a brick foundation. There is some signs of seepage through the mortar joints so I was going to seal the brick and the mortar and was considering a product like drylok. Now for the problem. Most of the brick has been previously painted and is peeling and chipping in several places, as I started to scrape at the loose paint I discovered that there isn’t only paint on the walls. It appears that someone skim coated the brick with plaster of paris or drywall mud and in several spots there is little or no adhesion to the brick. Sand blasting came to mind but I’m concerned about lead, asbestos etc. Any suggestions? As an added note it just rained here for the first time in months a heavy rain followed by several days of soaking rains with no signs of new seepage. Would a barrier product like those installed behind stucco or a house wrap to allow drainage installed behind a stud wall work. Cost is a concern but this needs to be addressed before the basement could be finished. My wife is highly allergic to mold so so I don’t want to create additional problems. The minor grade issues outside are being addressed. Thanks.
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Is it brick or is it cement block? Regardless, my choice would be to dig around the outside and put a liner on the outside and replace/renew the weeping tile around the house. I have a similar problem and it will be resolved by digging on the outside and applying a liner.
That would work for the water but what to do with the lack of adhesion of anything applied to the inside. It is a brick foundation.
Check out this thread and see if anything applies...
http://forums.taunton.com/n/mb/message.asp?webtag=tp-breaktime&msg=96269.1
Thanks for the link. Those pictures could have been my house only with a different topcoat for the brick. Looks like I will be removing as much of the coating that will come off and build a stud wall topped with drywall. Any suggestions as to a barrier material between the brick and the stud wall that will still allow the brick to breath. I did plan to insulate the basement walls and the rim joists what is the best material to use knowing that the brick has to be able to breath. Thanks