Parging is a mortar and cement mix used to protect your home’s foundation from weather and environmental elements. This mix is usually applied to the foundation after it has been constructed, helping it act as a protective barrier and improving your home’s aesthetics.
But just like anything, parging can suffer from damage and wear and tear, and it’s essential to address this issue right away. For jobs like this, it’s best to get handyman services to help you. This way, proper repairs will be made, and they’ll be following the right techniques to keep you and your family safe.
If you want to learn more about your home’s parging, keep reading. In this article, we’ll share with you why your parging sustains damage, how to repair them, and signs you need to look out for to know when you need to replace it.
Reasons parging cracks appear
One of the functions of parging is that it serves as a moisture barrier for your walls. However, it isn’t water-resistant and can still get wet. When this happens, the water trapped inside the parging can freeze or expand, resulting in cracks.
Depending on the freeze or thaw cycle and whether the section of the wall is above or below the frost line, your home’s parging can react differently. When the parging is above the frost line, cracks can appear because the adjoining soil and parging are freezing or thawing.
When you see cracks, know whether it appears on the parging or the foundation. To do this, it’s crucial to work with experts offering handyman services so they can do a proper inspection and quickly do repairs depending on the situation.
How to repair parging cracks
Step 1: Prep your walls
To begin repairing your parging, you must work on a clean and smooth wall. Once you’ve done this, start scraping mortar debris and then fill the cracks with mortar if repairs are needed. After that, clean out the dust and dirt to get your wall ready for repairs.
Step 2: Make the parging mixture
Thankfully parging mixtures are accessible, and you can find one in your local hardware store. They usually come in packages and include instructions so you can prepare and mix the parging yourself.
However, it’s much better to hire a handyman to do this because they’ll be using only the finest products for your wall to guarantee longevity and durability.
Step 3: Apply the mixture
Once you’ve made the mixture, apply the parging to a moistened wall and make sure the first layer is 3 to 8 inches thick. After that, smoothen the surface and allow the coat to dry for 24 hours. To prevent the wall from cracking, mist the walls for the next five days.
Although this is something you can do yourself, it’s still ideal to hire experts to handle this because the application of parging requires some skills and techniques only professionals can do.
Signs you need to replace your parging
Cracks
When you have a cracked parging, water can get into it and damage your home’s foundation. This encourages leaks and other moisture problems, so it is best to have your parging replaced immediately to avoid these issues.
Flaky parging
When you notice that your parging is flaky, this means that the original coat wasn’t applied properly. Instead of spot repairing the area, it’s best to start from scratch and reapply a fresh coat of parging.
Discoloration
If you notice that the parging around your house has discolouration, it’s time to consider taking it off and replacing it with a new coating.
Conclusion
As a homeowner, one of your responsibilities is to ensure that every element in your home is in its best condition, most especially your home’s parging and its foundation. To do this, contact your local handyman services to help you inspect, repair, replace your home’s parging.
Are you looking for handyman services in Ottawa? Check out Gillespie Handyman. We offer high-quality home improvement services at affordable prices, such as general repairs, siding repairs, concrete and parging repairs, and more. Learn more about our services today!