Understanding the Facets of Parging Mixture and Repairs

exterior construction

Parging refers to the mixture that is applied to the exterior walls of a house or structure. This is normally applied on the walls of foundations not covered in soil. As time goes on, the parging mixture of mortar will wear away. Cracks will begin to appear in these areas, necessitating home repair. 

This problem is fairly prevalent in older homes and structures. Early in its lifespan, the parging mixture maintains the capacity to withstand nature and other external factors. More often than not, the wear and tear in your parging are caused by moisture and cold weather. As ice and snow freeze over this part of your wall, moisture might seep into the mortar. When the weather gets cold again, the ice will expand as it freezes, causing those all-too-familiar cracks. 

The necessity of parging repair

If home repairs are not made, the damage from your parging can extend to the walls and floors of your house. Moisture and water could seep into these sections of the house, eventually ruining different parts of it. Not only does this put you at greater risk of structural damage, but it also means mould may develop over time. 

How the process goes

A surprising number of people make the mistake of covering up the old layer with a new one, thinking that will do the trick. All this does is waste your money. So long as the old layer is not replaced, the new layer will simply crack, flake, and peel away. While chipping off the old layer with a hammer and chisel seems like a tedious job, it is essential for maintaining the value of your home. 

After you’ve chipped away the bad parging with a hammer and chisel, brush and scrub the walls with a metallic brush. This will remove whatever dust and debris remain on these surfaces. 

The next step is creating the mixture. The secret to perfect parging is in the ratio of sand, cement, gravel, waterproof powder, and other materials in the mortar mixture. The better these ratios, the longer the parging will last. There are plenty of premixed parging options available if you prefer not to mix it yourself. 

Different parging recipes

Some masons recommend a 1:1 ratio of sand to cement, but others disparage this by saying that this mix is prone to cracking and dusting. In such cases, many professionals mixing in some lime to give the mixture some elasticity in 4 parts sand, 1 part lime, and 1 part cement.

Whatever you end up mixing, make sure to test it on a small portion or a different surface. It might not provide the give or the strength you need. 

Consider professional home repair services

Of course, you could make the process of repairing parging so much easier on yourself if you hire professionals to do the job instead. They are likely to have their parging recipe in addition to a greater understanding of what works better in your location and under your climate. They are also far less likely to make costly and wasteful mistakes.

Call a professional for your home repairs. Even a small job like parging can be made less stressful by the hand of a skilled expert. We at Gillespie Handman Services are fully equipped to handle this job for you. Contact us today!