One home repair job that is DIY in nature and quite effective is to patch breaks in a wall in your basement. This is nevertheless important to the vital structures of your home; despite how simple and straight forward it can be to do. Before you begin the project, you should keep an eye on the area requiring patching for a few months to make sure that the holes or breaks are not a sign of something more serious at play such as a sign of a major structural problem. If the problem area does not seem to stabilize, but appears to be getting worse over time, then the project is no longer DIY in nature and will require the assistance of a repairing building contractor or an ordinary building contractor.
First and foremost, assess the concrete wall in your basement. If the damage appears to be leaking, then you should be using plugging cement that is quick hardening, or a concrete epoxy to fill it in. When you mix the cement for the dry patch spots, you should be using one part cement mixed with two parts of sand in order to make a mortar. You should slowly add water in until you have a dough like consistency, stirring well along the way.
Should a new leak spring up in an area close to the repair site, then there may be water that is backing up against the foundation's exterior, and this can be a serious problem. As a result, you are going to have to take more drastic measures with the help of a repairing building contractor as leak repair measures must be taken before this problem becomes any more serious or any more significant.
If you have a hole in your cement, here is what you can do: You can use a cold chisel to make the hole bigger, undercutting edges so that the plug is not going to pop loose. You can mix plugging cement, creating a stopper shape that you can pop right into the hole as if it were a cork. Keep it in place for a few minutes and let it harden.
If you are dealing with cracks in your cement, here is what you can do: You can use a hammer and a chisel in order to cut cracks back to the sound material, beveling the edges. Then moisten the cracks really well. Turn the mortar several times using a trowel, then work the well mixed mortar into the cracks using just the very tip of the trowel. One the mortar is beginning to harden, you can pack the crack completely full. Shave off whatever mortar is extra using a putty knife or a wet trowel and let everything harden.
Photo Credits: pirate johnny
Originally posted 2009-06-18 05:38:53. Republished by Blog Post Promoter
Related Posts -
6 Ways to Keep Your Basement Dry A leaky basement is a nightmare. Mold and mildew build up and can be hazardous to your health. In addition, many of us store things in the basement and we don't want to risk having them ruined. There are a few techniques that you can use to make sure that...... -
Review of Basements Step by Step Projects Creative Homeowner's series on home improvements includes this title and it is well worth the read. It's a short read, coming in at around 80 pages, but don't let the size fool you. Basements Step by Step Projects is packed with information and projects that will have you turning...... -
Why Bother with Basement Renovations? For some people, basement renovations are something complicated by problems with water or because their basements are little more than dirt cellars. For homes that have the potential, however, basement renovations can greatly improve a house. Adding a room to your home is a significant expense. But renovating the basement,...... -
Repairing Cracks in Walls If you have an older home that has some structural damage, or if you are starting to notice tiny cracks in the walls, the time to fix these is now, before they get any worse. If the crack is serious, you may need to get the help of a professional,...... -
Build Your Own Shed There are essentially three different ways to go when it comes to building your own shed. You can purchase a pre-built shed and simply have it moved into the right space, you can purchase kits for wood sheds and other storage sheds, and then simply put them together, or you......
Related Websites - Vertical Farming - The Future of Crop Production I learned something new this weekend after reading an article in the Casa Grande Dispatch newspaper. A high school student proposed an idea in Arizona that is both green and will save space and provide a great commodity for the community. This idea is called vertical farming and is not......
-
4 Ways to Avoid Hitting the Exercise Wall Have you ever hit the wall when you're exercising? We're not talking about an actual wall here, we're talking about that point of no return when your body says "Enough" and refuses to do anything else. Most of us have hit it once or twice, but during the summer months,...... - Home Inspections - Pay For It Now, So You Don't Pay For It Later I was reading over at Free Money Finance about a list of 10 times you can't afford to skimp.   I thoroughly agree on the importance of hiring a home inspector, which can potentially save you a lot of money down the road if problems are identified. But one thing that many......
-
Half Moon Bay Golf Links Ocean Course The Half Moon Bay golf links Ocean Course is located in: Half Moon Bay, CA in Ocean Colony Phone: (650) 712-7043 Website: http://www.hmbogolflinks.com Course History: The Ocean course was opened in 1997 and has instantly become an area favorite. The older course can also be played if you prefer a...... -
Prepare Your Home for Winter Photo courtesy of geocam20000 As the dog days of summer begin to grow shorter it is a great time to think about winterizing your home to prepare for the colder months ahead. Snow, ice and sub-freezing temperatures can damage a home’s exterior, leading to costly repairs. Inadequate seals and......
- Guides, Tips Ferrules Rod Building Repair Fishing
- Rod Building Repair Fishing
- Equipment Tools Rod Building Repair Fishing
- Tools, Scissors, Measures Sewing Collectibles
- Thread, Epoxy Coatings Rod Building Repair Fishing
Categories:
Basement, Fix, Handy Man, Walls
Tags:
0 comments ↓
There are no comments yet...Kick things off by filling out the form below.
Leave a Comment