How to Repoint and Prevent Further Damage to a Fieldstone Foundation

Ask This Old House mason Mark McCullough repoints a crumbling fieldstone foundation and shares an important lesson about water management on the outside of the house Click here to SUBSCRIBE to the official This Old House YouTube channel: http://www.youtube.com/subscription_center?add_user=thisoldhouse Time: 2-3 hours Cost: $50 Skill Level: Moderate Tools List for Repointing a Fieldstone Foundation: Bucket Masonry brush Safety glasses Pickax Finishing trowel Margin trowel Brick trowel Paintbrush Shopping List: Type N mortar Bonding agent Steps: 1. Start by identifying the cause of the foundation damage. Go outside to the corresponding location near the damage in the basement. Check to see if there is proper drainage, grading, and a functional gutter system. If water is able to pool anywhere near the area in question, the foundation damage will return. 2. Address any water issues on the outside of the house to prevent additional water from coming in. 3. Dip a masonry brush in a bucket of water and dampen the mortar and stones that are going to be repointed to keep the dust down. 4. Use a pickax or another sharp tool to pull the existing mortar from between the stones. If small stones fall out, set them aside to be put back in place during repointing. 5. Once all the mortar is removed, dip the masonry brush back in the water and clean out all the joints. 6. Using a separate bucket, mix the mortar, water, and the bonding agent. 7. Holding the finishing trowel upside down, plop some mortar on its blade. Use a margin trowel to push the mortar off the finishing trowel and deep into the joints of the fieldstone foundation. Put the small stones back in where there are really large areas to fill in. Do this until all the joints are filled with mortar and small stones. 8. Using a small, wet paintbrush, smooth over all the joints to expose the aggregate. Check underneath all the stones and makes sure no sagging has happened between the mortar joints and the stones. If that’s happened, use the paintbrush to push the mortar back up against the stones. Resources:Mark emphasizes that if you suspect water damage in your basement, it’s just as important to identify and eliminate the cause of the water as it is to repoint the basement. He explains that having a good gutter and overall drainage system is essential to preventing further foundation damage to a house. Gutters and downspouts can be found at home centers. To repoint the fieldstone foundation, Mark used a Type N mortar, manufactured by Quikrete (http://bit.ly/2boMkKO). In general, Type S mortar is used for structural or foundation work, but Mark finds that the Type N works better in this application because it's softer and will accommodate some movement in the foundation. To help the mortar bond better with the stones, Mark also added C-21 All Acrylic cement modifier admix, which is manufactured by Silpro (https://www.silpro.com/). The other tools Mark used to repoint the foundation, including the buckets and trowels, can all be found at home centers and masonry supply stores. Expert assistance with this segment was provided by MJM Masonry. Ask This Old House TV Homeowners have a virtual truckload of questions for us on smaller projects, and we're ready to answer. Ask This Old House solves the steady stream of home improvement problems faced by our viewers—and we make house calls! Ask This Old House features some familiar faces from This Old House, including Kevin O'Connor, general contractor Tom Silva, plumbing and heating expert Richard Trethewey, and landscape contractor Roger Cook. This Old House releases new segments every Sunday, Monday, Wednesday and Friday. Keywords: This Old House, How-to, home improvement, DIY, ask this old house, Mark McCullough, fieldstone, foundation, masonry, water damage, repointing Watch the full episode: http://bit.ly/2XTTQUt Follow This Old House and Ask This Old House: Facebook: http://bit.ly/1psm4fC Twitter: https://twitter.com/thisoldhouse https://twitter.com/asktoh Pinterest: http://bit.ly/1psm4fE G+: http://bit.ly/1CtsNjJ Instagram: http://bit.ly/1psm1QZ Tumblr: http://bit.ly/1CtsLbH