Need info on old mortar

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Permalink Reply by Red Queen on November 28, 2009 at 11:52pm

Thanks, Craig - I appreciate it. That's exactly the word I couldn't think of - there is efflorescence coming out of our basement walls, it looks like cotton candy growing on the limestone. It also falls off and puts dusty junk all over our stuff in the basement, even at a rate that our existing projects get dusty between one paint coat and the next. I had heard of someone living near me that had actually had her basement trenched around the outside and sealed, but I have nowhere near that kind of money - I do dehumidify all summer. What temperature should we try to keep the basement in the winter, should it be higher than 54, at least?

Thanks again,
Carrie

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Permalink Reply by Craig Talley on December 3, 2009 at 2:02am

keeping all things equal will result in a status quo, shoot for the high 50's, the air will then have the chance to evaporate moisture and eventually dry out the basement for a period long enough to get a pre spring coating of NHL white coat.
Mention code 1856 to Andy Degruchy and receive a 3% discount on the products.
You can actually mix it up like thick paint and appy it to the clean dry walls and come spring it will be very hard for water to condensate. Real leaks if any will then show themselves and can be dug out with a small star point chisel and hammer and pointed in with Ecologic NHL 5.0 mixed fairly dry and allowed to set for three days and plaster over again with the whitewash. NHL means natural hydraulic lime and the 5.0 being called emminent has the most natural cement and will even set underwater.

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