I broke it, now I have to fix it. Questions about mortar and 1850’s basement walls.

The first room in the basement has huge potential. Ground level is between 3 and 4 feet from the floor, so the three windows are half height and still let in a lot of light. When I first viewed the house the windows were sealed off with fibreglass insulation. Yesterday, now that we’re past the last frost, I ripped it all out. It made a huge difference. I now have until the first frost to restore the windows and install new storm windows, but that’s for another day. Previous owner had started renovating, so three of the walls have palsterboard / dry wall . . . My first question was whether I should trust that it had been done properly. Once the light was flooding in and I moved all the junk that was left behind, the answer was a clear no. I discovered a half finished wall behind old doors and screens. It consisted of a few batons, sheets of polystyrene and more fibreglass insulation. The bottom baton was soft, damp and rotten. I removed the wood and makeshift insulation to reveal large sheets of thin plastic. I’m guessing this trapped water which then ran down and into the bottom baton. Behind that was the remains of original batons which were half gone and what remained, decomposing fast. Under that was the original masonry and a small section of the original finish - a mixture of mortar and small stones.

So I broke it and now I have to fix it.

The first house I renovated was built in the 1790’s. The basement walls were made of flint and mortar. It was one of six cottages in a terrace. Ours was the only one without a modern basement. All the others had tanked theirs - installing a waterproof membrane and various layers of materials. There was none of the original character and a whole stack of problems.

I simply painted ours with a old school whitewash that let moisture through. There were vents near the ceiling and the room was heated when needed, which wasn’t that often as the ambient temperature was 16’C / 61’F.

We lived there for a few years and never had any issues with damp or humidity. We had to touch up the odd patch of paint, brushing off deposited salts and where it showed some colouration. Letting the room breath felt right and I want to do the same here.

The room has a massive fireplace and adjacent bread-oven - definitely makes me think RMH. That would solve cold and damp. (Also for another day). My first job is to make good. My current thoughts are to grout and stabilise the wall, then paint with something that lets the room breath. However I’m a stranger in a strange land. The products I used before either don’t exist or have different names or the climate here is so different that my plan is doomed. The UK and Eastern US are very different - I can expect significantly colder winters and hotter summers. There are a lot less old buildings and less restoration here - I’m guessing most people would either leave the basement as is, or pay contractors. So far online, I’ve failed to find people doing what I’m doing . . . So once again, I’m very grateful to the people of Permies, as I’m sure some of you have been presented with similar solutions. Is my plan doomed? What should I use as a mortar / grout? Can I make it myself? What about paint? And being realistic, I may well sell up in five years, will my solution freak out potential buyers! Cheers.  


The wall behind the doors


Yucky plastic sheeting


Rotting slats and original finish


Cleaned up and ready fixing

This reminds me of the basement of the first house I ever owned. I have more questions than answers.  How much moisture are you talking about?  Or, to word this another way, is the moisture so bad that the repairs need to begin on the outside of the basement?

Do you want to insulate the wall? Or just paint it with a breathable paint?

John F Dean wrote:This reminds me of the basement of the first house I ever owned. I have more questions than answers.  How much moisture are you talking about?  Or, to word this another way, is the moisture so bad that the repairs need to begin on the outside of the basement?

I’m pretty sure the moisture isn’t a problem. The soil here is sandy and rocky and we’re on the side of a hill along way above the river. The walls are very thick and I think the little moisture there was just built up behind the plastic. I have work to do outside - capture water and move excess water form the house away from the building. At some point I’ll dig down next the house and find out what the soil structure is like and so I’m just going on what my neighbour told me.

Jeremy VanGelder wrote:Do you want to insulate the wall? Or just paint it with a breathable paint?

Just paint . . . I may regret this next winter.

Keimfarben from Germany has been making mineral (also called water glass) paints for 150 years. They were started because German royalty wanted a paint that could be used for exterior frescoes in the harsh German environment. A number of those frescoes survive to this day.

Keimfarben

Have you checked out the This Old House TV series?  I never paid much attention to it, as my house-owning was limited to a 1950 house on the West Coast, but they specialized in older houses on the East Coast and may give you useful insights.  

Morfydd St. Clair wrote:Have you checked out the This Old House TV series?  I never paid much attention to it, as my house-owning was limited to a 1950 house on the West Coast, but they specialized in older houses on the East Coast and may give you useful insights.  

Similarly- check out your local library, when I worked at one we had huge amounts of DIY books on these subjects-- and they're old enough they might be giving them away or selling them at book sales.

Jeremy VanGelder wrote:Keimfarben from Germany has been making mineral (also called water glass) paints for 150 years. They were started because German royalty wanted a paint that could be used for exterior frescoes in the harsh German environment. A number of those frescoes survive to this day.

Keimfarben

Thanks Jeremy - looks like good stuff. I also have to paint the outside wall, the section above ground level.

Morfydd St. Clair wrote:Have you checked out the This Old House TV series?  I never paid much attention to it, as my house-owning was limited to a 1950 house on the West Coast, but they specialized in older houses on the East Coast and may give you useful insights.  

Thank you - I did come across some of their videos on Youtube. I watched the one on lead paint removal but was horrified at the end. When the presenter asked about disposal, he said it could go in the regular trash as it was domestic waste! Where I lived in NJ, it would have been buried and then leaked into the water table. Where I’ve moved to, they burn trash, so it would have ended up in the air we all breath. However, I have to be realistic and pick and choose what to take away. And as you say, useful insights.

Tereza Okava wrote:
Similarly- check out your local library, when I worked at one we had huge amounts of DIY books on these subjects-- and they're old enough they might be giving them away or selling them at book sales.

Good idea . . . However . . . The local library requires proof of residence and an NY State driving license, to get a library card . . . I don’t have either and you can’t enter without one. . . Ho, hum.  Same requirements for the recycling centre . . . Oops, felt a mini rant coming on there! Thank you Tereza, I’m planning my first visit to NY MVC next week.

What does this mean?  "NY MVC next week."
Full Identification to get to a library or tip, I am amazed.