Repair That Foundation... You Can Do It Yourself!

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TO POINT...

Pointing involves putting grout in the cracks and-as best you can-making it look like the original mortar. This technique is most effective in cases where there are just a few small cracks, or when the foundation is made of fairly sizable pieces, such as cement blocks or large rocks.

Materials needed torepair cracks and deteriorated joints in a brick foundation: mixing container,
masonry-grade cement, spray bottle, whisk broom, pointing trowel, putty knife, screwdriver, wire
brush, and plastering trowel.

There are several steps in pointing a brick foundation: First, remove the old, deteriorated grout from
between the bricks, using the screwdriver and putty knife. Next, give the joint a good going-over
with a wire brush. Then sweep it out with a whisk broom and wipe it clean with a towel. Spray the
to-be-repaired area with the water bottle, apply the new mortar to the cracks with a pointing trowel,
scrape off the excess, then smooth the grout with the broom of the travel.

First, pick up a small amount of the mud on the edge of the trowel and push it into the fracture. If the crack is long and straight, you can use the trowel to form ridges in the grout (in the container); then cut off beads with the edge of the tool and press them into the joint. Once the mortar is in the crevice, run the point of the trowel down the middle of it to force it between the blocks. Repeat the process until the fissure is filled, then scrape off the excess and smooth it down one last time with the bottom of the trowel. (Dampening the tool with water from the spray bottle before the last step will give the job a slicker-looking finish.)

Pointed joints aren't always neat-especially when the work is done by an amateur-because the new grout is a different color, and it's difficult to make a filled crack look like the original. On the other hand, the method is effective.

OR PLASTER

If you can ice a cake or spread peanut butter on a piece of bread, you can plaster over an old foundation and usually come out with a professional-looking job. Plastering takes longer than pointing, and the materials cost more, but the technique is the best one to use for badly deteriorated foundations constructed of relatively small components, such as bricks.

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