Parging Repair in Winnipeg
The band of coating between grade and siding takes more abuse than any other part of the wall, and it fails first.
Parging is the first thing on a house to look tired and the easiest to put off. Winnipeg Stucco Works repairs parging on foundations across Winnipeg, and it is some of the most common work we do on older homes.
Why This Band of Wall Fails First
Everything works against the base of a wall. Roof runoff lands near it. Snow gets shovelled against it and sits there for months. Splash-back throws grit and water at it every time it rains. And it sits right at the line where the wall meets soil that freezes and thaws.
Concrete and block absorb water. When that water freezes, it expands inside the material, and the surface layer breaks away. That is spalling, and once the coating is broken the process accelerates, because more water gets in.
Older Winnipeg foundations, particularly rubble stone and early concrete block, are the most affected. Their surfaces are irregular to begin with and they have been through many more cycles.
Doing It So It Lasts
The failure we get called to fix most often is new parging applied over old. It looks correct for one season, then comes away in sheets, because it was bonded to material that had already let go.
So the loose material comes off first, right back to sound concrete or block. The surface is cleaned and dampened, a bonding agent is applied, and the new coat goes on at a thickness that can actually survive. Feather-edging parging to nothing at the top is another common failure, since a thin edge has no strength.
We also look at why it failed. If the grade slopes toward the house, or a downspout discharges right at the wall, the new parging will fail the same way the old one did. We will tell you what we see, even though the drainage work itself is not ours.
Related Work
Damage above the parging line is usually stucco repair. Chimneys and other exposed concrete are covered under foundation and chimney parging. Where an entire foundation needs redoing rather than patching, we quote that as full parging.
Serving Transcona, East Kildonan and communities across Winnipeg.
What's Included
- Crumbling, hollow and spalled parging removed and rebuilt
- Foundation walls and exposed concrete
- Bonding agent used so the new coat holds
- Grade and drainage issues flagged before they repeat
- Free written quote before work starts
Other Services We Offer in Winnipeg
Parging Repair Questions
What is parging?
It is the cement coating on the exposed part of a foundation wall, between ground level and where the siding or stucco starts. It tidies up concrete or block and gives the wall a wearing surface. It is not waterproofing, though it is often mistaken for it.
Why does parging fail so often?
Because of where it sits. That band takes roof runoff, snow piled against it all winter, splash-back off the ground, and the full freeze-thaw swing at the point where the wall meets wet soil. It is the harshest few feet on the building.
Can new parging go straight over the old?
Only where the old coat is still bonded. Fresh material over crumbling parging debonds along with what is underneath, usually within a season or two. Loose material has to come off, and the surface has to be prepared and bonded properly.
Will repairing the parging fix a wet basement?
Usually not on its own. Parging is a surface coating, not a moisture barrier. If water is entering the basement, the cause is generally grading, drainage or the foundation itself. We will point out what we can see, but that is a different trade's work.
Get a Free Parging Repair Quote
Tell us what the wall is doing and we will give you a written scope and price before any work starts.