Old Stone Foundation

Amy
by Amy
Our house was built in 1870 (so we are told) and has an old stone foundation. Although I like the look of the stone, I am wondering if there is a product out there that we could put in all of the cracks and crevices which would make it less damp down there. I don't really want to cover up all the rocks, just the cracks.
  2 answers
  • Donna Byram Donna Byram on Aug 21, 2014
    I am assuming it is has mortar in between the rocks. Quikrete mortar repair. Comes in a tube for easy application. You can purchase it at most home building supply stores. (Lowe's, Home Depot) http://www.quikrete.com/productlines/MortarRepair.asp
  • Amy Amy on Aug 21, 2014
    There is nothing between the rocks now (at least nothing that I can see) - it's just rocks piled on rocks.
    • @Amy You need to be really careful with stone and rubble foundation. If there is no cement now, you do not want to put any in. It can destroy the foundation quickly. What happens is the foundation moves with the soil moisture content. Any cement will only be able to support one side of the foundation. What will happen if you secure the visual side is that the other side will continue to move. The resulting issue is the wall will begin to bow and fall apart. As far as moisture, There is very little you can do other then to put plastic down on the floor and cover it with gravel and cement. Do not try to put in a drainage system either. That too will cause failure of the foundation wall. Because your upstate your humidity levels are fairly consistent year round. I would suggest that you install a radon vent fan with the pipe near the floor with the fan discharging outside. The smaller the radon fan you can get the better. You do not need a lot of air movement. Then a small vent grill on the door to the basement, or somewhere on the floor will allow the fan to pull dryer conditioned air down into the basement and along with the moisture and smells it will discharge outside of the house. There is a product called a Wave Ventilator system. But you can do the same thing with a radon fan and some PVC pipe and a dryer vent. http://www.wavehomesolutions.com/content/ventilation/landing/?source=waveventilation&keyword=wave%20ventilation&_vsrefdom=p.2504&gclid=Cj0KEQjw1NufBRCx8ayaqY2t6KkBEiQA2nLWm8Bbi8FJlI5O94sWHCHzwLBvJKvcAnQGL0DKA5cE7G8aAuLj8P8HAQ