Parging in Ottawa, Gatineau and Cantley: New Foundation Parging and Repair
Parging for homes near Ottawa and across the Outaouais: we apply new parging on foundations and redo parging that has cracked, gone hollow or started to flake off. Tell us what you see on your foundation and we will come and look at it before quoting.
RBQ 5867-6305-01
What Parging Does for a Foundation
Parging is the coat of cement-based mortar you see on the band of foundation wall between the ground and the siding or brick. On a poured concrete or concrete block foundation, it hides the forms, the block joints and the rough surface, and gives the base of the house a clean, even finish.
It also protects the face of the masonry. That strip of wall takes rain splashing off the ground, snow piled against it all winter and the freeze and thaw cycles of spring and fall. A sound coat of parging takes that wear so the concrete or block behind it does not.
Parging is a finish, not a structural repair. It does not waterproof a basement and it does not fix a foundation wall that is cracked through. What it does well is protect and finish the visible part of the foundation, and that is the work we do.
Signs Your Parging Needs Repair
Walk around the house and look at the foundation between the ground and the siding. Any of these means the parging is no longer doing its job:
- Hairline or wider cracks running across the parged surface
- Parging that sounds hollow when you tap it
- Flakes or patches that have come off and expose the block or concrete
- Bulges where the coat has lifted away from the wall
- Crumbling edges along the top of the parging or near the ground
- Old patches that no longer match or have cracked around their edges
Damaged parging rarely stops at one crack. Water gets behind the loose coat, freezes and pushes more of it off the wall each winter.
New Parging or Parging Repair in Ottawa and the Outaouais
Parging repair
When only some areas have cracked or come loose and the rest of the coat is solid, we remove the damaged sections down to a sound surface and redo them. The repair is blended into the existing coat so the foundation keeps an even look.
Full parging renewal
When the parging is hollow or cracked in many places, patching tends to fail around each patch. In that case we take the old coat off the wall and apply new parging over the whole foundation.
New parging
On a foundation that was never parged, or on new concrete block work, we apply parging to give the masonry a finished surface from the start.
Parging often goes hand in hand with other masonry work at the base of a house, such as concrete block repairs or a brick wall that needs attention. See our brick repointing and masonry repair and masonry services pages. In French: réparation de maçonnerie et crépi de fondation.
How a Parging Job Goes
- 01
Site visit
We look at the parging all around the foundation, tap for hollow areas and note what has to come off.
- 02
Quote
You receive a free written quote that describes the sections to redo and the work planned.
- 03
Removing loose parging
Cracked, hollow and flaking parging is chipped off down to a sound surface. Solid areas are left in place.
- 04
Preparing the surface
The wall is cleaned and dampened so the new coat bonds to the masonry instead of drying out against it.
- 05
Applying the parging
The parging is applied and finished in an even coat, with clean edges at the top and along the ground.
- 06
Cleanup
We clean the work area and walk around the foundation with you to check the result.
If removing the old coat shows damage in the block or concrete behind it, we show it to you before going any further.
A Cantley Mason for Parging Near Ottawa
Maçonnerie J. Légaré is based in Cantley and works on homes in Gatineau, Cantley and the rest of the Outaouais, as well as homeowners near Ottawa. The company holds licence RBQ 5867-6305-01 and works on residential masonry only. The person who looks at your foundation is the one who does the parging.
Frequently Asked Questions About Parging
What is foundation parging?
Parging is a thin coat of cement-based mortar applied over the exposed part of a foundation wall, between the ground and the siding or brick. It gives poured concrete or concrete block an even finish and protects the surface of the masonry from the weather.
Why does parging crack and fall off?
Mostly because of water and frost. Moisture gets behind the coat or into small cracks, freezes, expands and pushes the parging away from the wall. A coat that was applied over a dirty or dry surface, or that is simply old, lets go sooner.
Can you just patch the damaged spots?
Sometimes. When only a few areas have come loose and the rest of the coat is sound, those sections can be redone on their own. When the parging is hollow in many places, patches tend to fail around their edges and redoing the whole wall gives a better result. We decide during the site visit.
Does parging waterproof a foundation?
No. Parging is a protective finish on the outside face of the wall above the ground. It is not a waterproofing membrane and it does not repair a structural crack in the foundation. Its job is to protect and finish the visible masonry.
Which areas do you serve for parging?
We are based in Cantley and work on homes in Gatineau, Cantley and the rest of the Outaouais, as well as homeowners near Ottawa. Add the job address to the quote form and we confirm whether it is in our service area before booking a visit.
Have Your Foundation Parging Assessed
Cracks, hollow spots or parging coming off the wall: describe what you see in the quote form or call 819 592-7335. We book a visit and send you a free quote that describes the work.