Parging Repair, Ottawa, Mason, Masonry, Ottawa, parging information, pictures of parging, parging photos, how-to parge, parging lesson, information about parging, parging process, concrete walkway, custom, competitive rates, high-end, top, experienced, veteran, expert, spcialist, parging, chimneys, masonry guarantee, Ottawa, guaranteed, cement repair, chimney rebuild service, references, clients, photos, mason, Ottawa, brick, pointing, tuck-pointing, parging, facing services, nepean, orleans, alta vista, riverside, sandy hill, rockcliffe, embassy mason, respected, well referenced

Case Study 1 - Chimney Repair
Case Study 2 - Concrete Countertop
Case Study 3 - Parging Examples, Tools & Techniques
Case Study 4 - Fireplace Brick Replacement
Case Study 5 - Tile Installation
Case Study 6 - Chimney Flue Replacement
Case Study 7 - Broken Concrete Step
Case Study 8 - Brick Sill Creates Wall Damage
Case Study 9 - Brick Retaining Wall Rebuild

Case Study 10 - Basement Window, Cut-out, installation

Case Study 11 - Concrete Walkway, Landing

Case Study 12 - Stone Wall Rebuild

Case Study 13 - Stone Step Rebuild

Case Study 14 - Fireplace Surround - Cultured Stone

Case Study 15 - Stone Stair Rebuild - in Winter

Case Study 16 - Fireplace Surround - Natural Stone

Case Study 17 - Stone Retaining Wall Rebuild

Case Study 18 - Dry-Stack Stone Retaining Wall Rebuild

Grinding before Parging
If a hard-to-remove substance like paint or tar is on the concrete it has to be addressed before parging. Grinding it off is one method.

A special concrete adhesive, or galvanized wire mesh, are the other means to secure parging to a wall.

Here, you can see the white paint has been ground off.

Patched Before Parging
We fill in the bigger holes in the concrete with a stronger cement (Portland), and then we parge.

Two Parging Tools
A steel trowel to put on the parging, and a fine-celled sponge trowel to do a textured finish, one of the more common styles.

There are more parging tools, with specialty trowels, and other finishing tools.

Stages of Parging Reconstruction

The Assignment:
Identify the weak parging,
Remove all weakened parging,
Keep the driveway area clean,
Re-parge the weak areas.
The new owner will paint everything with a Latex.

The Underlying Problem:
The foundation is slowly settling.

Removing the Weak Parging
Some areas are visibly broken, some cracks are visible.

We tap on the parging to listen for hollow areas, where the damage is hidden.

Thick canvas drop sheets gather all the debris.

The pictures reveal the expanding repair area.

Hidden Damage Revealed
Finally done excavation, the drop sheets are removed, the wall washed of dust and re-hydrated.

Parging can begin. The wall must be well saturated before parging, and is optimally misted regularly during the first three days after application.

I use less than the recommended amount of water noted on the bag, as experts agree it makes it stronger and reduces cracks that can form as it cures and shrinks.

While the pre-mix parging cement is more expensive, it contains ingredients to enhance endurance, UV resistance, and adhesion. In some applications a primer is used to increase adhesion.

Curing before Painting
A special parging cement with bonding agents was used for this job.

The parging is drying slowly and therefore more strongly because of repeated waterings during the curing process.

The client painted it afterwards. There are paints for cement, that allow it to breathe.

The Front Entrance - a salty area

Chiselled and cleaned.
Watered multiple times, before and after.
The parging protects the wall from winter salt.

"Perfect" it was called.
A smooth finish, providing cosmetic and protective value.
Colour can be added to the cement before mixing.

Window Parging

Sometimes neglected, window seals often get weather extremes.

The various materials used around a window have different thermal expansion and contraction properties, so the wood/plastic/brick/etc. combination doesn't move as one.

Consider Colour for Garden Elements!

This diving board, surrounded by canvas drop sheets and freshly parged, was a fun shape to do.

It has 90 degree inside and outside corners and rounded corners.

Parging, Temperature, Cracking

During the curing of the thin parging layer it may shrink at a different rate in one spot versus another. As your house changes temperature and size throughout the day, nearly every day, even a single wall can have different temperatures along it. If the parging shrinks at a different rate during curing, cracks can form. These are easily remedied with a slurry, and if done soon after will blend in seamlessly.

According to the product expert at one of the major parging cement manufacturers, parging should not be done when the temperature is above 25 degrees, nor when it below 5 degrees. Meaning the available and optimal days for parging are very limited.

This page last modified: June 21 2009