Early September brings more progress with the west-walkout side of the basement. The masonry parging was done to the exposed west walkout side of the basement. Dieter provided expertise so that he and Bob could do this together, and it went well. We used a product called Sika Topcoat Seal 107, it is a polymer cement which adheres directly to either brick, concrete or polystyrene. The latter was the surface that we applied it to, meaning the outer styrofoam part of our insulated concrete form (ICF) foundation. Although more expensive and tricky to use than regular parging material, it adheres and sets up very well when applied correctly. We were glad that we used the expertise of a stonemason for the work because we heard of another general contractor who applied it to all four exposed walls on a local house and it flaked right back off. As in handling most of this kind of product, surface preparation and between coat preparation are critical, as is mix ratios and thorough blending. Dieter has some physical limitations these days but he is very knowledgeable and has all the tools for this so it was an interesting learning experience. I am happy to put regular parge on the block at the barn but was glad that I did not tackle this job. The surface must cure for thirty days and then it can be painted. That is the next challenge, finding a good quality compatible paint. The Sika technical rep has only data for cosmetic finishing using their own products, although it is not a foolproof method for success, I am a big fan of research.
