Parging is a construction practice, used to gracefully finish internal and external masonry block (or stone walls). It secures longevity of the foundation walls, and adds value to both commercial and residential assets.
A parge coating is applied with the help of a trowel, which is hard-pressed onto the surface with the intent to produce a contiguous surface by filling bug holes, and voids. Parging employ a masonry-based motor, and can be pasted on both new and existing walls. In most nations, parging is not an obligatory requirement under the legal building code, but it perks encourage property developers think about it, in order to attract their potential end-users.
Normally, a parging finishing last for five to six years, however due to extreme weather conditions such as rain, and snow, and hailstorms, it may develop cracks forcing the walls to look unappealing. Calling a specialist is ideal to get that job done and dusted, but will definitely disturb your monthly budget. However, don’t take it as an excuse to hamper the beautiful curb appeal of your house.
Can parging be repainted?
No, it is a falsehood present with this art of enhancing the appeal of masonry walls. Repainting a parged wall will accelerate the deterioration parging process, because watertight painting finish may entrap moisture leading to dampness, and further widening of cracks.
Can parging be repaired?
Yes, parging can be easily fixed. In many circumstances, superficial cracks can be refilled to defy water from infiltrating the foundation wall. Limited damages such as small cracks, bug holes, and spots of detached material can be repaired by firstly preparing a mixture of quick-fix cement and water, then resurfacing the walls to reinstate an even surface. Big breaks can also be covered with metal armature before parging.
However, if the deterioration is serving, get rid of the old parging coating, and do the recoating work from beginning
How to get started with the reparging process
The surface has to be free of stains and any brittle material before going any further in your mission to fix parging cracks. Begin by chipping away at cracked (or loosed) concrete breaks with the help of a high-quality chisel, this step must be thoroughly repeated two to three times.
After the chipping job, brush the business area by utilizing a wire brush, this will help you get rid of unwanted loose bits, dust and the debris sticking on the wall. And, then hose up the entire area of reparging with water. You can also go step ahead by washing the wall with dish soap, since parging jells easily to a clean and smooth surface.
Make assure you give enough time for the surface to dry up, and leave have no traces of moisture; otherwise all your efforts will go in vain,
The next step
After the wall is fully dried up, apply a bonding agent to the surface, it is typically like painting the wall. A high quality binding mixture is advisable, so that the parged coating easily integrate with the surface.
Troweling
It’s time to utilize your muscle grease by troweling the parging mix on to the wall. It is considered the toughest part of reparging, and many fail to step overcome this hurdle.
After first coating, take leave for 24 hours before getting back to work for the second coat. In many circumstances, the drying up of wall may take two to three days depending upon on the outside whether condition. You can smoothen up the parged surface with a bit of texture by utilizing plasterer’s broom (or rake).
However, in the end of it all if you are unhappy with the results, than add another layer of parging to get meet your satisfaction criteria (or goals). Regularly watering the reparged surface for several days as this will help the new parging dry slower, hence reducing the possibility of it cracking or flaking.
If the cracks run deeper, and you discover that it is the not the parging, but rather the wall foundation that is cracked, then this is a serious problem that needs to address at the earliest. In that scenario, you require the help of a foundation crack repair specialist immediately.