The Golden State: Where & How to Live, Secure, Visit, Enjoy and Thrive in California
First Aid For The Ailing Houses
The first coat is portland cement mixed with water to the consistency of thick paint, put on with a wide brush. This is immediately followed with mortar of 1 part cement and 3 parts sand, thoroughly mixed with water to a good stiffness for troweling. With a large mason's trowel, this is spread on the wall 1/4 inch thick and worked to a rough surface. This coat should not be allowed to dry quickly; hardness and density will be increased through drying slowly. The second 1/4 inch coat follows when the first is hard. The new cement should be sprinkled frequently with water and covered by hangings of wet burlap, carpet, or other heavy cloth. This should be continued for 4 days, although a week would be better.
Epoxy resin may also be used, although the formulation containing a filler is recommended for its relative lower cost. This material is mixed with hardener, then troweled onto the porous wall. A smooth trowel job may be done if a large container of the special solvent for epoxy resins is kept close by and the trowel dipped into it frequently.
Patching a Cracked Wall To close a crack in a cement wall, cut into it to form a wedge-shaped groove an inch or more deep, with rough sides to which the cement can adhere. This cutting can be done with a cold chisel or an old screwdriver. Wear goggles as a precaution. All loose particles are brushed out with a wire brush. The concrete along the groove is soaked with water and the crack filled with a stiff and wellmixed mortar of 1 part portland cement and 3 parts sand. This is packed in hard and the surface smoothed. The patch should be kept damp for several days to increase hardness and density.
Epoxy may also be used. For this, the crack is cleaned and the sides left more or less parallel, for epoxy will bond to the sides of the crack. The compound with filler added should be used, and should be packed into the hole with a putty knife. It is not effective if just spread on the surface.
Patching Floor Joints When there is leakage between floor and walls, a deep, wedge-shaped groove should be cut vertically into the joint. After this is cleaned and wet, it is packed with a stiff mortar of 1 part portland cement to 3 parts sand, or with iron cement. Another material that can be used is asphalt cement; the same kind that is used for roof repairs.
