Painting brick foundation inside, bad idea?

[Red Squirrel]

I have a brick foundation on a house I just bought. I'm only getting the keys on the 26th but trying to figure out how I'll go about making the basement and crawlspace cleaner and "livable", aka, able to go walk there no problem and have an overall clean feel to it.

At first I thought of scrubbing it with a 50% javex water to get rid of the white salt cristalization that's been accumulating over easily 30 years, followed by a couple coats of cement paint.

Now what I'm wondering is, will that cause any issues? Do I need to allow those bricks to "Breathe"? What about the outside portion, they put some kind of weather seal around that right? Also I will be getting eavesdrops installed stat which will reduce the amount of water near the foundation.

If I can't paint those bricks, what else can I do to make them "cleaner" looking? I will be painting the floor though, it's a bit rough but not too bad, any way to level a cement floor? Should I just pour 1/2 an inch of concrete to even it out, or is there a way I can "sand" it?

I'll be tearing out the rest of the basement including places where brick is not exposed so hopefully there are not too many surprises there. Overall the foundation looks in decent shape. Some cracks here and there, but nothing really major, it's a little damp but no visible leaks.

 

[edro]

Drylok is exactly what you need.

It is a dense brick paint used to keep water out.
Your bricks do not need to breath.

Use a big dry paintbrush first, to remove any particles and dirt.
If you have a ton of salt crystals, as you said, you may need to use a wire brush.

 

[Jeff7]

Yup, Drylok.

And you may want to buy a dehumidifier to keep down there anyway, as basements tend to get fairly damp.

 

[waffleironhead]

Check out zinsser's watertight paints. they make a waterproofing paint for masonry walls. Sounds like what you are wanting.

http://www.zinsser.com/product_detail.asp?ProductID=77

 

[imported_Imp]

Paint might crack and peel like there's no tomorrow if your floors/walls aren't well insulated.

 

[Capt Caveman]

Curious, have you had a home inspection done?

 

[Red Squirrel]

Originally posted by: Capt Caveman
Curious, have you had a home inspection done?

Yeah had an inspection, he did not mention anything about the foundation, except for the garage crawlspace must be kept warm as the frost in the winter accumulates and damages the foundation. He thinks that at one point they may of had to rebuild the whole garage as it sank. There are lot of crumbled bricks under the porch (which is a huge slab of cement) and there are spare bricks (or possibly remains, as they are not the same color as garage) in the crawlspace.

I probably will get a dehumidifier as well. It's not unusualy damp, but still damp enough for slow damage. What I see is probably the result of 30+ years.

 

[edro]

Is it a crawlspace, or a basement? Can you stand up? Is it a concrete floor, or dirt?

 

[Red Squirrel]

Originally posted by: edro
Is it a crawlspace, or a basement? Can you stand up? Is it a concrete floor, or dirt?

It's a crawlspace, can't stand up. The basement portion itself will probably get the same treatment as well. The floor is rough concrete, which will get painted.

 

[bobsmith1492]

Better put a fan down there or get an oxygen tank...

 

[Red Squirrel]

Originally posted by: bobsmith1492
Better put a fan down there or get an oxygen tank...

For the painting process? yeah I got that covered. I'll probably wear a mask and safety glasses too. I'll have to do a small area at a time with occasional breaks for fresh air. I have nice big windows in that basement so I can open them up.

This is assuming it is safe to paint that brick, but I'm getting the impression it is ok if I use Drylok.

 

[Squisher]

You need to get all the effervesce off the walls by etching them with acid . Only two acids are recommended Muratic or Phosphoric Acid with the latter being more DIY friendly. It's sold in the paint department at Home Depot. I actually took a garden hose down there along with a shop vac to rinse the acid off and then suck up the rinse water.

Then Drylok Extreme


I don't know if I'd go through the trouble with a crawl space.

As for smoothing the concrete floor, a number of different manufactures make stuff to skim coat an existing concrete floor (Ardex). If it was real rough you could rent a scarifier to smooth it a little.

 

[Red Squirrel]

Originally posted by: Squisher
You need to get all the effervesce off the walls by etching them with acid . Only two acids are recommended Muratic or Phosphoric Acid with the latter being more DIY friendly. It's sold in the paint department at Home Depot. I actually took a garden hose down there along with a shop vac to rinse the acid off and then suck up the rinse water.

Then Drylok Extreme


I don't know if I'd go through the trouble with a crawl space.

As for smoothing the concrete floor, a number of different manufactures make stuff to skim coat an existing concrete floor (Ardex). If it was real rough you could rent a scarifier to smooth it a little.

So javex would not be enough? I'm just afraid to apply too powerful of an acid on the bricks that it could potentially damage the mortor, as this is support brick and not just decorative.

I plan to keep the crawlspace as a clean storage area so I'm willing to go through the trouble. I'll probably buy a shop vac to help clean out the spider webs, dust and stuff too. I want to make it "livable".

 

[Farang]

http://seattletimes.nwsource.c...bcisterndeaths06m.html

 

[Squisher]

Originally posted by: RedSquirrel

Originally posted by: Squisher
You need to get all the effervesce off the walls by etching them with acid . Only two acids are recommended Muratic or Phosphoric Acid with the latter being more DIY friendly. It's sold in the paint department at Home Depot. I actually took a garden hose down there along with a shop vac to rinse the acid off and then suck up the rinse water.

Then Drylok Extreme


I don't know if I'd go through the trouble with a crawl space.

As for smoothing the concrete floor, a number of different manufactures make stuff to skim coat an existing concrete floor (Ardex). If it was real rough you could rent a scarifier to smooth it a little.

So javex would not be enough? I'm just afraid to apply too powerful of an acid on the bricks that it could potentially damage the mortor, as this is support brick and not just decorative.

I plan to keep the crawlspace as a clean storage area so I'm willing to go through the trouble. I'll probably buy a shop vac to help clean out the spider webs, dust and stuff too. I want to make it "livable".

It's a matter of durability. If you want to scrape the loose paint off and repaint every couple of years you can get away with just cleaning. If want the paint to stick for a while then you need to etch. It's not all that hard and acid will take most of the elbow grease out of the job. The acid comes as crystals you dissolve in a bucket of water. Apply it to the wall with a long handled scrub brush. Wait 15 minutes and hose it down. Keep a fan on for a couple of days to dry the area and paint.


What is the height of this crawl space?

 

[waffleironhead]

I would highly recommend you not use acid indoors in that quantity. The vapors would be horible and can corrode metals in the house(read pipes and electrice)

 

[BoomerD]

http://www.aldonchem.com/popup-ab-efflorescence.htm

 

[geno]

Another vote for drylok, that stuff works great

 

[Squisher]

Originally posted by: waffleironhead
I would highly recommend you not use acid indoors in that quantity. The vapors would be horible and can corrode metals in the house(read pipes and electrice)

The items you buy at Home Depot and other paint stores are made to be used in well ventilated areas indoors. They are sufficiently diluted to the point of making them safe for the average home owner if you follow the directions.

Let us not get carried away here.

 

[jemcam]

Eavesdrops? WTF is that?

Is that what we in the US call "gutters"?

 

[Red Squirrel]

Originally posted by: jemcam
Eavesdrops? WTF is that?

Is that what we in the US call "gutters"?

Yeah. Evesdrops is just the more professionally accepted term by most contractors.

 

[Robsasman]

Originally posted by: RedSquirrel

Originally posted by: jemcam
Eavesdrops? WTF is that?

Is that what we in the US call "gutters"?

Yeah. Evesdrops is just the more professionally accepted term by most contractors.

I think you mean eavestroughs

 

[Drako]

Originally posted by: RedSquirrel

Originally posted by: jemcam
Eavesdrops? WTF is that?

Is that what we in the US call "gutters"?

Yeah. Evesdrops is just the more professionally accepted term by most contractors.

Are most of the contractors you work with spies?

 

[amdskip]

Originally posted by: RedSquirrel

Originally posted by: jemcam
Eavesdrops? WTF is that?

Is that what we in the US call "gutters"?

Yeah. Evesdrops is just the more professionally accepted term by most contractors.

Eaves Spouts is the term you want.

 

[SagaLore]

Get the Drylock stuff that everyone is suggesting - but also get one with fungicide added, or add it yourself. If the bricks can't breathe on one side, then you don't want to trap moisture in them without defending against mold.