Assistance with Repointing a Fieldstone Foundation

[cgny74]

Good morning.

I have yet to formally introduce myself and provide my background, but I certainly plan to as this site appears to be a wealth of information. I was referred by a friend and I like what I see so far.

I was wondering if anyone out there could assist with a home improvement project I plan to undertake?

I own a colonial home that was built in 1870. It has a field stone foundation and for the most part is in really good shape. However, I do have one area of the foundation wall that has 1 or 2 small leaks when it rains heavily.

I have done some outside work. I repaired the gutters and downspouts to ensure water was being drained away from the foundation. This has seemed to remedy the water problem

I would like to now repair the mortar joints. I know that I need to chisel out the old mortar to about a depth of a 1/2", clean joint, and reapply mortar, but what type of mortar should I be using? Lime based?

I have read that a bonding agent is necessary before applying the new mortar? Is this accurate?

Appreciate any feedback or direction. Look forward to future interaction.

Thanks in advance!

 

[dex]

home improvement forums - Google Search

 

[freebird5825]

I did a search using these keywords
"DIY old fieldstone foundation restoration" and got a lot of hits.

Here's one of the results
Old Stone Foundations - What to Do?

Another source of info would be your state or county or town historical society. State level hist societies usually have public grants available for historic building restoration and will have a listing of local historic building owners in your area. Person to person is always better than the Internet and you just might make a new friend.

Good luck!

 

[Trek]

Wealth of info for old house DIY types here:

Renovation, repair, and restoration topics for the old house enthusiast - Old House Web