Parging in Markham
We re-parge the exposed foundation band on Markham homes: the grey strip of mortar above grade that cracks, sounds hollow and comes off in pieces. Markham's clay-rich ground holds water and swells with frost, so we find out why the old coat failed before the new one goes on. The quote is free and written, and the labour carries a lifetime warranty.
Get a straight quote
Free · no pressure · 1 business day
Reviewed June 2026
Every job is priced individually, not off a price list. Tell us about yours and you get an accurate, no-pressure quote in writing.
Markham has two kinds of foundation. The old cores of Unionville, Markham Village and Thornhill hold homes a century and more old, standing on their first foundations. Around them sit newer subdivisions such as Cornell, Berczy and Greensborough. Parging fails for different reasons on each.
The ground adds to it. Markham sits on the South Slope of the Oak Ridges Moraine, mostly a clay-rich till. That clay swells when it takes on water and lets melt go slowly, so water can sit against a foundation wall long into a wet spring. Water that gets behind the parging freezes and pushes it off.
The full method, from bonding agent to coat thickness to mesh, is on our parging page. This page is about why parging lets go on Markham walls, and what we do so the new coat lasts.
Why parging comes off Markham foundations
Parging is a sacrificial skin. It takes the weather and the road salt so the wall behind it does not have to. Once it lets go, freeze-thaw works directly on the block or stone behind it.
On Markham clay, melt water stays against the wall in spring. The old coat goes a patch at a time: hollow when you tap it, grey flakes in the garden bed, bare block where it has already gone. Painting over it seals moisture in and speeds the failure where you cannot see it.
Older homes in Unionville, Markham Village and Thornhill
In the heritage cores, the parging has often cracked off the old block after decades of freeze-thaw. In Unionville's conservation district, the street-facing work has to match the heritage look rather than modernise it, so we re-parge to match the wall.
We sound the whole exposed band and strip every hollow or loose patch back to solid material, then clean off dust and old paint. The wall is dampened and given a bonding agent, because fresh mortar will not hold a dry, dirty face on its own. Fibreglass mesh goes over patches, filled voids and changes in material.
Newer homes in Cornell, Berczy and Greensborough
The fill a builder backs against a new foundation goes on settling for a year or two, so we look at how the ground meets the wall before we patch a cracked or chipped coat.
Parging or a water problem?
Parging sheds weather above grade. It is not waterproofing, and it does not stop water that comes in below grade. Homes near the Rouge River's creek bottoms and low pockets sit on ground that stays wet well into the season. If your basement walls seep every spring, that is a separate problem from the parging coat.
For water below grade, see our basement waterproofing page. We tell you which problem you have before you spend.
Straight answers
My parging is coming off in pieces. How urgent is that?
Once the coat lets go, freeze-thaw works directly on the block or stone behind it, so do not leave it for another winter. We strip it back to sound material and bond a fresh coat.
Why is the parging on my Unionville or Markham Village house crumbling?
Old foundations carry decades of freeze-thaw and road salt, and Markham's clay-rich till holds water. When water gets behind the coat and freezes, it pushes the coat off. We strip back to sound material and bond a fresh coat so it holds.
Our basement walls get damp every spring. Will new parging fix it?
Not on its own. Parging protects the wall above grade; it does not stop water coming in below grade. If water is getting in below grade, start with basement waterproofing and parge after. We tell you which problem you have at the free visit.
What does parging cost in Markham?
There is no honest flat rate, because the cost is mostly prep. The height and length of the exposed band, how much old coat or paint has to come off, whether the wall needs two passes and mesh, and access around the house all move it. The visit and the written quote are free, and the number on the quote is the number on the invoice unless you change the job.
Can I just paint over the crumbling parging?
No. Paint seals moisture inside the wall, the next freeze works under the coat, and the crumbling speeds up where you cannot see it. All of it then has to come off before new mortar will bond.
Keep reading
- Parging across Southern OntarioThe full method: prep, bonding agent, coat thickness, mesh and the cure window.
- Concrete Contractors in MarkhamEverything else we pour and repair in Markham, from heritage cores to new subdivisions.
- Basement WaterproofingWater coming in below grade needs a waterproofing fix; parging protects the wall above grade.
- Foundation RepairWhen the wall behind the parge is cracked or moving, fix the wall first, then parge.
Tell us about the job.
Send the details and we'll get back to you within one business day with next steps. If water is coming in right now, check the box and we flag it urgent.
Get a straight quote
Free · no pressure · 1 business day