Parging in Pickering
We re-parge the exposed foundation band on Pickering homes: the grey strip of mortar above grade that cracks, sounds hollow and comes off in sheets. We strip it back to sound material and bond the new coat so it stays. The quote is free and written, and the labour carries a lifetime warranty.
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Reviewed June 2026
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In Pickering, the parging that fails is mostly on the older lakeshore streets: Bay Ridges, West Shore, Rosebank, Dunbarton and Liverpool, where much of the housing went up from the 1950s through the 1970s.
The south end sits on the old Lake Iroquois shoreline plain, where the soil runs to clay near the water. Clay holds melt and rain against the foundation, and freeze-thaw swings and road salt do the rest to the coat above grade.
The full method, from bonding agent to coat thickness to mesh, is on our parging page. This page is about why parging fails on Pickering walls, and what we do so the new coat lasts.
Why parging comes off lakeshore Pickering walls
Parging is a sacrificial skin. It takes the weather and the road salt so the wall behind it does not have to.
Near the lake the ground stays wet longer in spring, and meltwater runs down the wall behind the coat. When that water freezes, it pushes the coat off in sheets. 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 instead of out, and the next freeze works underneath where you cannot see it.
How we re-parge an older 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.
The coat goes on a quarter to three-eighths of an inch thick, in two passes on a rough wall. If the old coat has been painted over, we strip back to sound material before anything new goes on.
Parging is not waterproofing
Parging sheds rain above grade. It will not stop water coming through the wall below grade. If a lakeshore basement is taking on water, start with basement waterproofing in Pickering and parge after.
Booking a parging job in Pickering
Pickering is a long haul from our home routes, so we hold Pickering jobs for planned trips into the area and give you firm dates rather than a same-week promise. A parging touch-up is a small job that can ride along on a trip we already have planned, and it carries the same labour warranty as a full driveway.
Parging needs frost-free weather to cure, so the season runs roughly mid-April to October. Spring is the time to get the quote.
Straight answers
My parging is coming off in sheets. How urgent is that?
Water that gets behind the coat freezes and pops whole sheets off the wall, so more comes off each winter. Re-parging is a small job, and we treat it like a real one: we strip everything loose, bond the new coat and give you a written quote.
Why is the parging on my Bay Ridges or West Shore house crumbling?
Older lakeshore homes sit on clay that holds melt against the wall, and freeze-thaw swings and road salt work on the coat above grade. When water gets behind it and freezes, it pushes the coat off. We strip back to sound material and bond a fresh coat so it holds.
What does parging cost in Pickering?
We do not quote a flat rate. The quote spells out the prep work, not a one-line "parge wall". 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 in instead of out, and the next freeze works underneath where you cannot see it. Plan on stripping back to sound material before anything new goes on.
Keep reading
- Parging across Southern OntarioThe full method: prep, bonding agent, coat thickness, mesh and the cure window.
- Concrete Contractors in PickeringEverything else we pour and repair in Pickering, from lakeshore repairs to Seaton driveways.
- Basement Waterproofing in PickeringWhen the leak is below grade, the fix is drainage or a membrane, not a new coat.
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