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Parging in Richmond Hill
We re-parge the exposed foundation band on Richmond Hill homes: the grey strip of mortar above grade that cracks, sounds hollow and comes off in sheets. Before the new coat goes on, we sound the wall and check whether the failure is the bond, the weather or water coming from behind. The quote is free and written, and the labour carries a lifetime warranty.
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Reviewed June 2026
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Richmond Hill carries two ages of housing at once: a heritage core along old Yonge Street around Mill Pond, and newer surveys pushing north toward Oak Ridges and Lake Wilcox. Parging fails on both, for different reasons.
The city is built on the Oak Ridges Moraine, a ridge of glacial sand and gravel that drains quickly. Whatever the ground does, a parged wall still has to take the weather, and an old coat that has lost its bond will not hold.
The full method, from bonding agent to coat thickness to mesh, is on our parging page. This page is about what parging problems look like in Richmond Hill, and what we check so the new coat lasts.
Why parging comes off Richmond Hill 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.
In the heritage blocks near Mill Pond, an old coat often 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.
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. Where the old coat failed because of water, we look at why before the new coat goes on, so it does not fail the same way.
Moraine ground, and the damp pockets in the north
The north end around Oak Ridges and Lake Wilcox sits over kettle lakes and old wetland, where the water table can climb close to the surface after the melt. We look at each wall on its own, because a failing coat can come from a poor bond, salt, freeze-thaw or water behind the wall, and the fix differs.
Parging sheds weather above grade. It is not waterproofing, and it does not stop water that comes in below grade. If your basement walls take water every spring, that is a separate problem from the parging coat. See our basement waterproofing page. We tell you which problem you have before you spend.
Newer surveys in the north
On newer lots, a cracked or chipped coat is best looked at early, before water gets behind it. New-survey ground keeps settling for a season or two, so if a crack keeps reopening through fresh parging, the wall behind it needs a look first, because parging over a moving wall only hides the problem. Our foundation repair page covers that.
Straight answers
My parging is coming off in sheets. How urgent is that?
Once the coat lets go, freeze-thaw works directly on the block or stone behind it. Re-parging is a small job, so it is worth having it looked at before the next winter.
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.
Our basement is damp near Lake Wilcox. Will new parging fix it?
Not on its own. Parging protects the wall above grade; it does not stop water coming in below grade. Around Oak Ridges and Lake Wilcox the water table can rise after the melt. We tell you which problem you have at the free visit.
What does parging cost in Richmond Hill?
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.
Keep reading
- Parging across Southern OntarioThe full method: prep, bonding agent, coat thickness, mesh and the cure window.
- Concrete Contractors in Richmond HillEverything else we pour and repair in Richmond Hill, from heritage repairs to new-survey driveways.
- Basement WaterproofingWater coming in below grade needs a waterproofing fix; parging protects the wall above grade.
- Concrete Repair in Richmond HillSettled steps and other repairs on the heritage blocks near old Yonge Street.
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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