FOUNDATION WALLS
MAIN CHARACTERISTIC
■ Exposure to de-icing salts;
■ Below ground level;
■ High saturation level.
As mentioned in the CSA A 179 Standard, when building a new masonry foundation wall, it is necessary to use a mortar with higher compressive strengths since this type of wall is typically load-bearing and is exposed to a high level of saturation. A mortar with higher compressive strengths is also recommended for restoring foundation walls.
In addition, since foundation walls are typically below grade, there could be a lack of CO2 which is necessary for the development of the properties in mortar containing air lime. For this reason, we prefer mortars which contain a hydraulic binder, such as hydraulic lime.
TIP
Since the compressive strengths that we are looking for are usually high, we recommend the use of a mortar generally assigned to the laying of masonry elements as a repointing mortar.
Recommendations
BEDDING MORTAR
■ King® HLM-500
REPOINTING
■ King® HLM-500
■ If the walls are highly exposed to de-icing salts : Reconstec 900
