Painting and Parging

I've put some pellets on lay-away to pick up next month. This year I'm in the unique position of having no pellets stacked in the garage. So, I figured I should get some more painting done, after all, I did start paintin in June 2018. I just wanted to make sure I got the back wall covered, then around the corner for 4 feet so I can pick up a ton of pellets this weekend (yeah, nothing like a little planning). Painting cinder block walls is a pain as the first coat needs to be painted with a heavy brush in order to fill the rough surface. Them the second coat can be rolled. As a reminder, last June I had painted to behind that pallet on the right which is currently holding the snow tires for the truck.

Well, of course once I start, I want to get further along, but first I must parge the side wall. Parging sounds like it is something an anorexic or bulimic person would do doesn't it? However, it is a way of repairing concrete walls, either block or poured.

The side wall to my garage is breaking down in an area and needs to be repaired before it gets to the point of having a mason come in and totally replace blocks. Apparently the bike, even though I let it cool off outside before bringing it in, throws enough heat to dry out the block, which led to break down of the material. Why do I think it is the bike's fault? Just look at this picture, with any kind of imagination at all, and knowing the shape of my bike, you can see the outline.

On the left side there is a definite outline of the fairing and windshield. Then it dips down at the seat and back up for the backrest. Then dips down again and there is another peak at the passenger backrest. There is a bit of overlap, making it a bit weird looking in some spots, because of course I don't manage to park the bike in the same spot every time, In fact, I would bet the reason the section at my backrest seems large is because sometimes the fairing is that far back. And of course the baking radiates out, so the damage extends past the actual outline.

Here is a close up of what an individual cinder block looks like in that area

It should go without saying, but I'll say it anyway, that one should not be able to see the individual grains of sand/gravel that is used to make the blocks. Parging is somewhat like spreading sheet rock mud, except using mortar. The mortar has to be mixed up in small batches as once it is mixed, you have 15-20 minutes to work with it before it becomes hardened concrete in the bucket. The bare wall also has to be kept moist while applying the mortar to help the material bond. So here is the result, although I ran out of mortar, so the left side isn't quite finished.

The bike was outside while I was doing this, and of course it started pouring so it got a bath :)

Last night I went ahead and did some caulking of the ceiling sheet rock (which is only 1/3 painted from last year) so hopefully I can get at least one coat on it before picking up pellets. Oh, and the mudding and painting are definitely the overuse that gave me such issues with my right shoulder blade - that never completely healed. It started complaining yesterday and is still doing so, but I'll just have to power thru it.

Comments

[Cop Car]

Thanks for explaining "parging". It seems to me that I've seen the word, before (maybe on your blog?), but didn't know what it meant then or now. Who knew that heat was so deadly to masonry? (I would have blamed damage on moisture and figured that the heat baked the moisture damage. Moisture is always the culprit in my imagination!) Are you going to place a heat shield there?

Learn to paint/parge left-handed!

Time for your episodic fitness bout with bags of pellets.

[Cop Car]

Am I wrong in imagining that I see damage creeping up from the bottom of the wall - as pictured in your previous posting to which you linked?

[bogie]

Yes, the damage started low since that is where the exhaust and engine are. But, the picture from last year also is from a different perspective and the bike is not even close to the wall (and not where normally parked), so it looks like it has grown massively since then when in reality it has been a slow creeping damage.

Well, I suppose it could be water damage, but that wall doesn't leak and all that damage is below the frost line. Since the paint got baked off first, I'm pretty sure my bike doesn't spray water at the wall, and I believe concrete needs a certain amount of moisture to stay stable, my assumption is that it is getting baked to a to-dry point. Of course, I could be wrong.

[Cop Car]

You are undoubtedly right that the high heat is causing the concrete to dehydrate, Bogie. Your observations are certainly much more meaningful than my idle thoughts - lol. Good luck!

[bogie]

I paint/parge with the left hand too, but I have to switch off every once in a while. Also, that shoulder was injured too at the same time as the right, but it pretty much finally healed, so I try to be more careful with my strongest/best side.

[Cop Car]

Sometimes it helps to be ambidextrous!