Crumbling Cinderblocks In the Basement

A structural engineer can be called in to consult re what to do and who can best do it.

How old is the basement, bdel? It might be sulphates within your soil working on cement that isn't sulphate resistant.

It might be a structural point load that was too much for the blocks in that area. Are they hollow block walls or were they filled with cement/grout?

Are the surrounding blocks solid or are they crumbly? Is this only a problem in one specific area of the basement?

Basement is old - ~ 70 years. Surrounding blocks seem to be solid and the problem seems to be localized.

How large is the area of crumbly, bdel?

How many blocks are involved?

What state of deterioration are they at?

Is there a point load, eg. a beam intersection directly above the crumbly blocks?

Is the area fully exposed, ie. are your block walls not framed over?

Deterioation covers 2 or 3 blocks. I am not sure about your other questions though. Who would you recommend I consult?

Any competent general contractor.

Thanks for the help.

You're welcome, bdel.

Go to lowes-home depot or like, ask for a wall sealer that has fiberglass in the mix.Lowes brand is sur-wall mix it like pan cake batter and apply with your hands with rubber gloves (will not hurt you but the gloves save your hands from the rough block)you can then trowel it to give stucco look or smooth it out and paint.

Does this repair the structure, or only conceal the damage?

If you want to attempt any fix by yourself, Bdel, use a high strength [4000 PSI] non-shrink grout mix.

Punch a fairly good sized hole in the cinder block just above the affected area. Mix the grout to a pourable state [I'm assuming that you find the blocks empty, ie. they haven't been poured full of grout] and pour it into the blocks.

It can't hurt anything, it will only increase the structural bearing capacity of that area and if the problem expands to other areas, then this little fix won't matter at all.

Or call that general contractor.