How much does it cost to parge and paint a foundation wall that's about 80 feet long?

For an 80-linear-foot foundation wall in the GTA, expect to pay $3,000 to $8,000 for parging and $800 to $2,000 for painting, bringing the total project to roughly $3,800 to $10,000. The wide range depends on the height of exposed foundation, whether old parging needs removal, the material choice, and the wall's condition.

To calculate the actual scope, you need to convert linear feet into square feet. An 80-foot foundation wall with 2 feet of exposed height (typical for most GTA homes) gives you roughly 160 square feet of parging surface. If your foundation has 3 feet of exposure — common on homes built on a slope or with walkout basements on one side — that jumps to 240 square feet. At GTA rates of $12 to $18 per square foot for polymer-modified parging (the recommended choice for Toronto's climate), 160 square feet costs $1,920 to $2,880 for parging alone. At 240 square feet, you're looking at $2,880 to $4,320. If old deteriorated parging needs to be removed first — chipping it off, cleaning the substrate, then applying bonding agent before the new coats — add another $3 to $6 per square foot, which pushes a complete re-parging of 160 square feet to $2,400 to $3,840 and 240 square feet to $3,600 to $5,760.

The painting portion requires patience. Fresh parging must cure for a minimum of 28 days before any paint is applied — this is non-negotiable. Painting before the parging has fully cured traps moisture inside the coating, causing bubbling, peeling, and premature failure of both the paint and the parging beneath it. When the time comes, use a breathable elastomeric masonry paint, not regular latex house paint. Elastomeric paint stretches with temperature cycling (critical in Toronto) and allows moisture vapour to escape from the concrete while keeping liquid water out. For 160 to 240 square feet, professional painting runs $800 to $2,000 including primer and two coats. The elastomeric paint itself costs $60 to $100 per gallon and covers roughly 75 to 100 square feet per coat.

Several factors specific to your project can shift the price significantly. Accessibility is a major one — 80 linear feet means the contractor is working around the entire perimeter of the home, navigating gardens, fences, AC units, gas meters, and tight side yards. If any section requires the contractor to work in a space less than 3 feet wide, labour costs increase because productivity drops. Corners require extra care and material, and an 80-foot perimeter likely has 4 to 8 corners. Below-grade transitions — where the parging needs to extend slightly below soil level and meet proper grading — add complexity at each section.

Seasonal timing affects both quality and pricing. Parging in the GTA must be applied when temperatures are consistently above 5 degrees Celsius for at least 7 days after application, which limits the season to roughly mid-April through mid-October. The painting then needs to happen at least 28 days after parging — so parging done in September may not be paintable until late October when conditions may be marginal. Many homeowners parge in spring or early summer and paint in mid-summer, which gives the best curing and painting conditions.

Get at least three quotes, confirm each contractor carries WSIB coverage, and ask whether the quote includes old parging removal. Toronto Parging can match you with local professionals for free estimates through the Toronto Construction Network.