Bricks, Masonry, Asphalt and Concrete - basement interior walls

a friend has asked me to see if I can do anything with her basement walls.Previous owner coated them with a white texture.
Don't know how to describe it. Almost a morter slurry mix that was brushed on?This over the old orange bricks. Well the white cover you can tap on it and find where it's hollow underneath, and not adheared to the brick. Where some of the white stuff has fallen off, the orange brick is deteriating- powdery. I know before any thing can be put over the missing white coating it has to be sanded or ground down to a solid hard surface.Any help would be appreciated.
What kind of materials to use,etc. Thanks

I have that same white coating in my basement. I've been told it was a 'water proofing'.

Generally speaking, the deterioration of brick in that manner of crumbling is due to water. Applying waterproofing paint to the inside of a basement wall is of little avail if the source of the water has not been identified and removed.

Water needs to be directed away from the house by aiming properly functioning gutters away from the house, grading the surrounding soil to direct water away from the house, resolving any problems with water running alongside the house from other sources. Other than grading, it may be necessary to excavate along the exterior walls and install french drains, exterior waterproofing compounds, or even drainage pumps.

Once the source of the water has been removed, then the loose material may be removed from the brick walls and the walls repaired. If the mortar in the brick wall is deteriorating, it may be necessary to repair it by tuck pointing or replacing the bricks if they have become structurally unsound. A brick mason may the be best point of reference in determining the state and suitability of the brick wall after the water is corrected.

Hope this helps.

I just finished replacing a bad part of my cast iron sewer line right outside my house. I have an older house where the line goes outt from the basement at shoulder level (about 2 feet below the dirt line). Anyhow, I have a crack in my basement wall right below the sewer line where water was coming in. It appears the previous owner had patched this crack with a caulking of some kind and then applied that white, waterproof, coating over it. Obviously their crack repair didn't work (or it worked long enough to sell the house to me). My question is the best method to remove that white stuff (it's pretty secure) and the best way to dress that crack with the caulk already inside it so I can re-patch it (now that I've replaced that broken sewer line).

(my foundation is poured concrete --by the way)


Chuck