Brick Siding Dampness
This house was built in 1980 and it is a raised bungalow ranch with a poured concrete foundation that is 4 ft above grade. The rest of the home has brick and vinyl siding. There is one corner of the...
View ArticlePorch pad expansion joint question
Hello all, I am building a raised porch on a house in NJ. The porch has a portico covering one side and is open to the elements on the other. There is a rim of 2” limestone that the concrete will butt...
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Type of Paver
Hi friends, i'm trying to identify a paver brick to purchase more so that i can expend an existing patio. Does anyone know what type of paver is this? Thank you.
View ArticleBluestone flaming
I need to flame the edges of some bluestone caps. I have done this before using a friends acetylene torch. Just wondering if it possible to use one of those small torches used for soldering. I would...
View ArticleRetaining Wall Failure. What are my options?
My retaining wall collapsed and I am looking to find out what are my options apart from rebuilding the wall properly. Whoever built this did not engineer the wall correctly with proper drainage,...
View ArticleAdhesives for exterior stone veneer
Hello, I’m wondering if there is a good adhesive for attaching natural stone veneer to a concrete block wall in Ontario Canada. Temperatures can swing from -35C or -31f to 40C or 104f. Thanks
View ArticleScratch coat w/thin veneer
We have been starting to wonder if a scratch coat with thin veneer is necessary. We are finding that the strength of the bond is just as strong with and with out scratch coat. Is anyone else out there...
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Partial brick removal
Would like to remove the brick below this twin window, and leave the rest intact. Gravity is not on our side, and in the past, we haven't been very successful at this. Any tricks that I am unaware of?...
View ArticleStain on new concrete. What to do
Hello all I poured a raised patio/porch yesterday. It was about 2pm (eastern) when I was finished. Overnight it rained and the runoff from the house (there are no gutters at the moment) has stained the...
View Articleredoing foundation parge
hi there, coming to you from southern ontario canada. just have a few questions. i removed most of old flaking parging, and thinking about redoing it but i have many questions : 1. some of the mortar...
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Stamped concrete issue
Preface by saying I’m a contractor but not familiar with concrete. This was done at my home. Around the pool area the concrete is turning white in areas the water pools. Does this look like...
View ArticleHouse leveling issue
I need to find someone who has worked with Ellis Manufacturing light duty lifting shores. I know how to level a house with hydraulic jacks and 6”x6” wooden posts. But there are some extenuating...
View ArticleSidewalk pouring per section.
I think my memory has a played a mind trick on me. Since I moved to Canada over 20 years and started working in construction, occasionally I have criticized the way concrete is poured on sidewalks....
View ArticleInstant Mortar Match
Hello everyone. I see this forum is for contractors which I am not. I joined to see if any of you professionals have ever used a product called "Instant Mortar Match" on bricks and/or mortar. There are...
View ArticleHammer Drill to remove old cement to recement top stones on a stairway.
Any suggestions on which hammer drill to buy to chip old concrete under loosened stones on a stairway? Looking for commercial quality, "buy it once" kind of thing. Not cheap consumer grade stuff. Make...
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Can concrete "self-heal" its cracks?
For Roman concrete, apparently yes. Read on. We Finally Know Why Ancient Roman Concrete Stood The Test of Time The ancient Romans were master builders and engineers, perhaps most famously represented...
View Articlebest thin veneer substrate for wood & ICF
Builder doing a project which will get a thin veneer finish over ICF - I will sub out the work but I want to specify the wall detail. The veneer will start from a brick ledge and will be supported...
View Articlescreed widths
Alright hear me out, brand new to the forum. You can buy a 20' screed, what if you welded 2 together and a level across the joint on top, think you could screed a 40' wide foundation?
View ArticleDIY replacing 50 year old concrete floor in a detached, brick garage.
Hello everyone. I want to upgrade my garage floor by adding radiant heat. To put radiant heating, i will have to dig down 10 inches. Digging down 10 inches will put me below the foundation. Is that safe?
View ArticleClose in below grade Basement Window (window well)
I am trying to determine which trade/contractor to contact to close in a basement window that is below grade. My basement wall is poured concrete with a brick pattern on both sides. Brick veneer is on...
View ArticleWhy does concrete cure white and portland cement cure grey?
This is something that has been bugging me and I think it may be due to the extra calcium in the redi-mixed concrete compared to the very little in portland cement?? Anyone know the reason? If I mix...
View ArticleMasonry dimensioning – masonry opening vs actual opening dimensions
Hi All, I understand that brick masonry units have tolerances (which get greater the larger the brick unit is). That being said, how do I dimension the building accurately so that not only the mason is...
View ArticleMasonry Rough Opening for window/door
hi mates, I am trying to coordinate the correct window size with the masonry rough opening. (using 16"x8" block) If blocks are 16" increments, and we build an opening of 48" width x 48" height, what...
View ArticleBrick arch rebuild
35 years old and you can tell she's been failing for a while...previous caulk repairs have busted open with the arch dropping approx 1 1/4" over time. The demo phase showed only two wall ties up high...
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Slate walkway
Owner would like to keep the multi color slate walkway which is original to the 1940's home. I told him no warranties, but I'd give it my best shot. My chimney and wall restorations are holding up...
View ArticleHow to repair this foundation cornor?
My main question is: can I keep the block circled in green? Option 1: remove the block circled in green and rebuild the corner, please tell me how, shall insert some iron bar inside, etc. Option 2:...
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Bricks on sill plate?
This is a 1920s house, full basement, block wall. On top of the 2x sill they put these grey masonry bricks, size 2.5x3.75x8. As you can see where one was removed to run some wiring, there is nothing...
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80 lb bags of Quikrete
Hi guys, I am Eagle54 and I am new to the site. From what I have read so far I must tell you I am impressed. Great site. BUT, I do have a question that has me bugged,,, Does anyone know how much or...
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Basement wall was cut out of level by 2" solutions
Hello everyone, I'm currently working on a project that involved modifying a recently built basement wall foundation to meet the planning department's specifications. We had to cut down 12 inches of...
View ArticleMortar and Fieldstone Foundation Retrofit
I have deconstructed an old barn house down to it's mortar and stone foundation (enough salvage wood for a lifetime). In order to avoid the extra costs of engineering a new foundation (permits, extra...
View ArticleConcrete over concrete
Hello to all. I am a retired and active carpenter and cabinet maker, who in my younger days, ran a concrete crew, doing mostly flat work. I recently had a fire thet destroyed my barn / shop. We just...
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Chimney repair
Trying out the new T&H pneumatic on some hard azz pointing. This one is getting terracotta repair, a crown refresh, spot pointing, caulking, sealer and a new stainless liner... [ATTACH... Chimney...
View ArticleStucco over cement board?
I always thought tradition stucco was applied over wire mesh hard coat and that is how my subs have installed in the past. Today I saw a job in which the stucco was applied to cement board that was...
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