Questions tagged [masonry]
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180
questions
14
votes
5answers
4k views
Masonry bits dulling after 3-4 holes
I'm using an 18v makita hammer drill with a 3/16" Bosch blue granite turbo concrete bit to drill 2" deep holes into concrete-filled cinder blocks. With a fresh bit, it takes about 15 seconds to drill ...
20
votes
4answers
4k views
What bit should I use to drill a two inch hole in a solid concrete wall?
I am planning to install a 1.5-inch conduit through a poured concrete wall. I am planning on drilling a two-inch hole to accommodate the size of the conduit body. I have been searching up and down, ...
3
votes
0answers
75 views
Widening the stone entrance into a crawlspace
I've got a 200 year old house with a crawl space under one corner of the house. The entrance to that crawl space is very tight (pictured below), and I am a large man. I want to expand the entrance to ...
0
votes
0answers
30 views
Insulating or air sealing around pipes in brick
I recently moved into a single story double masonry house and discovered a rather noticeable amount of cold air coming from around the dishwasher in the kitchen. I pulled out the machine and found ...
1
vote
0answers
33 views
My granite foundation was underpinned and has load-bearing 6x6 posts around the perimeter of the basement. How to repoint behind them?
My building has a granite block foundation supporting a brick structure above it.
In the 80's, the building was gutted and the foundation was underpinned. They added load bearing posts around the ...
2
votes
2answers
101 views
How can I tell if this is a gas or wood burning fireplace
From what I've been able to determine what's pictured is a gas log lighter for wood burning fireplaces. The prior owner did some questionable stuff so I don't know if it was originally gas and he "...
1
vote
2answers
62 views
Trying to decide between these two types of masonry bits
I'm undecided if I need an SDS Max vs Plus for masonry drill bits. I've heard that drilling with SDS Plus can take a while with larger diameter bits. Anyone ever drill larger than 1" with an SDS Plus ...
2
votes
3answers
110 views
Can't get my new masonry bit to go further than about 3/4"
I bought a home last year and have been trying to put up interior walls inside my shop in the back yard. I built a wood frame and want to secure the frames to the concrete floor using masonry screws. ...
2
votes
1answer
80 views
What type of mortar should be used for small mortar repair on a 100 year old house?
I've read that one should use a special type of mortar with old brick houses because they expand more - portland mortar vs soft lime.
The recommendation from the NY Landmarks Commission states:
...
0
votes
1answer
32 views
What to use to seal gaps between slate veneer on vertical exterior walls of home
I have slate veneer on the exterior walls of some parts of my home. There are gaps between the various uneven pieces of slate which protrude off the wall to different levels (i.e. each slate piece ...
1
vote
1answer
50 views
How to protect stone masonry wall from weather
My external walls are made from natural stone and they were built in 1900. The weather has stripped the paint off and is causing wear to the wall. The current paint used on the wall is a matt black ...
1
vote
0answers
33 views
Repointing stone basement
I am looking into which cement to use to repoint our old house (built ~1900) stone basement. I found conflicting advice, some suggesting type N or type S is fine, but some sources suggest that ...
0
votes
0answers
35 views
Waterproofing Brick foundation
I live in a brick house built circa 1975 in northern Alabama. It has a huge brick/cinder block/concrete front porch. The brick is a veneer that goes around the bottom. When it rains, some of the ...
0
votes
3answers
106 views
How much water for mixing with concrete?
I bought a bag of quikrete mason mix for creating some planters from molds. The wood panel molds look something like this, but the spacing is a bit narrower and they're smaller:
Since I'll be pouring ...
1
vote
1answer
98 views
Recurrent cracks in brick wall
There are recurrent cracks in the brick wall shown in the image. The cracks have approximately equal width along their length. The cracks appeared within the first year of construction of the house. ...
0
votes
1answer
65 views
Safety concern building a fire pit out of reclaimed bricks
I have a bunch of reclaimed (broken) bricks left over from building a patio. The bricks are from an old home that was knocked over and buried for some time. I would like to use these to build a fire ...
0
votes
2answers
72 views
How to extend a concrete patio
I am trying to extend my back patio like this
Eventually, I want to extend the full 18 feet, but for now I am planning to just do the 5 feet by 5.5 feet section in blue. This section will be attached ...
3
votes
4answers
1k views
Is there some sort of formula to determine how many bricks I would need to build a completely new structure?
I am looking to add a small ham shack to the property, so I contacted the city's planning department. They said that if the structure was ten feet at most and didn't exceed two hundred square feet in ...
0
votes
0answers
26 views
How do I plug an old duct
While renovating my kitchen, I came across an old exhaust duct in the wall. It goes through the chimney bricks and into the interior of the chimney. The boiler uses a duct within the chimney that is ...
0
votes
1answer
91 views
I have a gap in my concrete window sill, what do I fill it with
What is the correct product to fill this joint with? If I should use a cement based product I do have a can of water plug which I'd rather use than buy a 60 pound bag of something else.
0
votes
0answers
21 views
Outdoor fireplace cracks
One section of my outdoor fireplace cracked ....the ledge all around the chimney. You can dig the mortar out with your finger it's like brown sugar it was built last summer.
5
votes
4answers
3k views
Mounting TV on a weird wall that has some material between the drywall and stud
So I have a strange wall construction in part of my house. I'm mounting an articulating mount, up to 55", in a stud.
I took out a cable outlet and box to see the construction because I wasn't ...
0
votes
0answers
25 views
Smooth granite cobblestones
I have a drive with square granite cobblestones embedded in concrete. The cobblestones are rough and uneven. Is there any way to smooth them out?
1
vote
2answers
249 views
How to build a mantel on rough stone fireplace
I have a very rough stone fireplace for which I'd like to hang a new mantel. Eventually I want to hang a flat screen and the new mantel will protect it from heat and such.
I have noodled this project ...
0
votes
2answers
57 views
How to best repair the tile
My plumber had to knock out some of my bathroom wall tile to access the stack and make a repair. I am trying to go about repairing the hole. However I cannot separate the tile from the existing wall ...
2
votes
2answers
261 views
Are paving bricks differently sized for sand bedding vs mortar bedding?
I had been planning to lay standard clay pavers over a sand bed in my front walk. I had planned for a standard size of 4 x 8 and maybe 2 3/4 inches tall. However, the brick that I like comes in this ...
3
votes
2answers
116 views
Masonry bricks acceptable as pavers?
Working on a plan for installing pavers for a small patio and drive way (sand over compacted gravel). Found local source for really cheap masonry bricks (bricks with voids). What issues would I run ...
0
votes
1answer
79 views
How do I repair this retaining wall?
I have a two-tiered retaining wall at the front of my property. I've been here for about 3 years now, and I've noticed there have been cracks forming in the mortar. I don't want to let it go too long ...
0
votes
1answer
131 views
Stone, Brick, Concrete. Which material is the heaviest per cubic inch?
I'm building a mobile fence and and have limit space to hold down my poles.
I wanted to know what is heaviest material per cubic inch.
Stone, Brick, Concrete... or What?
This is the limited space I ...
0
votes
0answers
63 views
Remove cast iron wood stove
New homeowner here and we would like to remove a cast iron wood stove and the brick structure with minimal damage to the hardwood floor below (see picture below). Two options:
1) Hire someone. We ...
0
votes
1answer
92 views
How can I prevent bluestone mortar from degrading so quickly?
We live in Milwaukee, WI. Our front porch has a combination of bluestone pavers as well as brick on the stoops with mortar joints. We have had repeated problems with presumably water/expansion in ...
1
vote
1answer
61 views
Is this masonry roofline intersection problematic? Should it be called out by our home inspector?
Our new house (brick and stone veneer) came with a significant exterior wall leak at a roofline/masonry intersection, so I've been learning more about how these are supposed to be waterproofed, and am ...
0
votes
1answer
28 views
Appropriate level of protection for mortar at 0-4 degrees?
Its well known that mortar needs a temperature above about 4-5 degrees C to set properly.
Various websites state that protection, covering, or other tricks may be used for lower temperatures, but ...
0
votes
1answer
475 views
Mounting heavy shelves to brick wall
I've an aluminium shelf that's 150cm wide, it came with 8 of these 10x50 plastic plugs and 6x60 universal screws.
I've drilled into my masonry wall with a 60mm deep with a masonry bit and installed ...
5
votes
4answers
170 views
Identify strange wall fixing
Can anyone please help me identify what the fixing below is and how to remove it?
Four of them attached a wooden gate post to the side of a masonry wall. The wooden post is gone - it was rotten so ...
1
vote
1answer
101 views
Is this retaining wall failing? [closed]
The picture below shows a retaining wall. It was hard to take a picture from a good angle, but it looks to me like the wall is showing a "belly" and the seams are opening up. But I'm not sure: perhaps ...
0
votes
1answer
188 views
What would be the best tuck pointing temporary alternative?
I have a brick home and I am seeing a lot of spots that are missing mortar. It was not obvious at first, but we have had a bit of an ant problem and I tried to figure out where they are coming in ...
1
vote
1answer
5k views
Leak above window during rain, is this caused by a masonry drainage problem?
I've lived in the same brick rowhouse for about 2 years. It's been raining for 36 of the last 48 hours, heavily at times, and I am seeing some rain leaking to the inside: above one of the larger ...
0
votes
2answers
2k views
Brick fireplace - pulling away from wall
I have a brick fireplace that is 8 feet wide by 39.5 inches tall.
The brick is pulling away from the wall. Attached pictures show what is happening.
I can see the brick was attached to the ...
1
vote
3answers
382 views
Building work on concrete in a very wet environment - natural spring
My garage area, which is currently just a concrete slab for parking cars on, has a natural spring that pops up just at ground level. The water never stops, and the concrete there is permanently wet ...
3
votes
1answer
153 views
Basement cinderblock wall tops - cover or fill
A few spots on the top of my basement wall have had their tops hacked off for projects (ducts/plumbing/unknown). We had a mouse issue and I'm looking to close these spots up in case they are finding ...
0
votes
0answers
50 views
What kind of tools are used in today's era to carve stones or large rocks in masonry?
I've always been curious as to how builders are able to shape things like granite or other stone slabs into the desired round-over or other type of support.
I've had some experience with clay as in ...
2
votes
2answers
102 views
Need to Remove and Replace a Hook that is in Concrete
I have a metal hook that has been put into hole in a brick wall using concrete. I am wanting to remove it as a piece of the hook snapped off. What is the easiest way to remove this hook and replace? ...
1
vote
1answer
129 views
How curved is a horizontal string line? [closed]
I plan to build a raised planter from 2 courses of concrete blocks. The long dimension is about 9 meters. I staked the corners, and then stretched a string the entire length as taut as I could without ...
0
votes
1answer
20 views
Is there any advantage to using larger stones in a free-standing dry stack wall?
I'm building a free-standing dry stack wall using ashlar scrap from a quarry (pieces of uniform thickness with completely flat top and bottom faces, but irregular sides):
Within each course of the ...
0
votes
1answer
2k views
How to Pocket joist into double Wythe solid Brick wall?
I have a project in which I am relocating a staircase in a home I recently purchased. The engineer's drawings show the joists being pocketed into the walls. My original understanding was that you ...
13
votes
2answers
3k views
Can I build a concrete block wall over floor tile?
I am enclosing a tiled porch on concrete slab with a 3' short wall of concrete block, with windows above. Should concrete blocks be laid over a tile floor?
0
votes
1answer
82 views
Is my contractor guy doing a botch up job with repointing
Is my contractor guy doing a botch up job with repointing.
Is it normal that it's drying out all cracked up like this and it's easy to crumble.
They are only using the masonry cement type S and color ...
0
votes
1answer
112 views
Can you install stone veneer at an angle?
I'm thinking of covering my brick fireplace with 6"x24" stone veneer panels and wondered about doing something like setting all the rows on an angle or having the left and right sides each angled up ...
1
vote
1answer
137 views
Flush Mount Masonry Electrical Box
Building an outdoor kitchen out of 4" concrete block, it will be faced with natural stone veneer.
As I'm stacking the block, I'd like to add a few electric boxes, here's the 2-1/2" deep masonry box ...
