Questions tagged [masonry]
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Are bare stacked bricks in crawlspace wall an issue?
I’ve recently had structural issues in my crawlspace addressed by a foundational company (installed floor jacks and wooden support beams).
However, after inspecting the space myself, I’ve recently ...
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Reinforcing concrete wall of outdoor hot tub?
I just bought a home with a hot tub/pool in the backyard, and the hot tub is slightly elevated over the pool, and designed so that water will flow over the side of the tub and into the pool below (...
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What compressive strength are historical Kreischer yellow brick?
I've asked a variation of this question before around using soft mortar for historical brick - and I've seen variations of recommendations on using Type O mortar or some other hydrated lime mix.
...
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How can I seal/stabilize crumbling concrete blocks from the 1930s?
This is a pillar supporting an enclosed porch roof on a 1930s Craftsman in Northeast US. The porch is usually unheated during winter but it is entirely enclosed and not subject to rain/snow.
As you ...
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Can a non-structural masonry wall (e.g. garden privacy wall) be placed on a concrete pier resting on tube-formed footings?
I am wondering if the following would be structurally reasonable for a garden privacy wall, setting aside any local zoning ordinance issues. Three 12" diameter 4000psi tube-formed footings with a ...
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Cinderblock cmu masonry question
I'm replacing a 7ft. Basement Wall with 10" block. We tried to demo carefully as to save some interlocking blocks in the corners. A few broke resulting in a few cuts having to be made.
My ...
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How do I fill only the top two courses of an existing CMU wall with grout?
I have an existing CMU wall that is open on the top so you can see down through the holes to the bottom. I'm going to put a beam on top of it, and the structural engineer said I need to fill the top ...
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What product can be used to fill 'mis-drilled' foundation anchor holes?
I drilled 4x 1/2" dia holes 7" deep into my 8" thick foundation to repair a sill plate, but my inexperienced hands misaligned the new sill with the old by +/- 1/4"
I have the holes ...
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Drilling in bedrock [closed]
I need to drill five 2.5" holes 1 foot deep in bedrock to accept 2" pipe that will be used to anchor the footings for my deck on a steep hill. I have a Bosch SDS Max rotary hammer drill.
I'm ...
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Will a mortar made of hydrated lime and sharp sand adhere to a fully cured portland cement substrate?
Will a mortar made of hydrated lime and sharp sand (no portland in the mix) adhere to a fully cured portland cement substrate subject to freezing temperatures in winter?
Context is bedding sandstone ...
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How to fix hairline crack in brick on exterior of house
I have a cracked brick outside my window, and it looks like the crack runs down the mortar to just under the window ledge.
The piece of the brick that cracked off is movable (ever so slightly) if I ...
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How should I repair baseball-size gaps in early 1900’s era foundation blocks and crumbling mortar? [duplicate]
I have about 300 sq feet of block to tackle. What’s up in good condition is in very solid. What isn’t has been damaged by poorly placed or maintained gutters etc over time.
I have never done any work ...
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Basement outlet on exterior wall oozing water [closed]
I walked downstairs and saw my outlet oozing a brown substance. Guessing it is dirty water from the outside (I have a sprinkler going and it is hitting this part of the house). Also guessing it is ...
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How to tear down a brick chimney
My 100 year old chimney is in bad shape, so I decided to tear it down and rebuild it. Prior to beginning, I thought it was just the bricks and a steel liner, however once I took off the crown and the ...
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Electrical outlet box not flush with stone masonry
There is a crooked metal electrical box inside a stone exterior wall. There is mortar around the electric box holding it place.
I was thinking about chiseling the mortar away but I don't know which ...
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How can I fake a rusticated block appearance?
I am going to be installing rusticated block to match my existing house, the type of stone sold by https://classicrockfaceblock.com and others. However, there is one, small face of the block that is ...
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Applying mortar to cinder block foundation to repair surface damage
I have a cinder block foundation, and near the floor in my garage the parging has flaked off excessively, revealing cinder blocks with a poor surface.
My thought is to clean off any remaining parging ...
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How to paint brick and galvanized flashing together?
I recently changed the chimney flashing on my house and removed a lot of old roofing tar around the flashing. This caused some discoloration on the bricks, so I'd like to do what the previous flashing ...
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How to get tar and caulking off brick?
What's the best method for removing dried tar and caulking from brick and getting the brick's surface flat again?
I have a rotary polisher and thought maybe a disc of some kind would work.
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Filling mortar cracks with caulking instead of tuckpointing
I would like to paint some brick walls so I need to fix some cracks in mortar.
For bigger cracks, I removed the old mortar and tuckpointed but that is a painful, dusty and time consuming job. If I ...
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Polishing stucco seams
I stuccoed this wall in many iterations but was unable to do it seamlessly.
The conspicuous seams divide daily application areas. Is there a way to polish these seams so there are not visible? One ...
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Window Planter Box
I want to start this off by saying I’m a beginner, so if something is obvious, I’m sorry but I’m just learning. Anyways, I have a 4 foot long by 1 foot deep by 1 foot tall window planter box. My first ...
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How do I fix a broken scaffolding flip lock?
I have 5'x5' steel scaffolding and two of the flip locks are broken. On one of them, the stub and pin are intact with just the flip part gone, and the other one has the end of the stub broken off. Is ...
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What size scaffolding wooden planks should I use
I'm erecting scaffolding with 5'x5' frames and 7' crossbraces. I want to use wooden planks. OSHA planks apparently are 2" x 10" x 8' Southern Yellow Pine and cost about $30-$40. At the ...
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Base liner for stucco wall
I need ideas how to cover this currently really ugly joint between my stucco wall (currently applying stucco, can see new layer) and the immediate surrounding currently done with paver stones and sand,...
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Is mortar sufficient for securing an electrical box in brick?
She-who-shall-not-be-disobeyed is asking for a new electrical outlet on the back side of the house. Being the Good Boy that I am, I am willing to oblige her.
If I were to surface mount the electrical ...
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How do I repair this damage to metal facade detail?
Metal facade detail on 1950 brick building. Two sides, holes in both. Looks like it is coming away from the wall as well.
I have no idea how to restore this, I am intending to staple up some mesh to ...
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How should I support an opening in a brick wall for an air conditioner? [duplicate]
I’m going to install a Pelonis air conditioning unit through a brick wall. I was wondering what type of structural support I’ll need before I go and knock out a hole.
The game plan is to drill pilot ...
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Can a concrete slab with a 6 inch deep footer support a wall made of 8"x8"x16" concrete blocks that is 8 ft high? [closed]
Slab is reinforced with 1/2inch rebar. The footer is about 9 inches wide. This is located in Atlanta, GA. I am no soil expert, but there seemed to be a fair amount of clay in the dirt.
Underneath the ...
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Chimney masonry recessed at floor. Suggestions? [closed]
This boiler chimney was constructed with a 3-inch recess where the fieldstone meets the floor. What would be the explanation for this? What would be the correct way to finish (hide or disguise) this? ...
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How can I make mortar thicker if I've put a little too much water in it?
I'm working on an outdoor grill made of brick, and I've put a little too much water in the mix (80lb bag). Can I add a little sand to make it thicker?
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How do you know if a drill is too lightweight for a heavyweight job?
I work in a steel door factory where I work mostly in the assembly department where I use drills and angle grinders. The management is cool enough to let us borrow the tools for home projects so I ...
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Is rebar required when raising window sill?
I have an window opening on the side of our covered patio (concrete block/stucco). I want to raise the sill up 24" to accommodate an outdoor kitchen counter and hide the pool pump/filter on the ...
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Can I add spacer material for my fireplace in between foundation and hearth stone?
So we have an old fireplace and are giving it a full rennovation. We're replacing the ugly hearth with something more modern. We're putting in a wood stove insert and adding a more modern (nicer ...
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Removing concrete hearth from fireplace
Please note: I did find this very similar question but believe ours is different since its unclear how far beneath the hardwood flooring the hearth goes.
Here is our current fireplace with a concrete ...
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Can I retuckpoint my chimney or will it have to be rebuilt?
Can I retuckpoint my chimney or will it have to be rebuilt? The bricks seem solid, but the mortar is in rough shape. Thanks.
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What kind of adhesive should I use to secure a concrete paver stone step?
I have a concrete paver stone that has come loose. It is used as a ‘step’ from one area of lower paver walkway to a higher area. I’ve included a picture of the area where the stone became loose.
I don’...
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Increase water flow but keep mosquitos out of dry well
I have a dry well to prevent my yard and studio/office from flooding. It has a rim of bricks, which rise above the ground a little to stop too much garden waste entering the well (I guess). I want to ...
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How do I avoid this white residue around brick after my first attempt at mortar repointing?
Whole house needs to be repointing so I tried in an inconspicuous area to practice. This white residue appeared and won't come off with a wet sponge.
I'm using Spec Mix tuckpointing mortar type O. ...
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Shore up stone foundation cap at house sill
I need to shore up the crown of a quarry/limestone foundation where the foundation meets the sill. This sill runs parallel to the floor joists and most of the damage is located between two windows.
I ...
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Pouring a new concrete chimney crown...should I DIY? [closed]
Just bought a home in Maryland with two brick masonry chimneys that both need crown repairs (and some repointing work). In my non-expert opinion, they're probably too far gone too patch or seal coat, ...
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Drilling into concrete with a cordless drill
I understand that my brushless cordless 20V (Dewalt) drill—because it has a hammer option—
has what it takes
to drill a 16 mm hole into concrete.
I also understand (from the same answer just linked) ...
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What is the best way to drill anchor holes in a chimney?
A structural engineer who designed our earthquake retrofit instructed us to put 3/4 all-threaded-rod (ATR) through the chimney at the rafter line on either side of the chimney, back them with Simpson ...
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Can the masonry on the outside of our fireplace be encapsulated, or must it be rebuilt?
During the inspection on a prospective home, inspection revealed the fireplace needs to be rebuilt bottom to top. There are cracks allowing moisture in. The estimate from the first fireplace ...
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Options to repair/replace? Brick veneer siding has no ventilation, no flashing, and no house wrap behind
I bought a house in Longmont, CO, USA, about a month ago. It was built in 1998 and mostly has vinyl siding, with exception of some brick veneer. One of the previous owners had sealed two bad things to ...
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When replacing front and side concrete steps, is it common to leave some of concrete steps to pour the new concrete over? Use old concrete as fill?
Our front and side concrete steps are being replaced.
Our contractor has jacked out part of the steps, but not all of it. He also intends to use the broken concrete as fill inside the new steps.
On ...
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Vertical bricks above a window new house uk
I am trying to fit an outdoor camera above my window frame. The beat place for me is in the line of vertical tiles above the frame. These seems to only have half thickness and I am not sure what is ...
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How can I repair loose stucco?
Less than 2 years ago I had the walls of my terrace painted, and in less than 2 years there are parts that are already like this. Is there anything I can do?
Any material?
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Do I need to anchor this cabinet?
I have a massive wooden cabinet. Behind it is a masonry wall. Do I need to anchor the cabinet to the wall? There are walls to the left and right of it, so it cannot be pushed except from the front. If ...
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Should I try to open filled brick weep holes?
I may have made a stupid mistake.
Last year I found some wasps in the weep hole in my brick veneer house. The problem is that I didn't know what a weep hole was at the time, so I killed the wasps, ...
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