Questions tagged [masonry]
The masonry tag has no usage guidance.
230
questions
2
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2answers
66 views
How is masonry “honed”?
I have a hearth made of soapstone with a "honed" finish which is a dull, matte kind of finish.
The mason who installed it got mortar on it, which stained, then when sanded off the mortar, ...
0
votes
1answer
69 views
Identifying material on masonry wall
The inner side of an exterior wall in my house has, behind the plasterboard, a kind of masonry which I'd like to identify.
I attach pictures.
It looks like concrete but it's quite easy to drill: I can ...
0
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0answers
60 views
How can I repair the mortar behind marble steps?
Got some big spaces behind the steps leading up to my house. Is there a good product to use? I know the mortar needs some give. And is there a best practice to get all the way behind the step?
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0answers
34 views
Replacing Block Windows Mortared In Brick Veneer
I've got 3 basement block windows to replace with vented block windows and need some help on a way to handle this that will leave me with a decent end result.
The block windows were installed in the ...
0
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0answers
16 views
External render on a timber/ brickwork joint
We're currently converting our garage in a brick property into habitable space. The garage door has been replaced with a timber stud wall and the goal is to render the front of this new wall along ...
-1
votes
1answer
128 views
Is my electric impact drill useless?
** I am not seeking a product review, but right/wrong choice for my drill machine**
Hello,
I have a Terratek 500w impact drill (https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00H3KYLQY/ref=...
2
votes
1answer
49 views
Matching style of joints between Belgium blocks
I'm looking to lay a new section of Belgium blocks to border a new flower bed. However, the existing Belgium blocks have a joint connecting each block that protrudes outward. It is not clear to me ...
0
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0answers
47 views
Can isolation joints between slab and wall be saw-cut after the pour?
Contractors poured a new concrete driveway slab up to existing concrete wall, concrete house foundation, and garage slab. Found out the day after the pour they did not install any isolation joints. ...
1
vote
1answer
51 views
What to do about daylight between brick and mortar?
I noticed a small space between this brick and the mortar underneath it on my front porch. It’s wide enough for me to fit a piece of old duct tape into the gap. I’m not sure when it was repointed last....
0
votes
1answer
53 views
Breaking Carbide Drill Bits
I was hanging some shelves on my kitchen walls. It's an interior wall of a 100 year old addition, these seem to be drywall glued directly to red brick, maybe plaster with dry wall glued to it. I ...
0
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0answers
24 views
Best Cement Pigment For Red Sandstone Dye - UK
I am trying to make this look cosmetically acceptable:
Background:
I live in Scotland, and this is an old Victorian building, so is about 100 years old, give or take a few decades. At some point in ...
0
votes
0answers
26 views
Steel beam with masonry brick sitting on top of it on an elevated deck
I have a steel deck structure that has brickwork sitting on the support beam. There is a gap between the beam and the masonry that cracks over time. I have painted the exposed steel, but wanted to ...
1
vote
1answer
68 views
What kind of exterior paint has a fine sand paper-like backing, is it a primer?
I need to repair peeling flaking exterior paint on my stone window sill, so looking to find a suitable matching paint but I'm puzzled on what this stuff is.
Looking at the back of the paint, it looks ...
0
votes
1answer
70 views
How can I safely cut small limestone bricks?
I have a number of long limestone bricks leftover after breaking down a large limestone planter. They're 2.5"x4", vary in length from 6" to 18", and some are mortared together. I'd ...
2
votes
0answers
57 views
Help modifying window opening. American Concrete Institute standards? Building code?
I'm remodeling my kitchen and part of the work that I want to do involves modifying my window rough openings. Currently, the windows in my kitchen are lower than the countertop backsplash and I want ...
1
vote
0answers
29 views
Chased Conduit Bend through Exterior Wall
I am in the middle of a re-wiring project, part of which requires installing new light switches on the inside of an exterior wall (plaster directly on brick). I will be installing the switch box flush ...
2
votes
1answer
129 views
Stone veneer cracking and falling off
a large piece of the stone veneer has fallen off. What is the best way to reattach it?
The brick behind the veneer is not in good shape. It flakes off when I scratch it. Should I treat or seal the ...
1
vote
0answers
24 views
How to estimate how much mason mix I need for a wall?
I am building a wall using Quikrete Mason Mix Type S 60 lb (as I think that is the correct product for gluing bricks together to form a wall). The wall will in total have use 400 cinder blocks, ...
0
votes
1answer
57 views
Holes for HD Screw Anchors
I've ordered 5/8" x 4" Strong-Tie Titen HD Screw Anchors to secure a pull-up rig to a brick wall. See photos.
The brick wall is actually a solid 1 foot thick!
What's the best way to drill ...
0
votes
1answer
36 views
Expanding a window downwards in a brick face [closed]
I understand that expanding a brick window is an expensive operation, and I was wondering what went into such an operation. We have a window in the front of our house that we want to expand downwards, ...
0
votes
1answer
52 views
Replace fire bricks in fireplace
I have a masonry fireplace where about 8 fire bricks have fallen off of the back wall of the firebox. The fireplace was built in the late 1960's, then mostly unused for decades. I was told that the ...
1
vote
2answers
145 views
Suggestions for building plywood landing and connecting to concrete stoop?
I would like to add a plywood landing to the garage and kitchen door entryway from the concrete stoop. The Cinder block garage, which was built later and abuts the house, has a horizontal crack that ...
0
votes
1answer
80 views
Will repointing solve water leakage issue?
I have a detached garage that is getting water leakage through the back wall. There are no leaks coming from the roof, in fact the roof was replaced within the last year.
The walls of the garage are ...
1
vote
1answer
94 views
How to repair masonry porch riser
I usually enter and exit my home through the garage, but the other day I was by my front porch and noticed the riser was cracked and loose. The part in the image also flexes when you push on it. Is ...
2
votes
0answers
102 views
Can I safely drill a four inch hole in a brick load bearing wall?
I need to drill a four inch hole in a brick load bearing external wall for a kitchen fan. Is there much risk of affecting the structural integrity of the building?
It is a two storey building and the ...
0
votes
0answers
161 views
Best way to fill large (3") vertical crack in solid brick party wall?
I live in an East Coast row-house built in the early 1920s. There is a 3" crack in the solid brick party wall that I need to address (see photos). My neighbor's baby's room is on the other side ...
0
votes
2answers
56 views
Hanging hooks in a weak wall
I used to have some (guitar) hooks which were screwed into a brick wall, but 2/3 of them have fallen out. My only guess is that (since they are all at the same vertical height) they all went into a ...
0
votes
1answer
41 views
Concrete block water wall footing requirements
My wife and I would like to build a 6 foot high, 8 foot long fountain wall, using concrete cinder block that will then be covered with stone veneer.
My question is regarding the footing. We obviously ...
0
votes
0answers
36 views
Using edging where people walk across
I'm building a gravel patio inside my U-shaped gravel driveway. I will be using two different kinds of gravel, so I need a separator at the border to prevent the mixing of the two types of gravel. If ...
1
vote
2answers
568 views
Correct way to fix a broken block in a cinder block foundation
I have a 1954 built house with a cinder block crawlspace foundation with about a 1 1/2 foot clearance. I can squeeze in, but not easily. I'm in Cleveland, OH, so there is definitely a freeze-thaw ...
0
votes
1answer
231 views
Crushed cinder block a substitute for crushed stone?
I have two projects and I'm hoping there's a synergy between them. The first project is the demolition of a small cinder block wall that has just been completed. The second project is building a ...
1
vote
1answer
69 views
When to Repair Versus Replace Concrete Slab?
I am a first-time homebuyer and purchased an older home in the Northeastern US. While I've found great infomation here on my many DIY projects, I have not been able to determine whether or not my ...
0
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0answers
44 views
Is this brick knee wall tied in to the main wall?
We would like to remove the L-shaped brick "knee wall" in the picture on the left. The picture on the right shows the seam between the knee wall and the main wall of the house. Is the knee ...
0
votes
1answer
125 views
How to identify the wall type and studs for drilling
I need to anchor an Ikea bookcase and a drawer to the wall, but despite days of Internet research I am not able to identify where I can drill a hole in my wall. I have tried knocking on the wall to ...
0
votes
1answer
83 views
mice and sound traveling through brick party wall joist pockets
We live in a 1912 row house that I believe has joist pockets that allow sound and mice to travel freely between me and my neighbors' houses. For instance, my neighbor hired pest control to deal with ...
0
votes
3answers
386 views
Best way to fill gaps between lumber and masonry or rocks
We have built 4x4 retaining walls around existing rocks and concrete that we were unable to get rid of. The idea was - and is - use something fill the gaps between the lumber and the rocks / cements. ...
0
votes
1answer
2k views
Safely drilling into a stone fireplace?
I have a stone fireplace in a cabin that I'd like to mount a television screen on. While I’d love to pay someone a reasonable fee to do so, the cabin is in a location where contractors are few and far ...
0
votes
1answer
84 views
What's going on with this chimney?
Tore the walls off and found the chimney looking like this:
It's seen a lot of leaking as you can see from the streaks. The exterior portion was rebuilt last year. That horizontal crack running ...
0
votes
1answer
30 views
Best way to fix tile
One of our old tiles suddenly feel off, the others seem ok.
What's the best to fix back. I don't think I'll be able to get a new tile to match, and I don't think I can chisel the old mortar off ...
0
votes
2answers
942 views
How long should I wait to drill holes into brand new mortar?
I just repaired loose bricks on my house in preparation to install new window shutters. When would it be ok to drill holes into the mortar and install the shutters? From my other research I'm going to ...
0
votes
1answer
43 views
Fastening stone stair treads to a CMU base in a removable manner
I'm designing a very, very low set of landscape stairs (really more like a wide stoop) to transition two areas of my yard. My plan is to pour a concrete base slab, build a core with CMUs on top of ...
0
votes
1answer
49 views
Best way to attach trellis to brick
What is the correct way to attach a wooden trellis to brick? Should the mounting bolts (screws?) go into the brick or into the mortar between the bricks? What is the best practice?
If it matters and ...
0
votes
1answer
33 views
Poured door transition - Safe to dig around?
In the back of my house I have an addition that just sits on a perimeter foundation (no basement). I've got some moisture problems and some grading issues, so I'm putting a french drain around the ...
0
votes
1answer
36 views
Leveling first row of CMUs on uneven slab
So I may have a couple to many beers when pouring the slab for my new outdoor fireplace, and "forgot" that I needed to pour it level and not follow the slop of the patio. Whoops...
https://ibb.co/...
0
votes
1answer
115 views
What is the optimal method of dealing with leaking brick veneer?
My home is brick veneer (one layer). Interior is all drywall, mostly put up by the people who sold me the house 4 years ago (it was a flip).
We're in Tampa, so we get a lot of rain, but the only time ...
0
votes
2answers
63 views
How can I drill into cinder blocks and attack brackets?
I want to affix some shelves to some cinder block walls. The shelves would be 3000 x 400mm. I have been eyeing up these brackets as supports. The shelves will be to hold power tools and toolboxes and ...
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0answers
51 views
Having doubts about my mason
I have just hired a young mason for a few projects, one of which was to patch a hole in the brick wall and the other to build a low garden wall. I hired him on the basis of pictures that he texted me ...
2
votes
2answers
816 views
Can I cut a 2" thick marble slab myself?
I've picked up a 27"x27"x2" piece of marble countertop off the street. I'd like to clean it up and use it, but I'd also like to trim it down.
I don't mind doing it myself, but want to make sure I'm ...
2
votes
0answers
25 views
Weather barrier for concrete block to wood transition
I have a concrete block garage with a single-car-size door that I've framed in. The goal is to cover the whole area with siding. I've applied housewrap to the wood portion but I'm not certain how to ...
2
votes
3answers
1k views
Drilling into fireplace
Is it safe to drill a one inch deep hole for a small screw and anchor into the mortar area around the rock in my fireplace to hang something? Is there any risk to piercing the inner part and letting ...
