| Subject | Date Asked | Expert |
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| Brick Veneer on Fireplace | 10/9/2008 | Dan Donavin |
Q: I noticed that the veneer brick on our fireplace inside wall (inboard of fireplace/chimney brick) ...
A: Yes and Yes. Brick veneer should sit on a footer/foundation the same as the brick fireplace and ...
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| Leftover bricks | 10/6/2008 | Dan Donavin |
Q: hope you can help. My contractor is finished w/ my job he is paid in full, there are 3 pallets of ...
A: Well if he charged you for them then they are yours definitely. You may be able to check your ...
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| cultured veener stone | 10/4/2008 | Dan Donavin |
Q: I have a cultured stone chimney that was installed on a plywood chase on my roof some twenty years ...
A: You can try cleaning it thoroughly then applying sanded grout like for tile. Use in a small section ...
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| Manufactured Stone Chimney Veneer Weight | 9/30/2008 | Dan Donavin |
Q: 20' tall "stick-built" chimney in the interior of the house. I'm planning to cover the entire ...
A: It does need to be supported for stone. Tell the builder to have it engineered the same way they ...
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| concrete floor | 9/30/2008 | Dan Donavin |
Q: I am going to pour a garage floor I have several roolls of chain link fence do you think that would ...
A: The way it is put together will stretch and compress and not reinforce correctly to prevent ...
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| help needed | 9/29/2008 | Dan Donavin |
Q: I'm about to start work on an existing stone wall thats been built using un square rubble stone.in ...
A: The first step is a foundation or footer to build on. If there is a solid base, you can just begin ...
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| help needed | 9/28/2008 | Dan Donavin |
Q: I'm about to start work on an existing stone wall thats been built using un square rubble stone.in ...
A: This is a major project with a few different stages to it. I will be happy to help you through step ...
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| Masonry | 9/27/2008 | Dan Donavin |
Q: We are building a new garage. The cement floor has been poured and the blocks are being laid. How ...
A: There should be a cure time on the mix for the mortar to tell you when it will be strong enough to ...
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| Leaves in New Concrete | 9/26/2008 | Dan Donavin |
Q: We just had a new concrete patio laid. We have a large tree with very small leaves that landed on ...
A: They should have laid plastic over the concrete during curing to prevent that from happening. For ...
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| crack in concrete porch | 9/26/2008 | Dan Donavin |
Q: We have a crack in our new front concrete porch. My husband is planning to apply a thin coat of ...
A: I would say a repair mortar or crack repair/floor lever compound. Ardex Am 100 would be the best but ...
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| scratch coat | 9/20/2008 | Dan Donavin |
Q: We laid the scratch coat and let it set for 24 hours. It turned light in color but is very crumbly. ...
A: Did you use a stucco scratch coat or regular mortar for the scratch coat? Try taking a stiff brush ...
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| glass block windows | 9/18/2008 | Dan Donavin |
Q: I have been getting efflorescence residue from my glass block windows for eight years. The dust ...
A: You can use a grout/mortar sealer on it and it may get rid of the residue. I would carefully tape ...
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| Concrete Staining | 9/16/2008 | Dan Donavin |
Q: I have a finished basement that tends to get significant seepage during heavy rains. I'm tired of ...
A: Yes you can but find one that dries fast and it needs to stay dry long enough to cure. Try to ...
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| manufactured stone | 9/16/2008 | Dan Donavin |
Q: I want to install manufactured ledgestone to an exterior cinder block wall. The wall was ...
A: There are citrus-based adhesive removers that may take the paint off for you. You need to use a ...
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| Concrete Staining | 9/15/2008 | Dan Donavin |
Q: I have a finished basement that tends to get significant seepage during heavy rains. I'm tired of ...
A: You can try to pull the carpet up by hand or use a floor scraper. Tool rental places have these for ...
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| Installation of Manufactured Stone | 9/11/2008 | Dan Donavin |
Q: When installing manufactured stone, how long should the scratch coat set before setting the stone?
A: Normally, you should wait at least 24 hours to let it set up. Depending on conditions, it may set up ...
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| Mortar Joint on Stone Wall | 9/10/2008 | Dan Donavin |
Q: I have a 70 year old house with exterior walls that are brick above stone. The stone is irregular in ...
A: I know what you are taking about and most of that will be done with the grout bag and cleaning it up ...
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| Mortar Joint on Stone Wall | 9/10/2008 | Dan Donavin |
Q: I have a 70 year old house with exterior walls that are brick above stone. The stone is irregular in ...
A: The tools I use for tucking and joints are a tuckpointing trowel, a brick tuck tool, and a grout ...
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| brick stone /exterior application/ ashlar style | 9/9/2008 | Dan Donavin |
Q: When installing solid brick stone to the exterior of the house, is there any need for the scratch ...
A: If you are installing a brick face to a house, you use ties and a 1/2" air gap between the brick and ...
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| POLYMERIC SAND AS GROUT FOR STONE PATIO | 9/7/2008 | Dan Donavin |
Q: Last week I had a stone patio installed in my backyard. The contractor laid the English cobble ...
A: I do not know about polymeric sand eating away stone. I do know that there wis a chemical reaction ...
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| mortar versus caulking on brick repair | 9/6/2008 | Dan Donavin |
Q: I have a very experienced mason that wants to repair the mortar joints on my brick stairs by using ...
A: It is the easy way out. When a brick joint fails, a mason needs to remove all of it and replace it. ...
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| Cinder Block Chimneys | 9/5/2008 | Dan Donavin |
Q: We are a roofing company and had recently torn down and reshingled a home with an old cinder block ...
A: Water can wick through cinder block and mortar. You can have them seal it and see what happens but I ...
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| bricklaying course | 9/5/2008 | Bill |
Q: I'm starting a bricklaying course on monday 8th September at stoke on Trent college in burslem i ...
A: Danny, First and foremost is that not all if, any attending the course will have building ...
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| block brick construction | 9/4/2008 | Dan Donavin |
Q: We need a reference to an excellent mason and mold person to assess our damages and discuss ...
A: Where are you located? Servicemagic.com prescreens contractors and should be able to help you find ...
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| marble mosaic | 9/3/2008 | Dan Donavin |
Q: I am tearing out the old 6" quarry tile on my 1953 hearth and replacing it with highly polished ...
A: If the brick is rough, you can use thinset or a repair mortar like Ardex AM100. If it is smooth, you ...
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| cultured stone | 9/3/2008 | Dan Donavin |
Q: Can cultured stone be applied directly over sheet rock? There is so much conflicting information on ...
A: I like Georgia Pacific's tile backer. It is blue on one side and is the easiest backer I have ever ...
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| cultured stone | 9/2/2008 | Dan Donavin |
Q: Can cultured stone be applied directly over sheet rock? There is so much conflicting information on ...
A: I never would install directly over sheet rock. The easiest way is to screw a hardibacker like ...
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| installing manufactured stone to exterior wall | 9/1/2008 | Dan Donavin |
Q: I purchased my manufactured stone and type N mortar mix from a local brick company. Without reading ...
A: Try tugging on the stones after a few days and see how well they stay. Sand is mostly to add ...
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| concrete walks | 8/24/2008 | Dan Donavin |
Q: The concrete walkway between the curb and the front of our church (downtown) is about 60 feet by 24 ...
A: I know that Quikrete and Ardex both make products to do what you want you can check their sites to ...
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| Clay paver problem | 8/24/2008 | Dan Donavin |
Q: I have a clay paver walkway. I just put in polymeric sand for the joints. Unfortunately the clay ...
A: There is Miracle Cleaners and Sealers work good. You need to check the specs to get the one that ...
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| faux stone repair | 8/23/2008 | Dan Donavin |
Q: one of my stones fell off, in order to repair it, should I break of the mortar on the wire mess that ...
A: I would break off or grind off the mortar on the stone but you can leave the mortar on the wire ...
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| speed block | 8/23/2008 | Dan Donavin |
Q: I live in kansas and I am trying to find a source that carries a speed block. My question to you is ...
A: You may try Midwest block and brick. You can use quikrete fast wall or another surface bond cement ...
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| brick home with chimney | 8/22/2008 | Dan Donavin |
Q: I purchased a home that has some sort of a leak on the wall where ceiling and wall meet directly ...
A: You can try a few different sealers or a paint like drylock over the entire brick of the chimney. If ...
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| porch slab pitch | 8/21/2008 | Dan Donavin |
Q: Our porch slab is not allowing rainwater to drain away from the house; the water congregates into a ...
A: I can see that there are low spots because the water standing in puddles. The other way to tell is ...
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| cement porch repair | 8/21/2008 | Dan Donavin |
Q: My front stoop has three corners that have broken off. I would like to repair these what is the best ...
A: I have never adhered concrete pieces to concrete. For what the epoxy would cost and the trouble of ...
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| Window brick in. | 8/21/2008 | Dan Donavin |
Q: I'm in the middle of a remodel and need to brick in a window. I am trying to make the window brick ...
A: Use a grout bag. They look like big pastry bags sold by brick and stone tools. You will have to ...
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| cement porch repair | 8/20/2008 | Dan Donavin |
Q: My front stoop has three corners that have broken off. I would like to repair these what is the best ...
A: It depends on how big of a repair you are doing. You can clean the area very well then apply a ...
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| Crack line in a new home | 8/19/2008 | Dan Donavin |
Q: We are currently building a new home. It is being rocked in a TexasMix stone. The masonry workers ...
A: I have not done that one my stone work in new construction. I have had cheap and poorly manufactured ...
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| pavers | 8/18/2008 | Dan Donavin |
Q: Do I have to coat the pavers used on top of my front entrance steps? How do I remove the dust that ...
A: If they are natural stone, you do not have to coat them. I would ask the place you bought the ...
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| pavers | 8/18/2008 | Dan Donavin |
Q: Do I have to coat the pavers used on top of my front entrance steps? How do I remove the dust that ...
A: Pavers can be used anywhere you want a hard solid surface and can but a solid base under. Pavers ...
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