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Masonry/Brick Laying/Questions
| Subject | Date Asked | Expert |
| Paver brick tire marks | 12/6/2011 | Bill-C |
| Q: My driveway is laid with paver bricks. I have tire skid marks that I can't remove. What can I use to ... A: Beryl, Try using diluted brickclean acid(diluted hydrocloric ) and agitiate vigirously then ... | ||
| QUESTION CROWN ON CHIMNEY | 10/26/2011 | Joan Miller |
| Q: Joan Hi, I have my fingers crossed that you can answer my question. On top of a chimney there is a ... A: What I suppose you are trying to repair is a clay flue liner. Please click on the following site ... | ||
| Brick caulk joint | 8/20/2011 | Dan Donavin |
| Q: I have a house built in 1998 by a well known builder. On the side of the house there is a long ... A: In some places they use a caulk type material to fill joints that require more expansion than ... | ||
| Wet brick and mortar on a house | 7/28/2011 | Dan Donavin |
| Q: I'm hoping you can help me. I did something really stupid. Last Thursdat morning I ran a manual ... A: Unless the brick was just laid in the last few days, you should be just fine. In a brick faced home, ... | ||
| Front Side vs. Back Side of Brick | 7/18/2011 | Dan Donavin |
| Q: I hired a contractor to install a brick face to the front of my home. The brick I ordered is ... A: Sorry for the response time, I had answered from my smartphone but it did not post correctly. You ... | ||
| Patio cover concrete question | 7/1/2011 | Dan Donavin |
| Q: we have a home in southern Cal where most of the homes are built on concrete slabs. I know that the ... A: I will tell you that your neighbor is correct. Technically, the right way is to have a footer in the ... | ||
| Perma-stone matching | 6/25/2011 | Dan Donavin |
| Q: I've just installed a high-tech AC system and underneath it must remove my older thru-the-wall AC. ... A: The best solution would a stamped vertical concrete facing. A good installer could match the ... | ||
| Stone firepit | 6/24/2011 | Joan Miller |
| Q: I am going to build a fire pit built from field stone on my property, Most are these rocks are kind ... A: If you don't use the steel ring, then do try concrete blocks that are rounded enough to make a ... | ||
| Stone firepit | 6/24/2011 | Joan Miller |
| Q: I am going to build a fire pit built from field stone on my property, Most are these rocks are kind ... A: The first task in building any fire pit is checking local codes on open flames. The pit must be ... | ||
| Fireplace | 6/24/2011 | Dan Donavin |
| Q: I am in the process of buying a house from a friend. My loan approval process has been held up ... A: To replace up to 4 stones in an existing setting, I would use exterior power grip. It is usually ... | ||
| repairing/repointing stone wall | 5/7/2011 | Dan Donavin |
| Q: I have a 6' high stone wall in Boston where my side of the wall is a below-grade patio, the top of ... A: You can fill in the holes yourself but I would recommend a mason if you are you doing a re-pointing ... | ||
| basement wall | 3/19/2011 | Dan Donavin |
| Q: my basement wall is river rock and is very old and falling apart.what can I do to fix it or cover it ... A: You can skim coat the entire inside of the wall with mortar or concrete until the wall is smooth and ... | ||
| acrylic stain over acid stained patio | 3/10/2011 | Joan Miller |
| Q: I have an acid stained exterior patio that has started to fade. It is about four years old and I'm ... A: As exterior concrete ages, leaching takes away the free lime needed for acid staining therefore the ... | ||
| Bonding natural stone to concrete | 3/8/2011 | Dan Donavin |
| Q: In the fall I set sawn natural stones smooth side down in a bed of Type S mortar on a freshly poured ... A: First, I would rather use an M or N type of mortar for that application. That and adding some ... | ||
| Cinder block home with brick front | 2/28/2011 | Barry Marquis |
| Q: I’m looking for some advise on the exterior brick of my home. It was built in 1950’s and it was ... A: No Problem Tammy, Again I would check with your local masonry supply company. You will end up paying ... | ||
| Cinder block home with brick front | 2/28/2011 | Barry Marquis |
| Q: I’m looking for some advise on the exterior brick of my home. It was built in 1950’s and it was ... A: My recommendation would be once you have all of the damaged areas removed power wash only the old ... | ||
| Cinder block home with brick front | 2/23/2011 | Barry Marquis |
| Q: I’m looking for some advise on the exterior brick of my home. It was built in 1950’s and it was ... A: The half piece of bricks are called "splits". I would not attempt to be focusing on any individual ... | ||
| how to close off the space under exterior concrete stairs | 2/16/2011 | Barry Marquis |
| Q: My house has a set of concrete stairs rising to the front door. There is a crawl space under the ... A: This approach will work just fine. Make sure to put a good 1/4" to 1/2" of mortar between each ... | ||
| tuckpoint a wet brick basement | 2/15/2011 | Dan Donavin |
| Q: I'm a lern as you go kinda guy. Some areas are wetter than others I a, grinding out as much old ... A: Sorry about the delay. You should not tuck point a place that is very wet or never going to dry. ... | ||
| restoration | 2/1/2011 | Joan Miller |
| Q: What kind of mortar should be used when repairing a historic building? Do you use original strength ... A: The mortar that I would recommend to repair a historic building would be a repointing mortar based ... | ||
| Best Cement or Mortar for Solid Brick Planter Wall | 1/22/2011 | Barry Marquis |
| Q: I have a friend who wants to replace a solid brick Planter wall. His reason is that the mortar and ... A: Very interesting question. I personally doubt that it is the watering that is compromising the ... | ||
| Ice on Brick Wall | 1/4/2011 | Barry Marquis |
| Q: We just had a new energy efficient furnace installed. On the side of our brick house, is where the ... A: Your brick will be fine. Just keep an eye on the mortar joints. If there are any preexisting cracks ... | ||
| Removing paint from fireplace | 12/15/2010 | Barry Marquis |
| Q: I have a 1939 house that the previous owner painted the fireplace. It looks horrible (brown stain ... A: Sorry for the delay in responding. My first question is are you sure the bricks that are painted ... | ||
| sidewalk | 12/9/2010 | Barry Marquis |
| Q: If the ideal temp. to install a sidewalk is 60 degrees F on a cloudy day - does it matter what the ... A: I would not like to see the temperature drop below 40 degrees Fahrenheit at night. You don't want it ... | ||
| Laying Antique Brick on concrete | 11/16/2010 | Dan Donavin |
| Q: (Note: I sent this question to the wrong expert and was not sure what to do so am resending, hope ... A: If the slope is mild you can use more motor in the back and slope it forward with the brick. That ... | ||
| Brick shifting and horizontal crack | 11/14/2010 | Barry Marquis |
| Q: I have discovered an area along our porch where the brick has separated between courses. This area ... A: The cause of separation to this degree is some significant settling has occurred at the base of ... | ||
| Removing coal dirt from concrete wall | 11/2/2010 | Dan Donavin |
| Q: We are in the process of removing our coal bin from our basement (which has been there 40+ years). ... A: I apologize taking so long to get back to you. My smartphone out smarted me. If you have a floor ... | ||
| Brick Patio | 10/29/2010 | Barry Marquis |
| Q: I have just today had a brick patio built at my front door. It is two steps, approximately 8x10 ... A: The weather conditions are ok for your new patio. You should definitely seal your new patio in about ... | ||
| loose bricks under exterior door | 10/7/2010 | Barry Marquis |
| Q: I've got bricks covering the exterior surrounding my front door. There's a course of bricks under ... A: First you want to remove all of the loose brick. Next clean the area thoroughly. A shop vacuum is ... | ||
| HALF ROUND STEP | 10/5/2010 | Barry Marquis |
| Q: Barry Hi, I need your help, I have a deck and the wood steps go down to a cement patio. The ... A: It would be helpful if you had a picture but I think I have a general idea of what you are ... | ||
| Travertine versus porcelin deck material | 9/28/2010 | Barry Marquis |
| Q: I live in Hawaii where the sun can cause a masonary deck-covering material to get pretty hot. I ... A: Travertine is an excellent choice for an outside deck surface. I have found that polished travertine ... | ||
| Installing brick floor in wine cellar | 9/23/2010 | Dan Donavin |
| Q: "I want to install a brick floor in an old coal closet to convert it into a wine cellar. The room ... A: First, I would put in a sump pump not only to help with the wine cellar but also the rest of the ... | ||
| Installing brick floor in wine cellar | 9/23/2010 | Barry Marquis |
| Q: I want to install a brick floor in an old coal closet to convert it into a wine cellar. The room is ... A: You have certainly done your homework and seem well informed about the nature of your problem and ... | ||
| field stone basement problem | 9/15/2010 | Dan Donavin |
| Q: before i begin i just want to say thanks before you respond. i know this takes a tremendous amount ... A: I apologize for not responding sooner. The first step is to check the footing under the stone and ... | ||
| Laying pavers | 9/11/2010 | Barry Marquis |
| Q: I'm doing a small memorial garden. The brick part of it will be 4'x 8'. I was wondering if I would ... A: It would save a lot of time but I have never done it that way. I don't feel as if you will get the ... | ||
| old concrete basement walls | 9/7/2010 | Dan Donavin |
| Q: Dan, We have an old concrete basement poured in 1956. The outside walls inside of the basement ... A: You can use concrete grout/repair or even brick mortar found at the local home improvement store. ... | ||
| Exterior wall | 9/7/2010 | Barry Marquis |
| Q: The cable company rewired the cable in my home. They introduced new cables thru a different wall. As ... A: Keep it simple and get a tube of cement caulking. There are a number of various brands that will all ... | ||
| basement wall | 9/1/2010 | Dan Donavin |
| Q: want to close off basement door back to original block wall what is best way to do this and regain ... A: The first thing you want to check is that you have a solid foundation on the bottom of doorway for ... | ||
| leaking windows | 8/31/2010 | Barry Marquis |
| Q: Vinyl front windows leak occasionally since they are facing NE. Included is a pic, showing the ... A: I am very sorry about the delay in getting back to you. This gap should definitely be filled again. ... | ||
| brickwork | 8/30/2010 | Dan Donavin |
| Q: i am starting the brickwork on a barn next month ,i am using handmade soft red bricks with sand ... A: There is a tool called a pointing tool or striker you can use to give you the right looking mortar ... | ||
Dan Donavin
Top Expert on this page
Expertise
I can answer structural and aesthetic questions about natural and manufactured stone. Whether its out existing, future or current work. I can answer a few questions about brick and block work mostly about mortar issues. I can also answer questions about concrete regular and decorative. I cannot answer many structural questions about brick or block laying but I will try to steer you in the right direction if I cannot answer.
Experience
I am the owner and main installer of a stone, stucco and tile company I started five years ago. We install and repair all types of stone inside and out. We also do brick and concrete repair as well as tuck pointing.
Organizations
Gorgeous Stone Stucco Tile Corp.
Concrete Network
Education/Credentials
College of Du Page
Concrete Institute
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