1. Know your maintenance cycles. Most structures require tuckpointing upkeep every 50 to 60 years.
2. Match the mortar. New mortar must match as closely as possible in color, consistency, and elevation. Utilizing too much Portland cement in the mix develops difficult mortars, which can harm old structures.
3. Never ever grind out joints. Just deteriorated mortar ought to be eliminated. If somebody informs you otherwise, run.
4. Never use sealers. Sealants trap wetness, compounding problems during freeze/thaw cycles.
5. Change in kind. Harmed masonry units need to be replaced entire or via Dutchmen of the same renovating a victorian house Montclair material. Spaces filled with putty don't last.
-- Jacob Arndt, Preservation Consultant, Architectural Stone Carver
Radiators
6. Don't throttle a one-pipe steam radiator The steam and condensate have to share that confined area. Keep the valve either totally open or completely closed to prevent water hammering and spraying air vents.
7. Create a best pitch. One-pipe steam radiators must pitch towards the supply valve. Use 2 checkers under radiator feet-- they're the best sizes and shape.
8. Gain control. Thermostatic radiator valves are a fantastic method to zone any radiator and save fuel. Hot-water and two-pipe steam radiators get them on the supply side; one-pipe steam radiators get them in between the radiator and the air vent.
Old radiator.
( Image: Sylvia Gashi-Silver).
9. Get a terrific finish. Pros concur that sandblasting followed by powder finishing gives the very best, lasting, non-sticky finish-- but don't try this in your home.
10. Don't worry about fires. Even with steam heat, a radiator gets just about half as hot as the temperature required to kindle paper, so you can rest simple.
-- Dan Holohan, Author, The Lost Art of Steam Heating.
Woodworking.
11. Use heartwood. Heartwood is constantly the most disease-resistant. Sapwood of most types ought to never ever be utilized.
12. Rift or quarter-grain cuts are best. These cuts are the most steady. Flat grain frequently expands and contracts seasonally at twice the rate of quartered stock.
13. Set up plain sawn lumber with the heart side up. Flat lumber will use much better with the heart facing up. If there's cupping, the edges will stay flat, and just the center will hump slightly.
14. Learn to use hand tools. Many historic woodwork was produced by hand tools, and a lot of industrial millwork (late 19th century and after) was set up with them. Historical woodwork surfaces produced with hand planes can't be replicated by contemporary machines like sanders.
15. Usage conventional joinery. Part repair work need to be used standard joinery rather of non-historic methods like a wholesale epoxy casting of a missing modernizing a victorian house Montclair part.
-- Robert Adam, Founder and Senior Consultant, Preservation Woodworking Department, North Bennet Street School.
Slate Roofing, refurbishing old homes.
Slate roofing system on a turret, refurbishing old houses.
Slate roofing system on a turret. (Image: Nathan Winter).
16. Determine your slate.To correctly care for your slate roof, learn what type of slate it is. Simply as you can't repair a Chevy with Ford parts, you should never ever use New York red slate on a Pennsylvania gray slate roof.
17. Understand your roofing's longevity. If your roofing only has 100 years of durability and is 95 years old, it's unworthy sinking money into. However a roof with 200 years of longevity that's 75 years old is a young roofing that should be highly valued and correctly kept.
18. Check your roofing system frequently. A minimum of when a year, walk your home (usage field glasses if necessary) and look at your roofing. If you see missing, broken, or moving slates, or flashing that looks suspect, call your slater.
19. Look around for quality. Excellent slaters are out there, however you need to search for them. It's worth the effort to have somebody who really understands what he's doing.