1. Know your upkeep cycles. Most buildings need tuckpointing upkeep every 50 to 60 years.
2. Match the mortar. New mortar should match as closely as possible in color, consistency, and elevation. Using excessive Portland cement in the mix creates tough mortars, which can harm old buildings.
3. Never ever grind out joints. Just scrubby mortar must be eliminated. If somebody informs you otherwise, run.
4. Never utilize sealers. Sealants trap wetness, compounding problems throughout freeze/thaw cycles.
5. Replace in kind. Damaged masonry units must be replaced entire or through Dutchmen of the very same product. Spaces filled with putty do not last.
-- Jacob Arndt, Conservation Expert, Architectural Stone Carver
Radiators
6. Do not throttle a one-pipe steam radiator The steam and condensate need to share that confined area. Keep the valve either fully open or completely near to prevent water hammering and squirting air vents.
7. Develop https://www.washingtonpost.com/newssearch/?query=Montclair Victorian Restoration a best pitch. One-pipe steam radiators should pitch towards the supply valve. Usage 2 checkers under radiator feet-- they're the best shape and size.
8. Gain control. Thermostatic radiator valves are an excellent method to zone any radiator and conserve fuel. Hot-water and two-pipe steam radiators get them on the supply side; one-pipe steam radiators get them between the radiator and the air vent.
Old radiator.
( Photo: Sylvia Gashi-Silver).
9. Get a terrific finish. Pros agree that sandblasting followed by powder covering provides the best, lasting, non-sticky surface-- but do not try this in the house.
10. Do not fret about fires. Even with steam heat, a radiator gets only about half as hot as the temperature level needed to kindle paper, so you can rest simple.
-- Dan Holohan, Author, The Lost Art of Steam Heating.
Woodworking.
11. Usage heartwood. Heartwood is always the most disease-resistant. Sapwood of a lot of species ought to never be utilized.
12. Rift or quarter-grain cuts are best. These cuts are the most steady. Flat grain typically broadens and contracts seasonally at two times the rate of quartered stock.
13. Set up plain sawn lumber with the heart side up. Flat lumber will wear better with the heart dealing with up. If there's cupping, the edges will stay flat, and only the center will hump a little.
14. Discover to utilize hand tools. Most historic woodwork was produced by hand tools, and the majority of industrial millwork (late 19th century and after) was set up with them. Historical woodwork finishes produced with hand aircrafts can't be replicated by modern-day devices like sanders.
15. Use conventional joinery. Component repair work should be used conventional joinery rather of non-historic methods like a wholesale epoxy casting of a missing part.
-- Robert Adam, Creator and Senior Consultant, Preservation Woodworking Department, North Bennet Street School.
Slate Roofing, remodeling old homes.
Slate roof on a turret, renovating old homes.
Slate roofing on a victorian church interior Montclair turret. (Picture: Nathan Winter).
16. Determine your slate.To properly take care of your slate roof, find out what kind of slate it is. Just as you can't fix a Chevy with Ford parts, you need to never utilize New York red slate on a Pennsylvania gray slate roofing system.
17. Understand your roof's longevity. If your roofing system just has 100 years of durability and is 95 years of ages, it's not worth sinking money into. However a roofing with 200 years of durability that's 75 years old is a young roof that should be highly valued and effectively maintained.
18. Inspect your roof frequently. At least when a year, walk around your house (usage field glasses if required) and take a 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, but you need to search for them. It deserves the effort to have somebody who genuinely knows what he's doing.