Chad Ewald, who lives in Stillwater, MN - a place mentioned in Roger Stelljes' Deadly Stillwater book, has paint pigment stains on his brick. Great read by the way! Here's what Chad sent me: "How do I remove paint from brick? The white medallion elements on my home appear to have bled white paint onto the brick […]
Quick Column Summary: How to remove adhesive/thinset from brick fireplace Try adhesive removers Thinset must be chiseled off Danielle Torkensen is a new homeowner in Bloomington, California. She inherited a mess where the previous homeowner, well let her tell you: "I am a recent new homeowner & the previous owners messed up our brick fireplace. […]
Quick Column Summary: Brick walls leak in heavy rain Can I drill weep holes into brick Do not drill bricks Coat bricks to stop water infiltration Sara, who lives in Elgin, IL, has an issue that plagues hundreds of thousands of homeowners. Let her tell you all about the water that runs down her basement […]
Quick Column Summary: Brick steps falling apart Can bricks be reused Why all brick are not the same Reuse the brick with special mortar Raimond Cheung was working on his brick steps at his house in Rego Park, NY and got stumped. Here's his question: "My old brick step is falling apart. I took a few […]
Quick Column Summary: BBQ brick type Will pavers work Inferior brick will crack Links to columns on fire brick and brick bbq David from Longford, Ireland, wrote me with a fascinating question about building an outdoor barbeque. He's wondering about the correct brick to use. "I'm building a DIY bbq and need around 40-50 bricks. I was […]
Quick Column Summary: Cut an arch in a doorway framed in brick Creating Arched Openings Make arched form to hold brick in place Steve Clake, who lives in England, emailed me on May 26, 2014 with this: "Tim, I would like to make an opening for a new door and round off the corners to […]
What is efflorescence and how can you get ride of it? Efflorescence of concrete is the white salt deposits that appears on your concrete, bricks or other masonry surfaces.
Tim Carter describes efflorescence, what causes it and how to remove it.
The trick when repairing brick pavers is to get the replacement brick paver level and to match colors. Brick pavers will weather outside over the years. If your replacement paver is brand new, it might not match.
Brick mortar is the glue that holds bricks together. Brick mortar repair varies depending on the repair job. Mortar for your brick patio has to be stronger then wall mortar. Using the right mixture will keep your brick and mortar stuck together for years.
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