How to repair brick Chimneys

Brick or masonry chimney has long life if they are constructed properly. But because of their nature, they get corroded and damaged with time and weather.Therefore, they need to get repaired, once you learn about their damage and decay. 

The water damaged or crumbled brick within a chimney causes  the structure to lose some or full of its structural integrity. As such, the structure should be examined and assessed to find the scope of the work to be done. For the solution, either you can get the damaged brick cut individually or repair and rebuild the structure, depending upon your evaluation.

Expert masonry results in long-term, high quality chimney repair. Therefore, you should hire a professional like masonry contractors Lincoln Park, who with their experience and knowledge, fulfill your purpose.

Chimney Rebuilding Procedure: 

·      Assessment: Determining the extent of the mortar damage and removing the damaged one without causing further damage is the main challenge of chimney rebuilding. For assessment, you will need to consult a professional, definitely. An expert starts the examination with visual inspection followed by the inspection using specialized tools such as  metal scrape. After the determination is made, damaged or deteriorated mortar joints should be removed.

·      Removal of damaged mortar joints: While removing the deteriorated mortar joint, an important thing is to remove the joint to an appropriate depth without  causing extra brick damage. The new mortar should be prepared once the old mortar is removed. Make sure that the new mortar composition is as same as the existing mortar or else there will be more chances of premature mortar corrosion.

·      Applying new mortar: The new Mortar is then placed between the brick using finishing tools made of steel with a convex tip. The tool is then run over the newly applied mortar to match the shape of the mortar used on the older joints.

·      Applying sealant:At the end, apply a water resistant sealant layer on the mortar to prevent it from water penetrating in your chimney. It will help in extending the life of your mortar joints.

  

DIY steps to Stucco Repair

How to repair stucco?

Stucco is made up of an aggregate, a binder and water, which is used as a decorative coating for walls and ceilings and even as a sculptural and artistic material in architecture. It is used to cover less visually appealing construction material like metal. Concrete, clay or brick, etc. Making simple repair in stucco is not a difficult job. Read more to know more!

If stucco is in good shape, it is one of the most attractive construction material. It is relatively reasonable, looks good and last for years. Stucco is very strong and therefore stands up well to create an effect. But, it is brittle and therefore can crack or break off in chunks. Repairing it is very important because even a crack in a home’s stucco exterior can cause moisture and the deterioration of exterior walls.

Below are the DIY tips to repair stucco. Have a look and try them yourself to repair the cracks or holes in your stucco.

1. Match colors:  Over the years, the stucco on your walls looses its color, so probably your new patch won’t match it. For this, you can buy a coloring pigment to add to your stucco mix to match it with the existing color. Now, mix small batches of stucco and add some pigment to the mixture. Put it on a piece of cardboard and let it dry. You will have to try different amounts of pigment till you get the desired color.

2.Prepare the surface: It is important to prepare the surface on which the stucco is to be applied. Therefore, chip away the loose pieces of the old stucco using a mason’s chisel and hammer.

3.Repair the mesh: To repair the damaged wire mesh under the stucco, cut a new piece to fit into the opening and fasten it in place with galvanized nails.

4.Apply the Stucco:Mix a batch of stucco patching compound and fill it in the opening of the wire mesh using a trowel.

5.Finish the surface: Slide a piece of board to set and smooth the patch surface level with the surrounding wall. Try to match the pattern of the surrounding wall using your “finishing” tool, while your new stucco is still slightly moist.


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The Most Common Paint problems

Paint not only adds color to your home, but also adds life to it.If you are facing paint related problems, the reason can be, either your house is too old or it may be from a poor paint job.

If your house is painted properly, especially the exterior of the house, it is imperative to long term care of your house. The quality of the painting and its life highly depends on how perfectly the painting task has been accomplished.  Also, the paint material, temperature, painting surface, etc. also affects the painting and may lead to various painting problems in the future.

Below are listed few common painting problems along with the ways to treat them. Have a look!!

1. Alligatoring:  In alligatoring, the surface gets many wide patterned cracks with the appearance of alligator scales.  This may cause due to applying a very hard coating of paint like alkyl enamel, over a more flexible coating like latex primer. Also, applying the topcoat before undercoat dries,also cause alligatoring of the paint.

To solve this problem, first scrap the old paint from the surface completely. Then, apply the coating of a high quality, water-based primer and then painting it with a top quality, water-based paint. Apply the paint only after the primer coat dries up.

2. Cracking/Flaking: When the dry paint film starts splitting through at least one coat, leading to the complete failure of the paint, it means your paint is facing the cracking or flaking issues. Early on, the problem appears as hairline cracks; later, flaking of paint chips occurs. It may cause due to:

• Using low quality paint that lacks adhesion and flexibility.
• Over thinning or spreading the paint too thin.
• Painting under unsuitable climatic conditions like hot or windy climate, that makes the water based paints dry too fast.

To overcome this problem, level all uneven surfaces with exterior spackle, sand and clean it with a garden hose for removing all dust particles. Do not forget to remove all loose paint with a scraper for larger areas, before leveling.

Contact Fortune Restoration to know more about other painting problems.

Painting Problems and How to Fix Them

Painting demands lot of efforts and as such you want to get the perfect results. This information will help you learn about common paint problems and solutions to resolve them.
Painting home is not an easy job! It would be great, if all you had to do to achieve a perfect, lasting paint finish was to apply the paint. But, in reality, this is not so. A variety of factors come into play that can affect the results of your painting job like quality of the paint, the condition of the surface to be painted, cleanliness of painting tools, weather or climate, etc. These factors, unfortunately causes various painting problems.

Below are some common painting problems along with their solutions. Have a look:

1.Blistering: Paint blisters or bubbles occur when there is loss of adhesion between the paint film and the underlying surface. Possible causes can be:
• Painting a warm surface in sunlight
• Applying oil based paint on wet surface
• Escape of the moisture through exterior walls

If blisters occur, first scrap the surface to remove the blisters and sand the surface. Use a high quality water-based primer and repaint with a high quality water-based paint.

2. Chalking: In chalking, the protective moisture seal is lost due to the loss of adhesion and flexibility. It can be caused due to the use of a low-cost, highly pigmented paint or using an interior paint for exterior painting.
To solve the problem, first chalk the surface as much as you can and then rinse thoroughly with a garden hose. Repaint with a good quality exterior coating.

3.Lapping: It is the appearance of a denser color or higher gloss where wet and dry layers overlap during paint application.It is usually caused due to the failure of maintaining a wet edge while painting. The possible solution can be to maintain a wet edge while you paint. This can be achieved by pointing towards the unpainted area and then back into the just-painted area. This will leave a smooth, uniform appearance.

If you face any such problem with your paint, try these solutions and you will get them cleared off!!