Abbot Building Restoration Company, Inc.
Vol. 3  No. 1
March 2011

Masonry Solutions


News and Insights on the Masonry Repair and Maintenance of Institutional, Commercial, and Condominium Buildings in Eastern Massachusetts  

Greetings!


Welcome to the premiere issue of
Masonry Solutions for 2011.  Note that we have changed the name of our newsletter to more appropriately reflect our focus on brick, concrete, and stone restoration work.

We have an exciting line-up of Case Study articles on significant masonry repair and maintenance projects in which we have been involved, as well as informative Masonry 101 articles to help you better understand some of the terminology used in our industry.

In this issue, we feature a
Case Study article on a restoration project at a student dormitory building at Bentley College, Waltham, MA.  We also include a Masonry 101 article on enhancing mortar performance.   
We trust that you will benefit from the information provided in this publication. If you have any comments or questions, we can be reached at 617-445-0274 or at www.abbotbuilding.com.  

Sincerely,

  

Michael Norman
Vice President
Abbot Building Restoration Company, Inc.

Case Study

Bentley College Collins Hall

Bentley CollegeAbbot recently completed a restoration project on the east wall at Collins Hall, a 6-story brick student dormitory building on the campus of Bentley College, Waltham, MA, that was allowing rainwater to penetrate into the students' rooms.

 

Working in conjunction with the engineering consulting firm, RMX Northeast (Milford, MA), Abbot removed the bricks along the concrete slab of each floor, installed new flashing to redirect the rainwater out of the cavity between the interior and exterior wydths of brick, and installed new bricks to match the existing brickwork on the building.

 

Significantly, as the project was initiated in mid-August 2010, Abbot was able to mobilize its resources to meet the tight construction schedule required to complete the repairs before the students returned to school in early September.


Masonry 101

Enhancing Mortar Performance

Mortar Mix

Masons have successfully used mortar made from only sand or portland cement for more than a century. But as good as that simple mortar is, using various additives can improve its performance. 

 

Lime 

 

Mortar is not concrete -- it needs a few additional properties to allow efficient construction of a quality masonry wall. The most important fresh mortar properties are workability and water retention. Finished masonry needs better bond between the mortar and the units than could be achieved with a straight cement mortar. That's why lime is added to the mortar. Mortar made with some proportion of lime has greater plasticity, bonds better, and shrinks less than a straight cement mortar.

 

Water-Repellent Admixtures

 

A masonry wall's greatest weakness is its inability to prevent water penetration. Water-repellent admixtures added to the mortar can lead to more watertight masonry walls. These admixtures are polymer emulsions that make the mortar much less permeable. Because water is unable to move easily through the mortar, these admixtures also reduce or eliminate efflorescence.

 

abbot logo

Abbot Building Restoration Company, Inc.

28 Allerton Street, Boston, MA 02119
Tel: 617-445-0274  � Fax: 617-445-0277

[email protected] www.abbotbuilding.com
 

Diamond Bar

Featured Articles

Case Study

Abbot recently completed a restoration project at dormitory building at Bentley College, Waltham, MA.

 

See full article below 

 

Masonry 101

Adding lime and various admixtures to simple mortar can enhance performance.

 

See full article below  

Abbot Publishes Feature Article in Masonry Construction Magazine

Abbot authored an article describing the bidding and estimating process involved in a restoration project in the January issue of Masonry Construction magazine, a national publication for masonry professionals. 

 

Click on the following link to view the article:

 

Prepare to Repair

 

Visit our Web Site 

 

www.abbotbuilding.com