Historic Restorations' Classes

 

Energy Efficient Older Homes - September 13th Seminar Style Class

 

Build Colonial Style Mirrors or Picture Frames - October 25th-26th

Hands-on Class

 

Controlling Moisture in Buildings - November 8th

Seminar Style Class

 

Our 2009 class schedule has been added to our website at www.historic-restorations.com.

 

Columbia Preservation Workshop

 

Saturday, September 20, 2008 from 10 AM - 1 PM at the Columbia Market House; 15 South Third Street, Columbia, PA.

 

Continuing Education Classes at HACC

 

Older Home Preservation Process- Lancaster September 17th from 6-9PM.

 

Energy Conservation - Lancaster September 24th from 6-9 PM.

 

Dating Your Older Building - Lancaster October 1st from 6-9 PM.

 

For more information visit http://vc.hacc.edu.

 

 

Repointing with Lime Based Mortar

 

The most common mistake made when repointing a masonry building is to use Portland Cement - a modern building material.  Portland Cement is an inflexible material and is harder than the surrounding brick.  I am sure you have seen buildings in which the face of the brick is missing this comes from the frozen water not being able to escape through the mortar.

 

An alternative to Portland Cement is Lime Based Mortar.  We use deGruchy's Lime Works Mortar in our restoration projects.  They have several standard colors and if you send them a sample of your existing mortar they can match the color and type.  Their website is www.palimeworks.com.

When cleaning a brick or masonry surface the most important thing to remember is not to use anything that will harm the harder outer layer this includes sandblasting and acid-based washes.

 

It is recommend to use moderate water pressure with a power washer with gentle historic masonry cleaner (available at a paint supply store), or steam cleaning.  This is the most gentle and effective way to clean masonry. 

 

For additional information visit the technical guideline's from the Secretary of the Interior:

 

717-291-4688