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1. Know your montclairroofingcontracting.com/victorian-home-restoration/ upkeep cycles. Most structures require tuckpointing maintenance every 50 to 60 years.

2. Match the mortar. New mortar need to match as closely as possible in color, consistency, and elevation. Using excessive Portland cement in the mix develops tough mortars, which can harm old structures.

3. Never grind out joints. Just scrubby mortar ought to be removed. If someone tells you otherwise, run.

4. Never ever use sealants. Sealers trap wetness, compounding problems during freeze/thaw cycles.

5. Change in kind. Harmed masonry systems must be replaced whole or via Dutchmen of the exact same product. Voids filled with putty do not last.

-- Jacob Arndt, Preservation Consultant, Architectural Stone Carver

Radiators

6. Do not throttle a one-pipe steam radiator The steam and condensate have to share that restricted space. Keep the valve either completely open or completely closed to prevent water hammering and spraying air vents.

7. Produce an ideal pitch. One-pipe steam radiators should pitch toward the supply valve. Usage two checkers under radiator feet-- they're the perfect sizes and shape.

8. Gain control. Thermostatic radiator valves are a fantastic method to zone any radiator and save fuel. Hot-water and two-pipe steam radiators get them on the supply side; one-pipe steam radiators get them in between the radiator and the air vent.

Old radiator.

( Photo: Sylvia Gashi-Silver).

9. Get an excellent finish. Pros agree that sandblasting followed by powder covering provides the best, long-lasting, non-sticky finish-- but don't attempt this in your home.

10. Don't worry about fires. Even with steam heat, a radiator gets only about half as hot as the temperature needed to kindle paper, so you can rest simple.

-- Dan Holohan, Author, The Lost Art of Steam Heating.

Woodworking.

11. Use heartwood. Heartwood is always the most disease-resistant. Sapwood of the majority of species ought to never be utilized.

12. Rift or quarter-grain cuts are best. These cuts are the most steady. Flat grain typically expands and contracts seasonally at twice the rate of quartered stock.

13. Set up plain sawn lumber with the heart side up. Flat lumber will use much better with the heart facing up. If there's cupping, the edges will stay flat, and only the center will hump a little.

14. Learn to use hand tools. The majority of historical woodwork was produced by hand tools, and a lot of industrial Montclair Home Restoration millwork (late 19th century and after) was installed with them. Historic woodwork surfaces produced with hand planes can't be recreated by modern machines like sanders.

15. Use traditional joinery. Component repairs should be made using standard joinery rather of non-historic approaches like a wholesale epoxy casting of a missing part.

-- Robert Adam, Creator and Senior Consultant, Conservation Woodworking Department, North http://query.nytimes.com/search/sitesearch/?action=click&contentCollection&region=TopBar&WT.nav=searchWidget&module=SearchSubmit&pgtype=Homepage#/Montclair Victorian Restoration Bennet Street School.

Slate Roof, remodeling old houses.

Slate roofing on a turret, refurbishing old homes.

Slate roof on a turret. (Photo: Nathan Winter).

16. Recognize your slate.To properly take care of your slate roofing, learn what kind of slate it is. Just as you can't fix a Chevy with Ford parts, you must never ever utilize New York red slate on a Pennsylvania gray slate roofing.

17. Understand your roofing system's durability. If your roof only has 100 years of longevity and is 95 years old, it's not worth sinking money into. But a roof with 200 years of durability that's 75 years old is a young roofing that needs to be highly valued and properly kept.

18. Check your roofing routinely. At least when a year, walk your house (use field glasses if required) and look at your roof. If you see missing out on, 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 try to find them. It deserves the effort to have somebody who genuinely knows what he's doing.