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1. Know your upkeep cycles. A lot of buildings need tuckpointing maintenance every 50 to 60 years.

2. Match the mortar. New mortar should match as carefully as possible in color, consistency, and elevation. Using too much Portland cement in the mix develops hard mortars, which can damage old structures.

3. Never grind out joints. Only deteriorated mortar needs to be removed. If someone informs you otherwise, run.

4. renovating a victorian house Montclair Never ever use sealants. Sealants trap wetness, compounding issues during freeze/thaw cycles.

5. Replace in kind. Damaged masonry units ought to be replaced whole or through Dutchmen of the exact same product. Voids filled with putty don't last.

-- Jacob Arndt, Preservation Expert, Architectural Stone Carver

Radiators

6. Do not throttle a one-pipe steam radiator The steam and condensate need to share that restricted area. Keep the valve either totally open or fully closed to avoid before and after victorian house renovation Montclair water hammering and spraying air vents.

7. Produce a best pitch. One-pipe steam radiators must pitch toward the supply valve. Usage 2 checkers under radiator feet-- they're the best sizes and shape.

8. Gain control. Thermostatic radiator valves are a terrific 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 between the radiator and the air vent.

Old radiator.

( Image: Sylvia Gashi-Silver).

9. Get an excellent surface. Pros concur that sandblasting followed by powder covering offers the very best, lasting, non-sticky surface-- however do not try this at home.

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

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

Woodworking.

11. Usage heartwood. Heartwood is always the most disease-resistant. Sapwood of the majority of types should never be used.

12. Rift or quarter-grain cuts are best. These cuts are the most stable. Flat grain frequently broadens and contracts seasonally at two times the rate of quartered stock.

13. Install plain sawn lumber with the heart side up. Flat lumber will wear better with the heart facing up. If there's cupping, the edges will remain flat, and just the center will hump a little.

14. Learn to utilize hand tools. A lot of historical woodwork was produced by hand tools, and a lot of machine-made millwork (late 19th century and after) was set up with them. Historic woodwork finishes produced with hand aircrafts can't be recreated by contemporary makers like sanders.

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

-- Robert Adam, Founder and Senior Consultant, Preservation Carpentry Department, North 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. Identify your slate.To correctly care for your slate roofing system, learn what kind of slate it is. Just as you can't repair a Chevy with Ford parts, you should never ever use New york city red slate on a Pennsylvania gray slate roofing.

17. Comprehend your roofing system's durability. If your roof just has 100 years of durability and is 95 years old, it's not worth sinking money into. But a roofing system with 200 years of longevity that's 75 years old is a young roof that must be highly valued and correctly preserved.

18. Examine your roofing frequently. A minimum of when a year, walk around your home (use binoculars if needed) and take a 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, however you need to look for them. It's worth the effort to have someone who really knows what he's doing.