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1. Know your maintenance cycles. Many buildings need tuckpointing upkeep every 50 to 60 years.

2. Match the mortar. New mortar must match as closely as possible in color, consistency, and elevation. Using too much Portland cement in the mix produces difficult mortars, which can damage old structures.

3. Never ever grind out joints. Just deteriorated mortar should be gotten rid of. If somebody informs you otherwise, run.

4. Never use sealants. Sealants trap moisture, compounding issues throughout freeze/thaw cycles.

5. Change in kind. Harmed masonry units ought to be changed whole or via Dutchmen of the exact same product. Spaces filled with putty do not last.

-- Jacob Arndt, Preservation Specialist, Architectural Stone Carver

Radiators

6. Don't throttle a one-pipe steam radiator The steam and condensate have to share that confined area. Keep the valve either fully open or fully closed to avoid water hammering and spraying air vents.

7. Develop a perfect pitch. One-pipe steam radiators must pitch towards the supply valve. Use 2 checkers under radiator feet-- they're the best shape and size.

8. Gain control. Thermostatic radiator valves are an excellent way to zone any radiator and conserve 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 a terrific finish. Pros agree that sandblasting followed by powder covering gives 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 level needed to kindle paper, so you can rest http://www.bbc.co.uk/search?q=Montclair Victorian Restoration easy.

-- 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 utilized.

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

13. Set up plain sawn lumber with the heart side up. Flat lumber will use better with the heart facing up. If there's cupping, the edges will remain flat, and just the center will hump slightly.

14. Discover to utilize hand tools. Most historical woodwork was produced by hand tools, and most industrial millwork (late 19th century and after) was installed with them. Historical woodwork finishes produced with hand airplanes can't be replicated by modern-day devices like sanders.

15. Usage standard joinery. Component repairs must 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, Preservation Carpentry Department, North Bennet Street School.

Slate Roof, remodeling old houses.

Slate roofing system on a turret, refurbishing old houses.

Slate roofing system renovating a victorian house Montclair on a turret. (Image: Nathan Winter).

16. Determine your slate.To correctly look after your slate roofing, discover what type of slate it is. Just as you can't fix a Chevy with Ford parts, you should never use New York red slate on a Pennsylvania gray slate roof.

17. Understand your roofing system's durability. If your roofing only has 100 years of durability and is 95 years old, it's unworthy sinking cash into. But a roof with 200 years of durability that's 75 years of ages is a young roof that must be highly valued and appropriately preserved.

18. Examine your roofing routinely. At least as soon as a year, walk around your home (usage binoculars if needed) and look at your roofing system. If you see missing, broken, or moving slates, or flashing that looks suspect, call your slater.

19. Shop around for quality. Excellent slaters are out there, but you need to try to find them. It's worth the effort to have somebody who really knows what he's doing.