Historic home restoration in Philadelphia, PA requires contractors with specialized knowledge. Many historic homes are made of brick, and restoration can be very tedious. Restoration means making a structure look like it did during the time it was built.
To Repoint Or Not To Repoint
The key to a successful restoration is making the house look true to its time period. If the bricks are deteriorating, repointing and tuckpointing will be necessary. Tuckpointing is the process of putting in new mortar to hold bricks together.
There are those who get the terms tuckpointing and repointing confused. The major difference is that tuckpointing includes the difficult job of removing old mortar. Masons may use a chisel as well as a special grinder to remove old mortar.
Is It Possible To Match Bricks?
The contractor will also need replacement bricks for Historic Home Restoration in Philadelphia PA. There are many companies that mix and match materials to recreate the look of older brick. Further, there are many salvage companies that collect older bricks to resell.
Bricks are held together by mortar. Over time, the mortar crumbles and the bricks give way. Hence, contractors need to duplicate early mortar to keep the restoration on track. Before cement, a mortar was made of lime and sand.
Matching The Mortar
New mortar must resemble the historic mortar in color and texture. Further, the contractor tries to recreate the process used to place the mortar. Amazingly, there are laboratories dedicated to analyzing historic mortar. Experts say the most important element of the match is the sand. If the new sand is similar, the match should come out perfectly.
Historic homes should be cleaned if the surface is soiled by a damaging substance. For instance, mold and mildew should be removed. Some contractors recommend a soft acid wash with a pressure washer. Low pressure should always be used, so the masonry is not damaged.
In addition, brushes are used to loosen dirt. Historians prefer water-based methods for cleaning. In fact, steam is often used because water does not actually touch the masonry. However, pressure from steam cleans the area. Visit a contractor’s website and click here to learn more.
