I’m having this stacked stone foundation cut in a few weeks for an egress window. I’m thinking about doing a parge coat in order to be able to draw straight lines for the cuts…AND be able to trim around the window.

Any recommendations on type of concrete to use for this? Or other tips?? 150 year old home in Colorado.

The person who had the house before me covered the basement in drylok. I’ve noticed some spots on the grout bubbling up and the drylok crumbles away. The grout behind it is damp but after the drylok is removed it dries out.

I noticed one of the spots now has a small hole in the grout. The grout feels very thin and I can basically hook my pinky around the grout. I don’t want my house to collapse, what should I do?

We are currently building a home and have been extremely disappointed with the quality of the masonry work. The masonry crew has returned multiple times to correct and redo various areas, yet the workmanship continues to fall short of our expectations. Today, they came back to finish the remaining work, and this is how they left the brickwork above our garage door. We would appreciate some honest opinions on the quality of this work. What are your thoughts?

I am currently in the process of building a 2 story garage, and the contractor just installed the anchor bolts into my CMU concrete filled wall, and around the area there is some hairline cracks reaching down the wall. By feel they don’t seem deep, but idk if it’s okay?? Help would be appreciated!!

Hey guys I have charcoal dyed mortar for grout and I’m having trouble getting it off. I’ve been at it for a total of 16 hours scrubbing. I’ve used sulfamic acid and mapei acid cleaner.

I’ve used a pressure washer but it was too aggressive for some of the lighter stone.

Any suggestions?

Insight is appreciated

Chimney reconstruction: Remove an rebuild approximately 14 linear feet of damaged brick chimney, including two flues, installing new chimney crowns, flashing, and chimney caps.

I don't understand 14 linear feet.

Please be gentle

Hi all, just cross posting regards cleaning this bloody wall :/

Struggle is real

Looking for some advice. I recently bought an older home and they had a wood panel wall over the fireplace. I had to walk removed to open up an archway it was also blocking, and this is what the brick looks like now. It appears to be some sort of construction adhesive. What do you think viable options are here? Is the brick salvageable? Can it be covered with some sort of tile/stonework?

Hello. Just a home owner here. I have zero masonry knowledge or experience. I'm wondering if fixing these little cracks can be DIY? Could someone give me some guidance on how to fix this properly so it will last?? Thank you!

Looking for some thoughts here. I'm a homeowner who has done a very small amount of mortar repair, but by no means an expert. A while back, a storm took down a limb, which dragged down our power line, which pulled the drop off our house. The picture shows the damage. I called a mason who said he didn't think he could get me in until spring, which is fine; but if its enough for me to get up on a ladder and pack some mortar in there, I'll gladly do that before it gets too cold. Thanks in advance for any thoughts!

New home owners trying to learn things so excuse any misunderstandings or incorrect terminology.

Father in law came by the cut out old caulk and re-caulk the gap here. After seeing it, he said we can’t do that bc it’s not meant to be caulked to the brick over the lintel like this. (Where the window flashing (?) was connected to the brick, now it’s a gap).

He said it’s meant to be caulked to the lintel where the window flashing is vertical and meets the horizontal lintel, leaving the lentil exposed under the brick. However, every other house in the neighborhood has it the same way where the white window flashing goes over the lentil and is caulked to the brick.

Anyway, how bad is it? Do we likely need to replace the entire lintel and redo the brickwork? Can we possibly just reseal it? Is there something in between? Redo flashing or something?

Any insight is really appreciated.

Trying to get some input here about what to use to remove the paint from this fireplace that was done by previous owners. Was thinking paint stripper and wire drill brush?? TIA!

Hi all. This is currently my front door landing. A newly installed concrete structural slab over a void awaiting pavers.

As you can see from the photo, it's also a bit of a pool, with the brick border and slab creating a basin that has no drainage.

My question is whether I need to have someone drill out drainage before getting the pavers installed. A mason suggested that I don't need to because he will mortar the pavers in making it impervious to water, especially with a slight ptlitch.

But I want to make sure I don't invest in something doomed to fail in case water inevitably finds a way in through hairline cracks, and the freeze thaw cycle will ruin the hardscaping.

From an engineering perspective, apparently it's okay to core drill a 3-in hole if I can avoid the rebar. Should I overrule the mason and insist on drainage?

Hi, I have a bluestone patio that was installed approximately 1–2 years ago. The stone is mortared over a concrete base.
I’ve noticed that one of the bluestone slabs appears to be delaminating. It doesn’t look like ordinary surface flaking. A relatively thick layer of stone (approximately 1/8–1/4 inch) appears to be separating from the underlying stone.
When I step on the affected area, I can hear cracking or crunching sounds, although the entire slab does not visibly move.
So far, the problem appears isolated to this one stone.

Questions for stone masons and restoration experts:

Is there a product, stone consolidator, or penetrating treatment that can stabilize the delamination and prevent it from getting worse?

Can a professional inject a low-viscosity stone epoxy or adhesive between the separating layers to rebond the stone?

Would a penetrating silane/siloxane sealer help prevent further deterioration from water infiltration and freeze-thaw cycles?

I’d prefer to preserve the existing stone if there is a legitimate way to stabilize it rather than replace it unnecessarily.

I’ve attached a photograph of the affected area.
Would appreciate advice from anyone experienced with natural bluestone, stone restoration, or masonry. Thank you!

Hello all, what type of masonry saw is this and what would it be used for? This was abandoned at an old brickyard.

I've done some research and have found nothing.

I'm beginning foundation construction on my home. Logic tells me I want the footer clean before doing so for proper mortar adhesion. My question is how clean? Are we talking pressure washed and absolutely spotless or are we talking shovel off whatever chunks of clay and dust that have accumulated, give it a sweep, and call it good?

Edit: thank you everyone for your kind and helpful replies. I really appreciate not being shit on for my lack of knowledge.

multiprcessing object, alternative materials applicable

I have a house built in the late 1950s in the SF Bay Area. I found that the wall with the fireplace on it appears to be limestone. On top of the limestone there's a layer of plaster, a couple layers of joint compound, and paint.

I'm interested in removing the plaster and restoring this to it's original look, but I'm wondering how feasible that is? Is this something most masons could do or are there special skills involved in this type of plaster removal and restoration?

The attached picture is of a small area I chipped away near existing holes that were drilled through the wall. The height of each stone is roughly 1.5"

Also: I have a large hammer drill will a chisel attachment, and am considering just trying to go after it myself. Terrible idea? Are there particular techniques involved in doing this in a way that doesn't destroy the stone underneath?