Oregon Real Estate

Oregon real estate offers many Craftsman homes with different styles and sizes.

When doing restoration on old brick, whether it’s a chimney or brick siding, they are a few things to remember.

The mortar in the old brick work will more than likely need some kind of repair, mortar was not designed to last 100 years plus.

On historic homes with the heating stove and brick chimneys were common.

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 Most of these old homes are between 100 to 140 years old. The mortar in the chimineys will be worn out

If you are redoing a chimney you start by taking an average size screwdriver and start scraping out the mortar. Scrape it out until you have it about 1 inch deep, if you can get it that deep.

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The next step it to take a wire brush, thin enough to get in between the brick courses and clean the area. If this area can be blown out, all the better. At the home improvement store, buy a few tubes of mortar, make sure it is a light grey color, similar to cement. This is nothing more than mortar in a caulking gun.

If your are only doing a section make sure your dried mortar is the exact color as the original mortar.

With a caulking gun, fill area in between brick courses and finish with a tuck point tool. This will have a curved ½ inch blade, same width as the groove between the bricks.

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You will also need to mix up a bunch of mortar the same color and install a new top cap on the fireplace, this will be worn out and cracked as well. Shape this with curved sides. Smooth it out with a wet sponge.

This same process will apply if you are doing brick siding. Take special care to match the color exactly with what you are replacing, especially if you are only replacing some.

Old homes require care if you are going to work on them. Keep water and a small paint brush around to keep all the mortal cleaned up from anything you don’t want concrete (mortar) on.

With all jobs done on Craftsman Homes, being clean and orderly will turn out looking better.

Let me know how I can help al@cronemiller.com or my site at www.homesforsalesalemoregon.net 

All old homes need a craftsman to keep care of them, rock on…..

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