Clay Paving Brick are the Best - Forget About Concrete Pavers If you read my column on a regular basis, then you know about two months ago I touched on the perils of using paving brick made from concrete. That column talked about how those bricks fade in color over time as the thin colored […]
Oxalic Acid Cleaner - It's a Great Rust Remover Not a week goes by that you, or another reader or two or three or twenty, might reach out to me with a fantastic question about the column of mine you’re reading. Often you might ask why I failed to dive deeper into the topic. You […]
Mortar Recipe Tip Go here to get the amazing mortar recipe tip including secret recipes and installation tips to change the color of concrete. Links to the colored pigments are included!
How to Prevent Brick Foundation Problems - Go to the BIA A few weeks ago, a visitor to my AsktheBuilder.com website wanted to know about brick foundations. Karen had this ambitious desire to build a small 900-square-foot house by herself. She was well aware of her physical limitations and asked me if it was possible […]
Brick Pavers Fading - You Can't Stop It QUESTION: Tim, I have a big decision to make and need your help. I love the look of colored brick for paving including my driveway, sidewalks, and patio. The issue is I’ve started to pay attention to older installations of colored concrete paving brick and many look […]
Sand and Brick Mortar - Big Differences DEAR TIM: I need to repair the mortar joints on my older brick home that was built in the late 1800s. I’ve seen some very horrible workmanship where the mortar doesn’t match at all and want to avoid this. Is there some sort of magic one employs to […]
Brick Mortar DEAR TIM: I’m about to undertake a complex project. I’ve got an older brick home that’s over one hundred years old. There are places where the mortar needs attention. The bigger issue is a room addition we’ve got planned. Believe it or not, we located a brick that’s, for all intents and purposes, […]
Install Handrail Into Brick - Easy with Epoxy & Studs You need moderate skills to install a handrail into brick and poured concrete. It's important to realize that you can't use regular expansion anchors in the brick as they very likely will fracture the brick if they're not solid. What Tools Are Required? You'll need […]
This is not a normal column of mine. I’m sitting in my man cave writing this column several hours before I talk to Amanda on the phone. She lives in Oklahoma and her new home covered with artificial stone made from colored and textured concrete is leaking when it rains and the wind blows. These […]
Use Clinkers to Make Interesting Things QUESTION #1: Timmy, I was on a tour of the Gamble house in Pasadena, CA and saw the most unusual deformed brick in a garden wall. The brick was twisted and looked more like random rocks than brick. I want some for my own house! How are clinker brick […]