Q&A / 

Brick pave sidewalks make a stunning addition to your home. Brick pavers can be used to make either sidewalks or patios. Pavers can also be used to line a driveway. For extra appeal check into engraved brick pavers.

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Marble floor polishing can remove small scratches. You can polish the flooring either by dry sanding or wet sanding. Use special silicone-carbide sandpaper in range of grits to slowly work out those imperfections.

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DEAR TIM: I was on vacation before Christmas visiting relatives in southern California. I love outdoor plants so we visited a place called Huntington Gardens in Pasadena. There I saw the most unusual patio and sidewalk paving. Never before had I seen such beauty and thought it was fake. Different small stones that were different […]

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DEAR TIM: My husband and I are in a small skirmish about our new brick veneer home. I want it to be somewhat distinctive where you incorporate random pieces of rock in the brick. Among other claims, he says this will weaken the brick and cause leaks. Is this true? He’s also worried that it […]

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Maryann Mosca had an unfortunate loss in her life and now she's trying to finish a stone job and needs to change the mortar color. She lives in Branchburg, NJ. Here's what she sent me: "Let me start by saying my husband was a carpenter and put on a 2nd floor and front porch on our […]

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Helen Jennings wants to create a new door in the exterior wall of an ancient stone home in Holmbridge, West Yorkshire England! Here's what she sent me: "Do you think it would be possible to knock a doorway through this side external wall on the same level as the front door? I'd also want to add a […]

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Quick Column Summary: Brick walls leak in heavy rain Can I drill weep holes into brick Do not drill bricks Coat bricks to stop water infiltration Sara, who lives in Elgin, IL, has an issue that plagues hundreds of thousands of homeowners. Let her tell you all about the water that runs down her basement […]

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Quick Column Summary: Best way to install stone veneer WHAT does the manufacturer say The warranty is most important Cement paint will help get a great bond Dan Ritchey, from Malta, Montana, asked: "Do you have to use metal lathe and thinset on stone veneer or can you apply a scratch coat on cement board […]

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Glue Rocks Together - Use Magic Epoxy Below Quick Column Summary: Stacked rock sculpture What is the bonding material Use a rock/masonry epoxy Maurizio Magnani was perplexed after visiting a public park in Duarte, CA. Here's what he wrote to me: "I would like to build a river rocks assembly I saw at a nearby […]

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Quick Column Summary: Artificial stone install DIY friendly Read all installation instructions Create a surface for rock to adhere to Use cement paint DEAR TIM: I was at a spring home show and saw a few displays that featured beautiful stone. When I asked about what type of stone it was, the man said it […]

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