STIHL MS 251 C Chainsaw Review

Posted on November 29, 2016 by Tim Carter

Stihl MS 251 Chainsaw

What would you say if I told you the first chainsaw I ever used was a STIHL?

That might not impress you, but the year might. It was September of 1974, I had just gotten married and was back from my honeymoon.

It's now December of 2106 and my bride has never changed the front door locks on me. I'm a survivor, or should I say she is?!

Click here to read about my visit to the STIHL Editors Conference and see a photo of me carving their logo with a chainsaw!!

All those years ago, I was rehabbing a house in Mt. Adams, an up-and-coming residential district immediately adjacent to downtown Cincinnati, OH.

The saw was a work horse. Even though I was a strong young buck of 22, I got tired but the STIHL saw just wanted to keep on working.

I then started to use my father-in-law's STIHL 18-inch chainsaw to cut cherry trees on a huge tract of land he owned. Same story, different day. The saw never failed me and it wore me out!

Fast forward forty-two years, but before we do...

Know Your Reviewer

I hope you do realize that many of the current tool reviewers out there, and I'm talking late 2016, are individuals who have never been on a real job site, never have worked in construction as a full-time job, and most definitely do not have decades of real field experience.

Always be sure to visit the About Us page on a tool review website and look at the qualifications of the person writing the review before you put much faith in their opinion of the tool.

Some reviewers write a review without even using the tool. They open it up and take some photos or shoot a video in their workshop. I take the tool and USE IT to see how it performs. But I digress!

My Test

I've had years of experience using chainsaws, but recently had the honor of attending the first-ever STIHL Editors Conference.

There I got expert instruction on all the safety steps you need to perform to work SAFELY with a chainsaw. I urge you to read all instructions in the STIHL owners manual and watch any videos they produce about how to hold, stand and work with a chainsaw.

Be sure to always wear all protective gear including, but not limited to, chaps, heavy gloves, safety glasses, ear muffs, hard hat with visor, etc.

If you want all the technical specs on the saw I used in this review, CLICK HERE.

I decided to use the MS 251 C to cut down a dead tree on my lot. The trunk diameter was 20 inches or so about two feet above the soil, so this would be a great test.

The saw had no issues at all making the cuts. As you'd expect, the saw was perfectly balanced and very powerful.

I think it helps that STIHL makes their own chains. Not all chainsaw manufacturers do!!!

Starting the saw was a breeze because of the newer spring-loaded starting rope system.

You just pull the cord slowly almost all the way out and it loads a spring with potential energy. When you release the pull cord, the spring rotates the piston starting the engine. It's a delight to use!

I really loved the toolless fuel and oil caps. The saw I had before this one required you to use a large screwdriver or flat tool to twist open the fuel and oil caps. I hated using that bar and it gouged the caps. Those days are gone forever with the toolless caps.

Adjusting the chain tension is the same. There are no tools required as well. What a nice change!

I discovered at the conference that if you want the saw to start each and every time you need it, it's very important to keep the fuel tank filled when the saw is stored. The fuel needs to have stabilizer and use the best gasoline you can buy to make your mix.

Pay attention to the owners manual about the recommended octane rating of the gasoline. Many small engines LOVE to have higher octane gasoline, yet you may be one that always pushes the 87 octane button. Filling a gas can with 93 octane for your small engines may only cost you an extra dollar!

You can also purchase and use STIHL's premixed and stabilized fuel in handy cans.

Read the owners manual to discover the best gasoline to use. It's all about octane.

Here are some photos of the saw and a few of its features:

The distinctive orange color screams "QUALITY". (C) Copyright 2016 Tim Carter

You're looking at the toolless fuel filler. Flip that black lever up, twist and fill. (C) Copyright 2016 Tim Carter

This is where you put in the oil that lubricates the chain. The saw sips this oil and doesn't waste a drop. (C) Copyright 2016 Tim Carter

Milwaukee Demolition Gloves Review

Posted on November 28, 2016 by Tim Carter

Milwaukee Demolition Gloves Review

I review tools and products as part of my AsktheBuilder.com website.

You might think there's not much to say when reviewing simple work or demolition gloves, right?

If you've worn work gloves for over forty years like I have, then you might know exactly what to look for in a glove.

I've worn many many pairs of work gloves in my four decades of hands-on, no pun intended, construction work. I've built new homes, room additions, done lots of demolition work and plenty of remodeling on existing homes.

I do know what I like and don't like about work gloves, so let's start there. But first, a little business about reviews.

Here are the Milwaukee Demolition Gloves. As you can see, I TEST them before I write about them. (C) Copyright 2016 Tim Carter

Know Your Reviewer

Always be sure to visit the About Us page on a tool review website and look at the qualifications of the person writing the review before you put much faith in their opinion of the tool.

Some reviewers write a review without even using the tool. They open it up and take some photos or shoot a video in their workshop. I take the tool and USE IT to see how it performs. But I digress!

My Test

I tested these gloves over a period of two weeks. I had to do some cleanup around the back of my house moving framing lumber around that was leftover from building a new deck. This is the sort of material you might handle doing demolition.

I also wore the gloves taping a video showing how easy it was to use a BernzOmatic MAP-gas torch. This was an interesting test because you need dexterity to operate the torch. The gloves allowed me to safely use the torch, operate the controls and not put myself in danger of getting burned.

Finally, I had a massive project of cleaning up around my wood pile. I had many old pallets that had to be moved, some cut up for kindling wood, and just general handling of split wood, pallets with RUSTY nails! and cumbersome logs.

The gloves did well. Very well.

CLICK HERE to BUY the gloves.

My only complaint, and this is with just about all gloves like this, is that they're not waterproof. I long for a waterproof work or demolition glove that breathes. I'm going to hunt for a pair and test those next!

Your knuckles are protected by these nice rubber bumpers. CLICK THE PHOTO to BUY the gloves.(C) Copyright 2016 Tim Carter

Here's more protection for the palm of your hand. Note the gripping rubber pimples. CLICK THE IMAGE to BUY the gloves. (C)Copyright 2016 Tim Carter

Use the hoop and loop straps to secure the gloves to your hands. I feel the glove size runs SMALL, so order the next size up you feel you need. CLICK THE PHOTO to BUY the gloves. (C)Copyright 2016 Tim Carter

More rubber gripping texture pimples on the fingertips. A good feature indeed. CLICK THE PHOTO to BUY the gloves. (C) Copyright 2016 Tim Carter

How to Seamless Gutters Video

Posted on November 28, 2016 by Tim Carter

Tim Carter hires Todd to make seamless gutters.

He shows you how EASY it is!

You use flat aluminum to start and make it go through a fancy machine. The machine bends the metal at the rate of about 2 feet per second.

You can insert any painted aluminum flat coil stock to get whatever color finished gutter you want. You'll need some hand snips, a fancy knockout-punch tool and a very special caulk made for aluminum gutters.

There's nothing to it if you buy a $10,000 seamless gutter machine and a $30,000 truck to put it in. Oh, and you have to buy 1,000 feet of flat coil stock at a time. GULP!

Cracked Brick Bay Window

Posted on November 28, 2016 by Tim Carter

DEAR TIM: I’ve just placed an offer to purchase a two-bedroom house. It’s an older building, probably close to seventy, or more, years old.

After placing the offer, I then took a closer look around the exterior and noticed some cracks in the brick under the bay window. Is this a serious problem?

Like many, money is a little tight and I can’t afford an expensive repair. What is your opinion and do you think it’s something a woman with gray hair can repair? Sheryl E., Aberfan, Wales

DEAR SHERYL: I looked at the marvelous photos you sent.

Great Photos Help Provide Answers

They give me all the information I need to know to render an opinion I can give and sleep at night. I feel the cracks in the mortar joints are very minor settlement cracks and should not give you any worry.

One way to tell if the crack is causing issues is to see if the crank-out windows on either side of the bay operate with ease. If you can open and close them and they don’t bind, that’s a good sign.

Free & Fast BIDS

CLICK HERE to get FREE & FAST BIDS from local replacement window companies if you feel you need a new window or two.

Now I say that but I need to qualify it. it appears the bay window that’s resting on top of the brickwork is not original. It has modern detailing and looks to be vinyl. It’s possible the older window had issues and the new installer shimmed the new window so it would operate properly.

But if you look closely at the window, it appears that it’s been in place for some time. If I had to wager a generous order of Welsh rarebit, bara brith and some Glamorgan sausage, I’d say the brickwork is stable and there are no issues at all with the window operation.

Based on your photos, it seems your house is part of a multi-family building. If any of the other units have similar bay windows made like yours, ask the owners if they’ve had any issues. Sometimes builders skimp a little on the foundations under bay windows. Not all are full foundations and if the connection detailing isn’t right, the bay windows can move ever so slightly.

Repairing the crack in the mortar joint is a DIY job. I know you can do it. I say this primarily because you’re a woman and most women have an infinite amount of patience and possess great attention-to-detail skills.

Both are required to do an expert job of patching the mortar joint so it looks like nothing was done to it. Most masons I know don’t take the time to do mortar repairs correctly and the patch jobs often look worse than the crumbling mortar they’re trying to fix.

The first step in the process is to wash the brickwork below the window. You want to scrub it like you would a floor with a stiff scrub brush and soapy water. If you can locate any oxygen bleach in Wales, it would be best to use it on the mortar as I believe I see mold and mildew on the mortar and some of the brick.

CLICK HERE to get FREE & FAST BIDS from local replacement window companies if you feel you need a new window or two.

Oxygen bleach is a powder you mix with hot tap water. You stir until it’s all dissolved and spray it on dry brick and mortar. You want to saturate the brick and mortar and keep it wet with the solution for up to an hour. After the dwell, or wait, period, dip a brush in the oxygen bleach solution and begin to scrub. You can add some liquid dish soap to the cleaning solution to help clean. Rinse the brick with clear water and allow it to dry.

Once the mortar is dry, I want you to look very closely at it. You’ll discover, as I can see some in the photos you sent, that you see hundreds of individual grains of sand that was used to make the mortar. Note the color range, shape of the sand and the size of the sand particles. These different pieces of sand are responsible for creating the overall look and color of the mortar joint when you stand back and look at it.

You need to visit local sand pits where the sand is harvested from the earth. Since your town is located on a river, I suspect the source of the sand used all those years ago is quite close by. Since the geology of your area hasn’t changed in millions of years and the sand in the river, or sand pits, is a result of the erosion of the rock upstream from your town, I believe you’ll have a great chance of finding the same sand. It’s mission critical that you do.

If you can locate any older masons in town, talk to them. Ask them if when they were just starting in the trade if the old master masons used hydrated lime to make the mortar. Hydrated lime is a superior material to use instead of a modern mortar mix that contains mostly Portland cement. Lime has some give to it, it’s sticky and it has a self-healing property where it can grow new micro crystals in case very tiny cracks develop over time.

I’d make up a sample batch of hydrated lime and the sand you find. Blend three parts sand to one part hydrated lime. Mix these ingredients dry before adding water. Add just enough water to make the mix like stiff applesauce. I want you to repair just one small area where the mortar is missing. Don’t do widespread repairs yet.

The hydrated lime will coat all the sand and give the fresh mortar a monolithic color of gray. Right now the mortar is multi-colored because you see the sand.

After one month, I want you to lightly acid wash the small area you repaired. Use muriatic acid diluted one part acid to ten parts water. Read all the safety warnings on the acid container. Apply the acid with a cheap paint brush and try to expose some of the sand by washing off the thin layer of lime that’s coating all the sand. Rinse with plenty of clear water.

Allow to dry for a few days and stand back to look at the repair joint. See if the color is very close to the rest of the mortar. If so, get to work! If the color is not right, then consider blending different brick mortars until you get a grey color that matches the existing brick mortar.

CLICK HERE to get FREE & FAST BIDS from local replacement window companies if you feel you need a new window or two.

Column 1172

November 25, 2016 AsktheBuilder Newsletter

Posted on November 28, 2016 by Tim Carter

If you live in the USA, I hope you had a grand Thanksgiving Day yesterday. It's my favorite meal of the year and Kathy didn't disappoint.

I felt the turkey was especially good this year - more moist and tender than ever before. We wet brine our turkey for about eighteen hours before the bad boy goes in the oven.

If you paid attention in high school biology class and processed what your teacher said about osmosis, frogs and salt water, then you had a splendid turkey as well!

This issue is going to be all about GIFT IDEAS since today is VERY DARK GRAY Friday. Everyone else calls it Black Friday, so I want to be different.

A New TV?

A week ago, I was planning to do outdoor radio with another operator who I met online, but had never seen - Nick Mollo. He lives down around Boston, MA.

We met last Saturday at a National Wild and Scenic River here in New Hampshire. CLICK HERE to read the story and see some great photos.

I was down near Manchester, NH and Kathy had asked me to stop by the Best Buy store to see, in person, a new TV.

I can't remember when we bought a TV last, but it's been at least ten or fifteen years.

HOLY TOMATO!

I walked back to where the TVs are on display and working and was STUNNED!

Kathy wanted me to look at the Samsung UHD Curved 55-Inch 4K Smart LED TV.

I've never seen such clarity. I could see tiny droplets of perspiration on people's faces. I could see individual whiskers. I could count the hairs in eyebrows!

They had the curved TV below a similar model but it was a typical flat screen. A DVD was playing on both TVS at the same time that showed the Hoover Dam and the new concrete bridge that spans the Colorado River above the dam. I've been there so I know what it looks like.

The shot was from a hovering helicopter so you had a very good view of the bridge and the dam below and behind it.

The image on the flat UHD TV was not bad. It was super clear and crisp. I was impressed!

When I looked at the shot on the Curved TV, I FELT AS IF I WAS IN THE HELICOPTER!

It was unbelievable. While not exactly like the surround screen you may see at an I-Max theater, it's CLOSE.

That TV is now in our great room and everyone is astonished at it.

If you're thinking of giving a TV to someone - even yourself - as a gift this Christmas, GET THIS TV.

WOW!

I want to WARN YOU NOW. If you go to a store that has one on display and you see it, you'll buy one on the spot.

CLICK HERE to order one NOW from Amazon.

Remember, if you buy stuff at Amazon using my links, I get a tiny commission. It does NOT CAUSE your price to be higher. Amazon just shares a small part of their profit with me.

BernzOmatic MAP Gas Torch

Here's a GREAT stocking stuffer gift.

The BernzOmatic MAP Gas Torch kit. CLICK HERE TO WATCH a short video I did about it.

Here's the DEAL with this torch.

It's ON A SPECIAL SALE at Home Depot NOW for just a FEW MORE DAYS.

You can have this amazing torch for just $39.97. That's a pretty darn big savings, so GET TO a Home Depot store now.

You can ONLY GET this special pricing at Home Depot.

STIHL Folding Hand Saw

I just published a review about a pretty cool folding hand saw.

CLICK HERE to read it and see some pretty darned good photos.

This is a real stocking stuffer gift because it WILL FIT into a stocking. It's a great tool to have around the house for trimming branches and cutting down small pesky trees.

CLICK HERE, look at the photos and you'll see a link at the bottom of the review how to BUY it.

Kobalt STEEL GRIP Sockets

Two weeks ago, I had to remove a bolt that a car mechanic had rounded off slightly. My regular socket kept slipping.

I had just received some SPECIAL sockets to test that claim to grip bolts and hex-head fasteners that have rounded or rusted heads.

My hands were cold, I was running out of patience and bad words were passing through my lips.

I opened the Kobalt STEEL GRIP Socket package and put the 10mm socket into my ratchet.

The sockets come both SAE and Metric. I needed the metric size because I was working on my Volvo S-60.

IT WORKED! The crazy steel moveable fingers inside the socket GRABBED ONTO the rounded rusted bolt and I was able to remove it.

SCORE!!

CLICK HERE TO BUY a set now. Be sure you get the right ones: SAE or Metric.

Heck, get a set of each. You'll NOT REGRET IT.

Okay that's enough for VERY DARK GRAY Friday.

I'll have more gift ideas for you soon.

REMEMBER, if you shop at Amazon, PLEASE USE MY LINKS to help support this newsletter.

It costs you NOTHING to use my Amazon links.

CLICK HERE and start shopping!

Tim Carter
Founder - www.AsktheBuilder.com

Do It Right, Not Over!

Milwaukee 1 Inch Mini Copper Tubing Cutter Review

Posted on November 27, 2016 by Tim Carter

I've been a master plumber for over 35 years. How many times do you think I've used a tubing cutter on a job site, in a customer's home or to make a video?

Tens of thousands of times.

So who better to review the Milwaukee 1-inch mini tubing cutter than a person like me, right?

For years I struggled with an inferior mini tubing cutter. You need these tools to cut copper tubing in very tight locations. The most common places you'll use this tool are in wall and joist cavities when making repairs to water supply lines. There's just not enough room to swing around a normal-sized tubing cutter.

Fortunately a new tool has arrived that's removed my frustration forever.

Know Your Reviewer

Always be sure to visit the About Us page on a tool review website and look at the qualifications of the person writing the review before you put much faith in their opinion of the tool.

Some reviewers write a review without even using the tool. They open it up and take some photos or shoot a video in their workshop. I take the tool and USE IT to see how it performs. But I digress!

Here's the magical tool. It's the absolute BEST mini tubing cutter I've ever used. (C) Copyright 2016 Tim Carter

CLICK HERE TO BUY this great tool.

Basic Specs

The tool says it can cut tubing from 1/8-inch up to 1 and 1/8 inch. You can see that on a photo just below.

My Test

I used it to cut about 65 pieces of 1/2-inch aluminum tubing for a Trex Transcend deck railing installation. I also tested it cutting pieces of 1/2-inch and 3/4-inch type M copper tubing.

It worked flawlessly cutting both materials.

The chrome-plated rollers are so smooth, they didn't mar the painted aluminum at all. The cutter worked perfectly and the tightening knob was just the right size so it wasn't an effort to tighten the cutting wheel.

You can see the model number and the tool limitations clearly cast into the body. (C) Copyright 2016 Tim Carter

CLICK HERE TO BUY this great tool.

For years most mini tubing cutters had a round knob. You have to really grip it to tighten. The raised wings on this cutter make it EASY to tighten the knob. (C) Copyright 2016 Tim Carter

It's important to have precision rollers like these to ensure STRAIGHT CUTS. Milwaukee mechanical engineers didn't disappoint. (C) Copyright 2016 Tim Carter

You can see the business end of the tool here. That hardened-steel wheel slices into copper, aluminum and softer EMT tubing like a hot knife in cold butter. (C) Copyright 2016 Tim Carter

CLICK HERE TO BUY this great tool.

Bosch IWMH182 Impact Wrench Review

Posted on November 26, 2016 by Tim Carter

Impact Wrench Review

Some power tools have the strangest names.

This is one. The actual name for this tool is:

18V EC Brushless 1/2-Inch Square Drive Impact Wrench with Detent Ball

I kid you not.

But don't let the stodgy name fool you. This is ten tons of dynamite with a one-inch fuse.

I'm not a reviewer that bores you with all the technical specs. If you want those, click here.

Know Your Reviewer

I talk about how tools really work in your hand and unlike many other tool reviewers out there, I've got over thirty-five years of field experience to render an opinion.

Always be sure to visit the About Us page on a tool review website and look at the qualifications of the person writing the review before you put much faith in their review. But I digress!

My Field Test

In the summer of 2016, I had to completely rebuild an existing deck that was 10 feet by 64-feet long. It was 13 feet up in the air. The idiot carpenters who constructed it, just toenailed in all the connections between posts and beams.

The deck had 4x4 angled knee braces between the posts and beams, but those were also just nailed by the idiots. The rookie know-nothing carpenters also used 3/8-inch by 6-inch long lag bolts to attach the notched post rails to the deck. Look at this video:

I decided to test this Bosch impact wrench to remove all of the long lag bolts and then re-use those same bolts at the knee braces to strengthen and help stabilize the deck.

OH MY!

This is one powerful tool. I mean wrist-wrenching power that puts a grin on your face.

CLICK HERE TO BUY this amazing tool.

I felt it increased my productivity by a factor of 10X, possibly more.

The 18-volt batteries delivered boundless energy driving countless bolts deep into the wood with just a minimal pilot hole.

I got the kit with the soft bag, the charger and an extra battery. You WANT TO HAVE an extra battery. This allows you to work all day long never having to wait on a battery to charge.

Here are some photos that tell you all about this tool.

This is the tool. It's solid and fit my hand well. (C) Copyright 2016 Tim Carter

This is the business end of the impact wrench. Let me tell you, the variable speed control with the torque combine to make you job easier and your profits to go UP. (C) Copyright 2016 Tim Carter

The handy led lights let you know how much power you have left. Since the lithium-ion batteries deliver nearly full power until exhausted, you don't see a drop off in performance until seconds before the battery stops. (C) Copyright 2016 Tim Carter

No brushes to clean! This means you can spend time doing what you're good at. (C) Copyright 2016 Tim Carter

The LED spotlight really comes in handy in those poorly-lit situations. (C) Copyright 2016 Tim Carter

CLICK HERE TO BUY this amazing tool.

STIHL PS 10 Folding Saw Review

Posted on November 24, 2016 by Tim Carter

I'm quite lucky in that I get to test new tools on a regular basis.

Not too long ago, I received a STIHL PS 10 folding saw. Having used similar hand saws in the past, I felt I'd be able to provide you with a great assessment as to if it's worthy to hang on your garden shed pegboard.

The folding hand saw I already had in my garage before this one arrived, and had used for years, had a longer blade. Although the saw cut pretty well, I was never impressed by the blade as it had flexed and bent on me more than a few times while using it.

I was very interested to see how strong the steel was in this STIHL saw. It didn't take long to discover that STIHL makes hand saws like they make their unbeatable chain saws. The Germans strive for excellence, and it seems they achieved it with this very simple, but elegant, folding hand saw.

BASIC SPECS:

BLADE STYLE	Folding
BLADE LENGTH	5.75"
BLADE FINISH	Hard chrome-plated
TOOTH PITCH	.15"
BLADE SHAPE	Straight
OVERALL LENGTH	13.7"
CUTTING CAPACITY	2"

Here's the bad boy. It's a dandy saw. (C) Copyright 2016 Tim Carter

MY TEST:

The reason STIHL tells you it can only cut 2-inch material is because the length of the blade is only 5.75 inches. I decided to try to cut a 3.25-inch diameter maple tree that was growing like a weed here at my house.

It did a superb job even though I had to use shorter saw strokes because I was cutting a larger tree. I cut at a 15-degree downward angle so the tree would fall away and not pinch the saw blade. It only took about 45 seconds to get the tree to succumb to gravity.

Here's the saw with teeth that remind me of a fierce dragon. You can see the stump of the tree just under the blade. Maple is hard, but no match for the STIHL PS 10. I have the locking clasp disengaged in this photo getting ready to take the photo you see below. (C) Copyright 2016 Tim Carter

IMPRESSIONS:

This folding hand saw fit my hand perfectly with decent leather gloves on. To me, that's the test. You should always wear heavy gloves when using a saw like this because the sharp teeth will show no mercy on your soft, tender skin when they can easily cut through hard maple or oak!

The teeth are designed to provide maximum cutting power on the pull stroke.

There's a nice locking clasp once the blade is open. Be sure to always lock the blade when open.

My finger is underneath the locking clasp just to show it to you. When the blade is open, you need to ENGAGE the clasp in the groove on the top of the blade. (C) Copyright 2016 Tim Carter

If you care for this saw, meaning clean and keep it oiled after each use, it can last generations assuming you don't use it to cut steel rebar, metal tubing, or drag it across rocks.

Use common sense and just cut WOOD with it, and the blade should remain sharp for many many years.

CLICK HERE to get more information and to BUY this saw.

Brick Patio Pavers

Posted on November 21, 2016 by Tim Carter

Would you believe it if I told you the brick you see is well over 100 years old, it was salvaged and then installed as a patio 45 years ago? And it still looks to be in great shape! © 2016 Tim Carter Builder

DEAR TIM: My wife is begging me to install a patio. The issue is she hates the interlocking cast concrete brick and they seem to lose their luster and color in a few years. Plus, they look too perfect she says.

She want’s me to create a brick patio that looks like it’s been down for fifty, or more, years. How can you do that? What’s the magic? I’m not very skilled and the method needs to be pretty simple for me to pull this off and be in her good graces.

Help me Obi Wan Tim, you’re my only hope. Zach S. Raleigh, NC

DEAR ZACH: I sensed a slight disturbance in the home improvement force when I read your email. It was a pleasant one that brought back a buried memory of mine. You may enjoy this small tale and take some inspiration from it.

When I was dating my wife back in college during the early 1970’s, I was deeply interested in home improvement, yet I had raw undeveloped skills. Energy and desire were in abundance, but both needed to be tamed so as to not waste them.

One early summer night when I went to pick up Kathy for a date, I saw two pallets of brick in their driveway and asked about them. Kathy told me her mom wanted a small brick patio around the back of her house where she could sit in nice weather and have a cup of coffee. That included 95-degree days as she consumed hot coffee on blistering hot days. I sweated thinking about that.

I can’t remember how it happened, but I volunteered to help put in the patio. Kathy’s dad was a medical doctor and very busy so I knew he’d have limited time. My future mother-in-law saw I was serious and welcomed the offer.

The brick they had bought was solid brick that had been used in some building. Fortunately, it was a harder brick that was strong enough to be exposed to the cold punishing weather that one can have in Cincinnati, Ohio, in the winter. Realize that not all brick has been fired long enough at a high enough temperature in a kiln to have this durability. It’s required for paving brick to be used in a patio or roadway. Brick in contact with the ground needs to be much tougher than brick used in a wall.

The first thing I had to do was chip off all the old mortar. Fortunately the mortar that had been used was primarily made with hydrated lime instead of Portland cement and it came off with little trouble. It took days to get off all the old mortar, but they passed like minutes to me because I was enjoying the work.

The brick had very square edges but every now and then a corner was chipped. I thought this would be an issue, but Kathy’s mom loved the missing corners as she was going for the same look your wife wants. I couldn’t picture it, but I trusted her and after all, it was her patio!

Kathy’s mom had read some article about installing the brick in a bed of coarse sand that had some Portland cement blended with it. This cement would eventually set up once the sand got wet and create a fairly stiff base under the brick.

I dug out enough soil so there would be a 3-inch bed of sand. I blended four measures of sand per measure of Portland cement and mixed it up in a wheelbarrow until the sand was a uniform color.

This sand was then put on the soil. I had created wood forms around the patio so we’d have the sand in the same plane. Kathy’s dad taught me one night after he got home from work the importance of using a string to get the edge of the forms straight so the patio didn’t look like it was being installed by a novice. I thank him to this day for that tip as I was trying to eyeball the wood forms.

I dumped the sand into the wood forms and used another straight 2x6 that ran across the top of the forms to smooth out the sand cement mixture. I did not compact the sand but immediately began to dry fit the brick on top of the sand. I kept the brick about 3 inches away from the edge of the sand. That’s what the instructions in the article said to do. I didn’t understand why at the time, but I do now! That sand edge provided a nice barrier so the brick on the edges would not tip outward if stepped on.

Because the brick were very uniform in size, they went together well in a double basket-weave or stacked bond pattern. Once all the brick were installed and I put dirt around the edges, I used a metal tamper that had a towel wrapped around it to set the brick in the sand. I started at the edges and tamped lightly working my way in to the center of the patio. The final step was to put a lawn sprinkler on to try to activate the Portland cement in the sand so the base stiffened up.

Last week, I was on that patio, possibly for the last time, because we had to send my father-in-law back to Heaven. Seven years ago, we sent back my mother-in-law. I sat in a chair on the patio and marveled at how well it looked after nearly 50 years of wear and tear. The brick weren’t perfectly level, some were up and down, the spacing wasn’t perfect but the patio looked amazing. I think your wife would like one like this.

The only thing I think I’d change if I could do it over would be to blend three measures of sand to one measure of Portland cement. I’d also make the base 4 inches thick instead of 3. Let me know how your patio comes out!

Related Column: Patio Pavers

Column 1171

STIHL 2 N 1 Filing Guide How To Video

Posted on November 21, 2016 by Tim Carter

Tim Carter demonstrates how to use the Stihl 2 N 1 Easy File Chainsaw Chain Sharpener to sharpen a chain in the field. With the STIHL filing guide and the STIHL Stump Vise, you can quickly and easily sharpen you chainsaw chain. Be sure to follow manufacturer's instructions.

The above is an affiliate link. I get a tiny commission if you purchase this item from Amazon.

Stihl MS 251 Chainsaw

Milwaukee Demolition Gloves Review

Impact Wrench Review

Know Your Reviewer

My Field Test

Expert Advice For Your Home