Brick and Stone Guy

New brick design center

2009-01-27T19:32:00.000-08:00

I have the pleasure of bringing you an inside shot of our new Brick Design Center in Williamsburg. This is the state of the art design center for choosing brick and stone for your home. We have work stations to lay products out along with your home plans to help the home owner to see what their new home design will look like. I can not think of a better place to sip a fresh cup of coffee and remove the stress of choosing exteriors for your home.

Outdoor Fireplaces, FireRock

2009-01-27T18:52:00.000-08:00

This product is probably the best thing in the masonry world since sliced bread in the kitchen. This is a full masonry fireplace that can be used internal and external. This fireplace can be assembled in one day by two people. Assuming footer has already been poured. FireRock is the manufacture of this product. I assembled this fireplace in our brick gardens at our Williamsburg shop. I left sections of the fireplace uncovered so you can see the fireplace. Also, I left a cut away in the fire box to show how the fire brick line the box. If you use this product in doors, you would add a damper, for outdoors leave the damper out. You can set the fireplace up for gas use as well. The stack on top can be extended up to a height needed to clear a roof line. The best thing about this product is the time needed to assemble and the cost. For a typical brick and block fireplace the cost will be around $15,000 to $30,000 and higher. You will need around 8,000 to 15,000 brick and flue liners and filler brick. It will take around 1 week to assemble. Oh yah, make sure the mason has experience in building the fireplace. I had a customer who designed a 2 sided fireplace in the middle of his home, the mason did not design the smoke chamber correctly. The fireplace would not draw and the smoke filled the home with smoke. This is not a problem to have. In order to correct the problem, they will have to tear the chimney down to the smoke chamber and redesign and then rebuild the chimney.

Brick Complaints

2009-01-19T15:50:00.000-08:00

On my travels today I passed this building. Do you notice the off color between the windows? If you don't, stay out of the brick business. Just kidding. Everytime I have encountered a brick complaint like this job, I spend half the time convincing the customer that nothing is wrong with the brick, the problem is with the mortar. This is a great example showing this situation. Mortar accounts for roughly 18% of the color your brain receives from the building. Mortar colors change from several reasons. One reason could be the quality of the mortar. A couple of other reasons could stem from the manufacturing process, wrong bags, changed the process, different person mixing the batches..... Things on the job that could change mortar color are, Initial rate of absorption (IRA) of the brick, change of people who mix the mortar on job site, strike mortar too soon, strike mortar too late. These factors could change the color of the mortar drastically. There are ways to tell which of these cardinal sins have been violated.

Brick Quoins

2009-01-18T14:03:00.000-08:00

The accents you see on the corners of the home are called "quoins." These are raised quoins, some quoins are flush with the wall and the joints are raked out. This will give a depth perception. Be careful when raking the joints, this could be a possible water leak. Because you are removing mortar from the joint. One way to avoid this problem is to use solid brick for the quoins. Keep in mind when doing quoins, you can use the same color of brick and still get an accent. Or you can use another color, like this home, to help with the accent. Either way, this adds character to a home. Around the windows is called a single batt. Some homes you will see a double batt around the windows. You could rake the joints a little to add to the accent, and you could use a different color of brick and add to the accent. These are simple things that do not call for special shaped brick and still give added value for your home. When I see items like this on a home, it tells me the homeowner and or the builder took time to think about this detail. Good job Wilmik Homes.

Efflorescence

2009-01-17T08:48:00.001-08:00

Here is another example of efflorescence, but on split face block. This building is about 2 years old. I would be checking the top edge of the roof. It does not look like a lot of water, but it will not get better.

Brick stains, efflorescence stians

2009-01-17T08:27:00.000-08:00

The white stuff you see is efflorescence. You will see this on new construction typically. In a simple term, this is soluble salts. Water is getting behind the structure and is weeping out through the mortar and the water evaporates from the surface and a layer of salt is left behind. This is a new structure and I would not be too concerned, "yet." However, if this continues, the efflorescence can be your friend. What this tells me is that water is entering behind the wall and could lead to bigger problems if it is not addressed. See how the white is on the mortar joints, this means the efflorescence is coming from the mortar. If the white was on the center of the brick, the efflorescence would be from the brick. Another place you will efflorescence is on chimneys. If it is an older home you need to check the top of the chimney for water leaks. A good quick fix is to cap the top of the chimney with metal flashing or cap. Some people think to blob mortar on top to seal the top of the chimney, the mortar will crack after a time and the leaks will continue.

Stains on brick

2009-01-17T08:02:00.000-08:00

Here is the front entrance of of home with an awful stain on the brick. Most people have know what the stain is, but for those who don't, it is an iron stain. This is caused by the sprinkler system. In our area most people use shallow wells for irrigation. This adds to the problem with the increased iron from the ground. Most people do not filter or treat ground water for irrigation, and why should they? The first line of fix is to make sure that sprinklers are not hitting brick work or any other item that you do not want iron stains on. To remove this iron stain one should check with your local brick person and ask for brick cleaners to remove stain. If this is not an option try u

sing CLR, this is Calcium Lime Rust remover. This is usually in local hardware stores or Lowe's or Home Depot. If you go this route, treat a small area to make sure the result is desired. Keep those sprinklers off the brick!!!!

I forgot to add, " DO NOT USE A PRESSURE WASHER!!!!"

Remember the previous post, the color layer is a very thin layer of color, the pressure washer will wash the color off the face of the brick. Then the brick would be a wire cut red. Blah!!!

Clay body brick

2009-01-16T14:03:00.001-08:00

The brick to the right show an example of a red body brick (top ) and a buff body (bottom). The amazing thing about the red body brick is the stark white face. The red body is typically used fro residential construction. The red clays are typically found through out the US. A thin layer of coloring is applied to the red body before firing. The colors range from white, gray, black, browns, and just about any color in between. Typically the color range can be broken down into whites, browns, grays, pinks, reds, orange (terracotta). It's not as though a consumer can contact a brick manufacture and ask for a green brick.

The buff brick (bottom) is typically used for commercial jobs. Notice the body color is the same as the face of the brick. This is through the body color. If you chipped the top brick you will see a red spot, if you chipped the buff brick you will see the buff color. Other than price, this is the big difference between the two. Some people refer to the buff colored brick as "add mix." Most of the buff brick are manufactured in the mid US. However, there are a couple of buff producers in the Carolina's. I was a Plant Manager for a plant in Mississippi a couple of years ago, and it was then that I learned of the buff material. Basically the buff material used for brick manufacturing is of a low grade kaolin clay. The high grade Kaolin are used in Rolaids and fine china. Also, kaolin is known as a treat such as ice cream in the Appalachian region. Yes, people consumed the stuff, NOT ME. Depending on the size of the deposit of the kaolin, surface mining or pot mining will be the process to reclaim the kaolin. Thousands of years ago the Gulf of Mexico would flood up into Tennessee. Then the waters would recede and the buff clays would be washed down from Tennessee and deposit down through Mississippi. The clay deposits would be in pockets. This would happen several times, which caused a layering effect. It is amazing the layers you can see in the mining pits. The fossil hunters love the mining areas. Anyway, I could go on, if you find this interesting go visit a student from a university and ask about this process, they will talk forever. They very seldom get some one interested on this topic. I did enjoy the information. Thank you Ole Miss.

Through the body colored brick

2009-01-16T05:40:00.000-08:00

Just a quick post before I go on my journey today. This home is the Acme Glacier White brick. This brick is a clay product, but the clay is from the mid US. This type of brick is usually specified for commercial jobs, but it makes a very new home as well. I will do a more in depth post showing the difference between the two products. The mortar is Giant Almond type N. Ken Cohen of Cohen Homes of Virginia Beach was the builder. Great Job!!!

How to identify a brick complaint.

2009-01-15T18:05:00.000-08:00

This post will deal with brick problems. Yes, brick manufactures do make mistakes. The range of problems stem from mining to packaging. Believe me there are a lot of steps in between. Most problems are ones that are visible after the brick are installed into the wall. When you look at the picture above you will see a brighter top half than the bottom half. This problem stems from the extrusion or milling department. This is where they add color agents to the face of the column during extrusion to give the brick color. The way they add color is to use engobes, sand blast, dry box, drag rags, mud box, and a whole arsenal of contraptions. More than likely this complaint had a little help by 2 runs of brick were used on this job. That is a no no. When purchasing your brick ask to have the whole job from the same run. More than likely they had 2 different people to run the color additive during the production of this brick. One person set the controller on #3 and the next person may have set the controller on #6. This is probably why the color is a lot heavier. With my professional trained eye, I can see that the brick is the problem. However, do not always assume the brick is the problem. I have seen brick walls as bad or worse and the brick was not the problem. The mortar was the problem. Of course you are saying in your head, "WHAT, HOW?" Keep in mind, when you look at a brick wall, about 18% of the color your brain is receiving is the color of the mortar. Mortar has a big influence on the appearance of the wall. If the mortar is not consistent in color, this will effect the brick. There is a simple way to determine what is the problem, if you don't have a trained professional eye, such as mine. Take take some 4" inch wide masking tape. Block off a square area that covers the good and bad area. Example, our taped box would include the bright area with darker area in the same box. Now take some 1/4" masking tape and cover all of the mortar joints inside the box. Stand back at least 20 feet. Do the brick inside the box match? If the brick match then the mortar is the problem. If you still see the color problem inside the box, them the brick is the problem. I could tell you some stories about how I had to convince some people what the true problem was with there home. There are steps that could be used to resolve these issue, but the best solution is if a problem is identified, get the supplier out on the job so the issue could be resolved before the brick get into the wall. If you are adding on to your home or building a new home, check the job everyday to make sure the brick meet your expectation.

How to chose brick and stone

2009-01-13T18:39:00.000-08:00

Just a quick note about the brick. This is a nice brick. See how you have whole red brick and whole black brick. This brick has a checker board affect. This would not be a good brick to mix with stone, I am not saying it can't be done, but some changes would have to be made. I would use red or a dark buff mortar to tone down the contrast between the brick and mortar. The red mortar will help the black range to drag into the red brick. The stone would have to be a dark rich earth tone color or something in the rich earth tone green color would be interesting. But, anyway this is an example of brick range I would stay away from when talking about stone.

How to chose brick and stone

2009-01-13T18:30:00.000-08:00

Here is a home built by LR Hill. Notice how the brick has an almost transparent color. No one brick has one solid color and all the colors drag into one another. This is actually the Rose Range Tudor. I manufactured many of these brick in my manufacturing past. I have stained many of the Rose Range Tudor, if was a tough brick to manufacture due to tight temp set points during the burning process. However, there are about 12 to 14 different colors in this brick. This is a good example of an Earth Tone category. This is one of the few red bricks that work with stone. But see how the two do not compete and how they compliment each other. The burgundy color pull the stone to the brick and the brick stone give a soft but bold contrast. Nice combination. Good job Larry.

Brick and Stone selections

2009-01-13T18:19:00.000-08:00

Here we go on picking brick and stone selections. The brick is a nice choice without the stone. The stone is a nice choice without the brick. The two do not compliment each other at all. It's like wearing stripes with checks. I would put the brick in the Earth Tone category and the stone is of earth tone colors. Put them both together, it is too busy. It's like both of my boys fighting for their mother's attention. The stone should have been a lighter color, almost a cream color with slight color ranges. If the stone was the preferred choice, then a rich colored brick should have been chosen.

Brick and Stone Selections

2009-01-12T16:55:00.000-08:00

I am back, the Brick and Stone Guy. It has been a while since my last post, But I am at it again. What I would like to spend time on with this post is brick and stone selection. Here is a prime example showing several mediums, as they say in the art world. You have Hardie siding, stone and brick. Also, the stone has what is called "spotters" in the mix. A mountain ledge profile stone with a fieldstone profile mixed in. I would guess about 90% was mountain ledge and 10% was spotters. When you mix stone with brick, PLEASE take time to get a good feel for the contrast between the two. Definitely when you add another major medium, Hardie Board, please get opinions. Only if you are a professional, and don't try this at home. To start the process of selection start with the dominate material. Example, what is the material that will have the strongest punch? The stone is definitely the dominate material on this home. I would choose the stone to start with. The second choice would be the brick and then the siding. How to choose the stone profile is a choice inside of the selection. Typically the size of the area would influence the profile. Keep in mind the style of home if that is a factor. If it was a Tuscany influence the stone should reflect the Tuscany look. Typically if the area is small a ledge profile should be used, if the area is very large, like a whole wall, a field stone profile could be used. Be careful not to use different stone profiles close in proximity of each other. If you do, try to match the colors, or have one stone in the front and the other in the back of the home. Enough about stone, I could talk all night. The second choice was the brick. So far I have only seen a limited amount of bricks that compliment stone. I will try to show good matches such as this picture along with bad ones. It's kinda like that bad boss, they show you how not to do it. I will do my next post showing a bad combination. I have given a category for these brick as "Earth Tone Range." A way to describe this type of brick could be described as the number of colors in the range, also the colors are dragged into each other. Typically, a red brick is not going to be a good selection. The Earth Tones will be in the greys, browns, and cream ranges. Also, the profile of the brick is tudored, usually a straight edge does not have character. With the two materials together ask yourself these questions, what contrast do I want between the stone and brick? Where is my eye being pulled towards? What is a focal point? Do I want my stone to blend in with the brick and vice verse? My last professional advise is, do not pick a brick just because you like it, and don't chose a stone just because you like it then expect the two will work together. Make sure it will be a great marriage between the two.

Capping steps with Natural Stone

2008-09-09T17:38:00.000-07:00

I'm back. It has been a while since my last post, my computer crashed, my camera broke, you name it. What you see pictured here is man made stone with natural stone treads. NEVER EVER use man made product for foot traffic. As time passes the wear on the product removes the color agents on the surface. Then all you have left is exposed aggregates. Now there are some man made products that can with stand wear. Make sure you ask if foot traffic is recommended for the use of the product you putting down. In the picture you see man made stone on the "vertical" surface and natural stone on the "horizontal" surface. These are considered two worlds, the vertical world which are products that go on wall, the horizontal world which are pavers, flag stone and is sometimes called "hardscapes". Other areas to consider for this train of thought would be hearths for fireplaces, hips on exterior chimneys, and tops of columns or mailboxes.

Stone Deck, deck stone

2007-10-22T17:22:00.000-07:00

Here is another movie of the Stone Deck. The first was done on a fly with little preperation. I hope you enjoy. Please e-mail any questions you may have about the Stone Deck. Enjoy!!!

Stone Deck

2007-10-15T18:10:00.000-07:00

Here is another picture of the Stone Deck. This is the same job as my movie. They constructed a bridge from the drive way across a ravine to the front door. I was able to get a picture of Dennis attaching one of the clips used to hold the Deck Stone.

Stone Deck

2007-10-11T18:14:00.000-07:00

Well folks, hang on to your hats. Here is the latest, greatest building material since extruded deck boards. Please keep in mind to not criticize the filming of the product. This was filmed on the fly without practice, as you will see, hear. I will be posting more pictures of this product. It is the next decking of the present. The great thing about the Stone Deck is it is the same height as 5/4 deck boards, so you can do patterns on your deck without having to do your whole deck. One could do a band on the outside of the deck, or a step area from your home onto the deck, a cook area for the grill, and a sitting area for patio furniture. It is awesome.

Water Damage

2007-09-21T18:12:00.000-07:00

Here is a job that was done by someone who did not know how to properly apply stone. The job is about 3 to 4 months old. This is new construction. Notice the dark brown area of the wood? This is the start of wood rot. Flashing was incorrect, the wrong moisture barrier was used, The metal lathe was not coated with mortar. The installer broke so many cardinal sins concerning water control. If this problem was not revealed at this time, this home would have had to be rebuilt.

If you plan on applying stones or any exterior siding, get some professional advice or let the pros do what they do best, install the product. This is what I call "the price of non conformance." What would be the total cost of the home if you had to build it twice?

Full Stone Arch

2007-09-21T17:55:00.001-07:00

This stone arch is around the corner from my home. This is an entrance to an office setting. Each one of the stones are loose. No mortar was used or any re bar. If you notice two metal rods with the flat bars on the end. This is what is holding the arch together. Notice how the top stones are tapered, wedge shaped. The wedge shape is what keeps the stone from falling through. The top of the arch stone is wider than the bottom of the arch stone. Have you ever noticed man hole covers in the street? Every man hole cover is round. This is for a reason. The cover can not fit through the hole, so it can not fall through and hit a worker in the hole. The forces on the arch are straight down and outwards to the sides. The bar keeps the columns from falling outwards. If the arch and columns were in a wall section, the metal rods would not be needed to hold the arch together. This is a great entrance for the office, and it is very neat to pass by and look at daily.

Correct Stone Application

2007-09-19T17:47:00.000-07:00

Today I stopped by a job site where the stones had to be removed due to poor installation. The pictures above shows the back of a stone that has been applied to the wall and has been removed. The back of the stone was struck with mortar around the edge of the stone. This creates a dry cup in the center of the stone. This causes two major problems using this technique. Number one, the stone does not become a solid piece with the scratch coat. When you tap on the stone you will hear a dull, dead sound. This is not a 100% adhesion with the scratch coat. The send major problem is the center void will act like a cup. When water (rain) is running down the wall, water will gather in the cup. Now, if the cup is full of water and the temperature just happens to drop below freezing, need I say anymore? Some people say by having the void on the back of the stone, this will create a suction to hold the stone on the wall. I agree, but, do a full mortar bed on the back of the stone and use your trowel to create a small divot and apply the stone to the scratch coat using a wiggle motion and pressure. The mortar will spread out around the edges. After a little practice one can master the amount of mortar to be applied to each stone. Ideally the edge mortar from each stone will join to form a good seal around the stones. This will ensure no water will get between the stones and the scratch coat. Whenever dealing with exterior siding, always think like water. Like Chevy Chase says, "see the water, be the water, feel the water, na na na na na naaaaa." The number one enemy to your home is moisture, so lets keep it OUT!!!

Ferncliff Development, Artistic Stone

2007-09-18T20:09:00.000-07:00

Here is another fine job by Teger Stones. The builder is Ferncliff Development. The job is located in Chesapeake, VA. You can see how JP is using a circular pattern and fitting the pieces together. They will fill the joints with mortar using a grout bag. Then they will rake the joint half the depth to give texture to the edge of the stone. This technique helps to give character to the stone. The colors of the stone are rich in earth tones. Great job Teger Stones.

Full Stone Masonry

2007-07-31T17:41:00.000-07:00

Here is a picture of a full stone application. Notice the white ledge at the bottom of the stone? This is what the stone is sitting on. In order to use this type of stone, you have to pour a larger footer. The stone has to be tied to the block work. Each piece has to chipped to fit. This type of application one could spend up to $50 per square foot. Do the math. One can get the same look by using man made stones without the high cost for application. One could use natural thin veneered stone and also reduce cost drastically.

Red Shiners

2007-07-31T16:54:00.000-07:00

This is what I call a sore thumb. The red bed side of the brick showing is the actual body of the brick. If the brick color was a red range brick, this would not be a problem. The color on the face of the brick is actually very thin. Paint thin. If something were to strike the brick on the face, a red chip would show through. Manufactures use clays, engobes, and other additives to color the face of the brick. Another additive used is MNO2, manganese dioxide. This is added to the body of the brick during the extrusion process, this darkens the body of the brick. Brownnish color. MNO2 could also be used on the face of the brick for coloring. Other additives are frit, iron specs, and iron oxides. A manufacturer can produce many ranges of color by applying additives to the face of the red body brick. The red brick you see is the bed side of a solid brick, (no holes). The mason needs some brick to finish off turns. If the mason used a cored brick, the holes would be showing. Not good. The bed side of the brick is not exposed during manufacturing, so, the additives can not be added to the bed side. In order to color the bed side, one has to turn the brick over on the bed side and apply the additives. Then place the brick on a kiln car to be burned. One at a time, but you do not see the RED THUMB!!! It boils down to attention to detail. I supply TB-1's, the brick is finished on 4 sides. This resolves the red thumb.

Brick trim work

2007-07-17T19:00:00.000-07:00

While I was out doing my daily travels, I noticed this trim work. This accent was done using only regular brick, no special shapes. With the tutored header edge of the brick this gives more character to the home. During these times of slowed residential sales, this is thinking outside of the box and giving that buyer something different. Over all I was impressed with the whole look.

Top Rock, Heritage Stone

2007-07-01T17:34:00.000-07:00

This is a Heritage Stone Top Rock with Piedmont Buff mortar. This home is located in Mayberry subdivision in Virginia Beach, VA. Teger Stones installed the stone. Good looking job.

Teger Stone

2007-06-26T16:02:00.000-07:00

Today I stopped by the job site to visit with Teger Stone. I was able to get a small sample showing the metal lath being applied along with a section of the scratch coat. I will try to get more detailed steps as I visit more jobs. Basic steps for stone application could be broken down to a couple of steps. 1) What is the structure am I appling the stone on? This will determine if a scratch coat is needed or not. Also, what type of surface preperation do I need to do? 2) Moisture barrier. (Tyvek, felt, other approved materials) I would also include any flashing for openings. You have to think like water, be the water, feel the water, with a little wind and gravity. 3) Vapor barrier. I would check with the stone supplier and ask if you could use a vapor barrier. (Make sure this does not void your stone warrenty) A vapor barrier would consist of a material that would creat a 1/4" void between the lath and the moisture barrier. An example would be MortAirVent. http://www.benjaminobdyke.com/ Ask for Bill, he's a great guy, tell him Mike sent you.

Stephen Alexander Homes

2007-06-25T19:14:00.000-07:00

This is Summerton built by Stephen Alexander Homes of Chesapeake, VA. These are located on Kempsville Rd in Chesapeake. Steve Quick chose the Artistic Mountain Cobble Stone for the project. Other elements used are brick with special shapes, which adds tremendous character to the project. With the mixture of brick, stone, hardie siding, special trim, and the mixed roof lines, this is a must see for anyone. Great job on Summerton, and I am proud to be part of Summerton. Great job Steve.

Split Brick

2007-06-21T19:11:00.000-07:00

Have you ever noticed these small brick underneath windows. The reason for the small cut brick under the window is so the brick could reach the window. The windows are already in the structure. When the masons start the bottom course, they need to measure from the starter block and figure the spacing. In this case the mason waited to see when they would hit the window, and fill in with a spacer. A way to avoid this is to measure to the window first, figure the joint spacing, if jointing will be to big or too small, the mason could use a split brick to start with on the starter block. A split is a brick cut in half length wise. Instead of the full 2 3/4" face height (oversize brick) it would be roughly

1 5/8" face height. This would allow for a normal joint size and mess with the window. So, let's use the splits next time.

Brick Complaint

2007-06-21T13:46:00.000-07:00

Well, I found out how to use my camera as a recorder. This adds a whole new deminsion to my blogging. Well since this is my first video posting, I will stop writing and let the films begin.

www.jfschoch.com

2007-06-21T09:59:00.000-07:00

Check out JF Schoch's website at http://www.jfschoch.com/ you will enjoy!!!!

JF Schoch, Heritage Park, Virginia Beach

2007-06-21T09:34:00.000-07:00

Talk about pure ELEGANCE, this is it. JF Schoch creates masterpieces. This home is located in Heritage Park, VA Beach. The brick used is Lawrenceville's Cape Charles with Federal white mortar. The roof lines are outstanding and add so much character. I know one of the trade marks of JF Schoch is the grand entrances, this is has it and much more. Great job to all of the people with JF Schoch and thanks for allowing Lawrenceville Brick to be a part of it.

Back Bay, Prince Goerge Estates

2007-06-13T18:11:00.000-07:00

Here is a great job by Back Bay of Virginia Beach. The subdivision is located off of London Bridge Rd. The name of the subdivision is Prince George Estates. Mike Perry chose an oversized Chesapeake brick from Lawrenceville Brick and Masonry Supply. The type of mortar is Holcim gray. This is a new brick from Lawrenceville Brick and this is the first job in Virginia Beach. Thanks to Mike and all from Back Bay. Great Job.

Back Bay, Victoria Park

2007-06-11T13:59:00.000-07:00

This is the model home for Back Bay in Victoria Park, Virginia Beach, VA. The installation was done by Teger Stones of Virginia Beach. The stone used was Heritage Stone, Top Rock field stone with Holcim gray mortar. This home has several elements involved. The brick skirt is a gray color, the hardie board being blue/gray color, the metal roof, then the stone accents. This definitely has a down home drawl. Great job all the way around. Notice the stone keys with accent trim stones above the windows. Excellent!!!

Seahaven Custom Builders

2007-06-09T17:51:00.000-07:00

Dennis I hope you don't mind, I am putting in a plug for your business.

Seahaven Custom Builders

2007-06-09T17:42:00.000-07:00

Here is another great job by Dennis Williams of Seahaven Custom Builders. This home is located in High Court subdivision in Virginia Beach. The brick used is Carter's Grove with piedmont buff mortar. With the dark roof and white trim and the dark earth tone brick, this home pops. I have seen the inside of Dennis' homes, and they are decked out. The richness on the outside is definitely what is on the inside.

Deer in headlights

2007-06-07T18:31:00.000-07:00

This week we completed a 2 day seminar on thin brick application. Thin brick is a new product in this area. The product can be used interior and exterior. The product is an actual thin piece (1/2 inch thick) of brick. We showed how to apply using the TABS System. I will talk more about the system in later publications.

Here again, if you are planning to renovate the exterior of your home or even new construction, thin brick is a great product to get brick on your structure. The product is supported by the structure and not the footer.

Artistic Suede Southern Ledge Stone

2007-06-07T18:23:00.000-07:00

This is a Artistic Stone job. The profile and color is Suede Southern Ledge Stone. Teger Stone of Virginia Beach was the installer. This was an exsiting home that went through an exterior renovation. Benson Builder's of Virginia Beach was the contractor on this project. Outstanding job all around.

Mixed Brick Lots

2007-06-07T18:06:00.000-07:00

Here is a classic example of brick runs being mixed. Typically this happens when some brick is shipped out on job and a second load is sent from another job lot. This situation can be solved several ways. 1) Tear out brick and lay brick that matches. If the home is a month or older, the actual run of brick is probably gone. 2) The next option is to stain the brick. A solution of sodium silicate, water and additives that were used to manufacture the brick (clays) can be added to stain the brick to match. Typically it is easier to go from light to dark. The main objective is to remove the boarders or balance the wall. 3) The masons or job super should have noticed and called the supplier immediately to handle the problem.

Whenever ordering brick, ask that all brick be shipped from same job lot. This will drastically reduce any problems such as this.

Robinson thin stone, Gray Castle

2007-06-06T19:14:00.000-07:00

JM Froehler used Robinson Gray Castle thin stone. I saw the home before the stone was applied. The home looks incredible. No footer was needed to apply the stone. The stone is applied directly to the structure. This is what makes this product so desirable. This is definitely a show case on the block.

Huron Drystack and Log Cabin

2007-05-29T09:00:00.000-07:00

Here is one of my projects. This is my parent's home in Franklin County, VA. My parents, with the help of family friend Joe Spencer, built this home in '92 '93. They just recently stained the logs with a cherry, burgundy stain. The Huron stone has a burgundy stone along with a hunter green, golds and buffs. This is a great color combination, also, with the logs and the stone, this gives the mountain look. WAY TO GO MOM and POP!!!

Robinson Thin Rock

2007-05-28T06:50:00.000-07:00

Here is a job by Sun Building of Portsmouth, VA. The stone used is a mixture of Sutter Mill and Adirondack Robinson Thin Stone. This is a natural stone that is veneered. The product comes with veneered corners to give the full stone look. No footer is needed to use Robinson Thin Stone. This is a great advantage for this product, but not the only advantage. Full stone requires a footer to set the stone on. If a home is being remodeled, and the exterior is in the scope of the plans and your home does not have a ledge on the footer, you can still stone your home with real stone using Robinson. The stone meets the less than 15lbs. per square foot. The stone is applied directly to the home structure by using wire mesh and applying a scratch coat then sticking the stones on the scratch coat. The Robinson product comes in small packs (5 sf) and large boxes (100 sf). The large box has 10 layers of 10 sf per layer. The layers are also blended so one could lay straight from the box, layer by layer. Using full stone, one has to blend, chisel, chip, grind, and all of the above to make each stone fit. These stones require little or no chipping, grinding, ect... to make an outstanding LOOK. This is a great product to bring indoors as well. Imagine a back splash in the kitchen, or underneath a bar, how about in the bath. What a great way to bring the jewels of the earth into our homes.

Michael Newsome

2007-05-24T07:16:00.000-07:00

Here is one of the exterior doors showing cherry wood with gray field stone and Canterbury thin brick. Just the description sounds tasteful. There is more to come on this project.

How Not to Apply Drystack Stone

2007-05-24T06:35:00.000-07:00

Here is great example of what not to do with a drystack profile. I do my best to not disclose the building. However, I am doing my best to show what the job should look like when completed. There are areas of stone that are of alike sizes grouped together. The size of the stone should be blended. The left corner is stacked. Header joints are aligned up the wall. Then there is the "WAVE", this drives me nuts. I feel like I am looking at a flash back of "Earthquake" the movie, at the end of the show. Not to mention the lack of not being level. The only thing that looks good is the distribution of color. The color of the stone is a nice match to the trim colors and the rest of the building. I am sure if the Architect could see the final product he/she would boil. When using exterior products it signifies who the designer or person is. It is a statement or identification. Why spend the time, money and effort on such a project to fall apart at the finish line? Ever work of art crafted by Rembrandt was conceived in his mind, ever line, shade, color, edge, curve and texture. If Rembrandt knew how ever masterpiece was supposed to look like in his head and decided to describe his image to someone and let them put on canvas, we would not know Rembrandt today. I am not suggesting that the Architect should be at every job, I am suggesting someone needs to have an eye for stone and hold the installer accountable. Here again check the installer, ask for references, call and check the references. Ask the installer for his brag book, pictures of completed jobs. If he is not bragging about his owne jobs, must not be much to brag about. "Don't expect what you don't inspect."

JD Williams Construction

2007-05-23T19:22:00.000-07:00

This home was crafted by Dennis Williams of JD Williams Construction. This home, along with 3 others are located off of Great Neck onto Rose Hall in Virginia Beach.

The contrast with the dark slate colored roof and the crisp white trim and the rich color of the Carter's Grove brick is outstanding. The roof lines of the home give it so much character.

Anyone would be proud to call this home.

Great job Dennis!!!

Gray fieldstone on wing walls

2007-05-23T18:39:00.000-07:00

Wing walls around foundation. Great look with the exposed timbers.

Thin brick triple arch with gray fieldstone

2007-05-23T18:21:00.000-07:00

Here is another picture of the gray fieldstone from Heritage Stone using thin brick for the triple arch. This home is over flowing with so much character, and the job is not completed. Evertime I visit the jobsite, I have a craving for a smooth glass of Merlot.

The contrast between the thin brick and the gray stone is incredible. I have more pictures to follow. Enjoy!

Gray Fieldstone

2007-05-20T18:31:00.000-07:00

This has been an exciting job with every turn. This home has been transformed into a show case. I am excited to be part of this job from the beginning. Every time I visit the job, it amazes me. I plan on doing several posts on this job to give the full look of the home. No blog or pictures can do justice for the home. But, I will try.

The stone used is the Heritage gray field stone. Teger Stone is the installer of the stone. The home has a series of wing walls for the foundation, and each wing wall has been stoned. Notice how the chimney goes through the roof line and down into the wall. This is a great perception of intersecting planes. The dark roof with an antique/cream white trim board and the white windows and the gray stone is an excellent combination. Hats off.

I will be posting over the next couple of days more details of this home.

2007-04-13T17:02:00.000-07:00

Here is a great job by Back Bay of Virginia Beach. They used Senica Drystack by Heritage Stone. Teger Stone was the applicator. Notice how the edges are toothed in and the size of the edges have a balanced flow. I like how the arch was edged with 90 degree corners and flat stones. This gives the perception of a true stone arch. The color distribution of the stone is very balanced. This is a grand entrance. Great job Back Bay and Teger Stones.

Mock wall section for stone

2007-04-09T15:18:00.000-07:00

This week-end was a cold and snowing. Not a good day to go out and play. Growing up in Roanoke, VA, I also associate the beach with hot temps. Now that I live 4 blocks from the beach, I've learned that it snows here as well. Anyway, I thought it would be fun to build a mock model of wall section with stone as the exterior. Starting from the top right corner of the picture I will work my way down and to the left. The top right section shows the wood structure of the home. This could be OSB board, plywood, any other type of wall sheeting. This is attached to the stub structure of the home, usually 2x4, 2x6 vertical boards placed at 16" on centers. The black layer (2nd layer) is a moisture barrier. I used a 15# felt paper. Some people use Tyvek as a moisture barrier. I may be old school, but I believe felt paper is a better moisture barrier. I have had stone manufactures recommend one layer of 15# felt, others recommend 30# felt paper. Another manufacture advises that 2 layers of 15# felt and stagger the joints is best. I do advise that one should check with the stone manufacture to make sure what they advise in order to maintain the stone warranty. The next layer is top secret. It is so new that the product is now being made available to the market as I type. The product is called "Mortairvent" The product is being supplied by Benjamin Obdyke. It is a mesh layer with a breathable outer sheet. The importance with this layer is to create a vapor barrier between the scratch coat and the moisture barrier. The product creates a 1/4" vapor barrier. This creates an air cavity for water/moisture to escape. If the scratch coat was directly onto the moisture barrier it would not be able to breath. Plus if water were able to penetrate the scratch coat it would exit through the vapor barrier by draining downward and out. The next layer is the wire mesh. I recommend that the mesh is galvanised. The mesh usually comes in 2 foot by 8 foot section. You would want to apply the mesh in a horizontal pattern. Usually over lap the edges by 2 to 3 inches. I have a couple of other do's and dont's when applying the mesh, and would be glad to share the information, I am trying to keep this topic on the surface without too much detail. Over top the mesh is the scratch coat. I recommend type S mortar. Mixture of 2 to 1 for the scratch coat and applying the stones. The thickness of the scratch coat should just cover the mesh wire. I have seen a job were the scratch coat was a 1/4" on top of the mesh. That is too thick. The scratch coat should have 24hours to dry before adding the stones, scratch on Monday and lay stones on Tuesday. Now we have reached the stone application step. At this point my friend is a whole new topic. But I hope this helps to be a little more savvy when talking stone with a vendor or sub.

2007-03-26T17:22:00.000-07:00

Time for some brick news. ATTENTION ATTENTION, there is more to brick than rectangular faces. Above is an example of shadow brick, window sills. You can also see other features that appear to be shapes, but are not. The boarder around is the shadow brick and the rounded brick under the window is the window sills, these are the shapes. The boarder on the side of the windows are regular brick turned on ends, this is called a double batt. Two headers of the brick encase the window. On the corners of the home they used regular brick and pulled the brick forward and raked the joint a little. These are called coins. You could use different colored brick, complementary in color, to cause a stronger contrast to show the coins more.

Other common shapes used are step treads, arches (circular-jack- elliptical-gothic and on), hinge brick, water tables, wall copings, and special design pieces. If you plan on using shapes place the order a couple of weeks early so the brick and shapes can be delivered on time.

The moral of this story is to think outside of the rectangle.

Stone Accents

2007-03-26T17:03:00.000-07:00

Here is a great example of mixing brick, stone and hardie board. The one thing to remember about using stone accents is to make sure the front of the home is balanced. If you add stone to the right front side of your home, make sure you add the stone to the left front side as well. This is called a bump out. The builder did an excellent job by adding the corners, this helps to give the full stone effect. Also, when the stone is not touching the ground it helps to have the stone sitting on another solid product, like brick. If the stone was sitting over top of another product, siding or alike, your mind will tell you," something is not right here, what is it????" When designing the outside of your home, use your front profile view from your plans and shade in the area that you plan to stone and see if the drawing feels balanced. You could also do the back and sides if you plan on stoning those areas as well.

Teger Stone, Fireplace

2007-03-20T18:19:00.000-07:00

Here is great example of upgrading the inside of your home. This is a job that was done by Teger Stone. JT has spent a lot of time learning the intricate details of laying stone. Notice how the corners are toothed in with the stone mantel. I have seen this job in person, and the focal point is incredible. The accent lights on the top part create a lot of warmth with the earth tone colors and the wood floor. JT has been laying stone in he Tidewater area for several years, and I highly recommend his skills for any job. Great job JT!!!!

Field stone

2007-03-07T18:51:00.000-08:00

Here is a nice field stone with very tight joints. The surface of the stone is very flat, and with the tight joints the stone does not have a lot of depth perception. However, in person this is a very nice looking product. I would probably use a grout bag and add same color mortar in the joints to give a more monolithic look. The joints became my focus point on the wall. The right side of the window has a stacked stone versus the left side with the random pattern. The window looks plane. If the window had a pre-cast header or even a stone arch this would show case the window a lot better. The applicator did spend a lot of time special cutting to help give the tight fit. So why not spend time on the windows? This is like putting good wine in a dirty bottle.

Stone Corners

2007-03-01T15:12:00.000-08:00

The picture shows a 90 degree turn with stone running into brick. The stone is a very nice looking earth tone color and contrast with the earth tone tumbled brick, this is a very nice combination. If you notice the larger flat stones mixed in with the ledge stone, these are called spotters. The window has a nice trim stone arch, this will help to showcase the window. The application of the stones are good and level. This is critical for ledge stone use. If the stones follow the slightest wave, it kills the whole look. The only thing I would change on this job is to run the stone around the corner about 16 inches. This will give the full stone effect instead of giving the appearance of a veneer. Also, the down spout should be relocated.
Over all the color combination of the stone with spotters and the brick and the mortar color, this is a stop and view home. Made me stop.

Brick problems, run mix

2007-02-23T11:10:00.000-08:00

Here is a side wall of a home. As you can see there is a difference between the top half of the picture to the bottom half of the picture. This is a problem with the brick. However, there are instances were the mortar is causing the color problem in the wall. Mortar does account for about 18% of the color that one sees in a wall. This situation is a brick problem. This can be fixed without taking the brick out of the wall. But what I would like to address is how to avoid this problem from the start. From the standpoint of the manufacture, a change in the kiln temp. could cause a discoloration but would only be a slight color shade difference, and with blending in the packaging department and jobsite blending this would not happen. (Note: a few additives used in manufacturing react to temp. change dramatically, but these brick typicaly have a short life span due to brick complaints.) From the manufactures standpoint, a change in the mill room or extrusion department can cause a major color change in the final product. By not adding or adding too much additives or the wrong additive could cause this situation. However, it would not affect one or two cubes of brick, but several 1,000's of brick. I would have to determine this problem was caused by mixing brick runs. Similar to getting all of your paint from the same lot number. Every run of brick has the possibility of being different from the last run. There are several factors that change during manufacturing the product that cause slight shade difference. How to avoid this problem is by reserving all of the brick needed for the job in the begining so all of the brick shipped is from the same run of brick. Typically if brick is being supplied by a local manufacture or supplier, this request can be filled. If the supplier is a distributor or dealer, they typically ship what is ordered to start the home and after framing the balance is shipped which may be from another run.

My recommendation is if you are a builder or a home owner working with a builder, ask to have all of the brick needed and a little more tagged up until home has completed the masonry needs. This will eliminate problems such as this one.

Application Mistakes to Avoid Part 1

2007-02-22T17:32:00.000-08:00

Good day everyone. After driving in my territory today I noticed some columns that had stone on them and noticed the workmanship of the stone. With the man made stone, the manufacture makes corners. This adds to the full stone look. The molded 90 degree corners are used on external corners. One needs to build the corners up first, then fill in. When building the corners, one needs to alternate the corner pieces. The corners have a long end and a short end, these need to be alternating. When all of the long ends are on the same side, it gives a stacked look. This kills the look of the column.

Introduction

2007-02-22T06:25:00.000-08:00

In the following days I will be posting pictures of brick and stone on the blog. My goal is to promote the use of brick and stone while helping people choose products. Another focus will be on the final product. Problems one can encounter with brick and stone and how to avoid the problems before the job starts and how to address them if they arise during the job. The examples I will address are real life situations I encounter out in the field. Let's get bricking and stoning.

2007-02-21T16:55:00.001-08:00