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Measures To Prevent Masonry Chimney From Deteriorating

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A masonry chimney, whether it is crafted from bricks, natural fieldstones or concrete blocks, easily lends a rustic charm to any home. Beyond the aesthetic value it can give, however, it also effectively carries smoke or gases to the outside of the structure without causing damage to the structure it is attached to.

Although masonry chimney is inherently durable, frequent exposure to the effects of changing weather conditions can make it susceptible against different types of damages. As the chimney masonry itself is being heated by hot gases coming from the fire and then exposed to cold, wet temperatures outdoors, it experiences repetitive expansion and contraction, which in turn creates a lot of unnecessary movements to the masonry materials. Over time, such movements can cause the masonry materials and mortar joints to crack and crumble, resulting to the chimney’s early deterioration.

If you own a masonry chimney, of course, you want to ensure that you will be able to enjoy its service for a long time. To achieve that it is necessary to protect it against possible physical damages that can lead to its early deterioration. Here are some preventive measures you can follow to prevent your masonry chimney from failing.

Pay attention to the crown

 

As the crown or roof of your chimney is the main part that is always exposed to the elements outdoors, it should remain stable at all times. Make sure that the correct materials are used in making the crown of your chimney. It should also have the right design so that it will function correctly. If you find that the crown or a portion of it has cracked or deteriorated, carefully assess its condition and make the necessary repair to address the issue at hand. Where repair is not practical, it is a good idea to remove the crown completely and replace it with a new one.

Immediately repoint eroded mortar joints

 

As with any other masonry surfaces, the mortar joints of your masonry chimney may deteriorate due to constant exposure to freeze-thaw cycles. If let in such state, damaged masonry joints may allow moisture to penetrate through the mortar, which in turn can alter its structural integrity. To avoid that from happening, make sure to include repointing as a part of your chimney’s regular maintenance. However, rather than doing the repointing job on your own, it is best to hire a licensed stonemason to get the job done. This will ensure that the new mortar mix is compatible with your chimney’s masonry and it will be applied correctly into the joints.

Apply water-repellant coating

 

Due to the severe weather exposure that your masonry chimney is subjected to, it is a good idea that you give it an additional layer of protection in the form of water-repellant coating. This type of coating, which is applied on the “skin” of the masonry, will prevent water and salt penetration. Take not, however, that water-repellant coating should only be used after all the necessary repairs have been made on your chimney. If you apply it before doing repairs, the water-repellant coating will only hasten your chimney’s deterioration.

Have it inspected regularly

 

Of course, do not forget to have your chimney regularly inspected by a qualified stonemason. This step is crucial to determining the state of your chimney and will also allow you to immediately address issues before they become worse. As a rule of thumb, masonry chimneys should be inspected at least once or twice a year.

Ericka, who wrote the article above, is a freelance writer who has written a number of posts about stonemasonry. She also regularly writes content for McIntyre Masonry, a professional stonemason Glasgow company.






Four Awesome Things You Didn’t Know About Leather

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There are always two basic values that come attached to almost all the good things in life- beauty and quality. Not-so-strangely, the same qualities are associated to leather goods too. Leather furniture, gives you so much more than just aesthetic appeal, it becomes very necessary to make sure every penny is well-spent. To ensure you make full use of all the benefits this beautiful material has to offer instead of falling prey to pre-conceived notions, we give you four simple yet surprising things you didn’t know about leather.

1)   Leather is easily adaptable

Contrary to popular belief that leather furniture is only best suited to modern homes, leather does manage to spring up a pleasant surprise with its versatility. Leather furniture comes in an endless variety of designs and patterns, most of which are perfectly timeless. If your home has a very modern feel to it you can simply go for full leather sofas. However, if your home’s ambiance is more towards the old-world vintage, you can easily use solid wooden furniture with matching leather accents. So even if your home is designed to a specific theme, you can fearlessly use leather sofas achieve that luxurious look.

2)   It’s extremely durable

Because of leather’s direct association with being a natural fabric, many prospective buyers worry about its strength and susceptibility to natural elements, and the vexations of daily wear and tear. But not many realize, that just like the human skin, leather is (or was) skin too, which by default, makes it water-resistant. Moreover, high quality leather is probably the only furniture material that is scratch-proof. So the next time your lazy pet or energizer bunny-like kids hop onto the couch, don’t hyperventilate. Your sofa is going to remain as good as new.

3)   Leather is hypo-allergic

People can be allergic to even the most seemingly harmless things, like water or banana or socks! Well, at least you can strike leather off that list. Many people are of the belief that since leather comes from animal skin, there’s a high chance of some sensitive person to have an allergic reaction. But, quite on the contrary, leather furniture is probably the best option for those with a sensitive system. Firstly, because leather is hypo-allergic, and secondly, because, the leather is so tightly stretched and sealed to the frame, there’s absolutely no spot for allergens to settle or spread.

4)   And low-maintenance too

Its cost is the only expensive thing about leather. But once you buy it, it serves like a faithful long time investment, with extremely satisfying returns. Like we mentioned earlier leather is water-resistant. It is also repeals food, so, if you ever have the pleasure of serving some clumsy eaters, rest assured. Your precious sofa is just one swipe of a cotton cloth away from its original natty form. You only have to make sure you wipe the stain before it bleeds into the leather’s natural color. This also helps you save money that you would otherwise spend on regular maintenance, polish, repairs and restoration.

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Sophia Easton, author of this post, is a home improvement and lifestyle blogger. She works with a luxury leather furniture company and maintains their blog.

What To Expect When Moving To New York City

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If you’re moving to New York City you’re likely going to have the time of your life – the city’s night-and-day culture, strong economy and numerous landmarks make it a great place to live. But many new New Yorkers are unprepared for some of the day-to-day realities. From how to pay for hot dogs to handling your air conditioning installation in NYC, here are five things you need to know.

1. Smaller living space. Cost of living is high in NYC, particularly the cost of rent or real estate. In general, New Yorkers live in much smaller apartments than people from other US cities or regions are used to. That doesn’t mean it’s uncomfortable – you’ll get used to it quickly, and it discourages clutter – but you may want to sell some things before you move.

2. Carry cash. For a thriving and technologically advanced city, New York is surprisingly averse to credit and debit cards. Many corner shops and restaurants are still mom-and-pop stores, and if they paid the credit card fee on every transaction they’d have to close. Of course, ATMs are abundant, but that carries a fee for you. Try to keep cash on you whenever you go out.

3. New Yorker pride. It’s true that New Yorkers take a lot of pride in their city and in living there – and you will quickly find that transplants are rated by how many years they’ve lived in the city. While you may get some good-natured ribbing, listen to the newbie advice they give you: you’ll learn a lot about getting around, staying safe and where to find bargains.

4. Public transportation. Many New Yorkers don’t own cars at all. They’re expensive to park and most apartment buildings don’t have a free lot for residents. Driving can also be a nightmare, and most locals will go everywhere via subway, bus and taxi. If you do decide to own a car, be prepared not to use it very often – for most errands the subway is easier.

5. Get air conditioning. Most of New York consists of older buildings, and they usually don’t have central AC. At the same time, they overheat quickly in summer. Air conditioning is typically each tenant’s responsibility in the Big Apple, but fortunately air conditionining installation in NYC is not expensive and you can easily add either a window unit or a newer ductless AC unit to any apartment.

What else does someone need to know for their first week, month or year in New York?

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  •  License: Royalty Free or iStock source: http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/images/results.aspx?qu=new%20york%20city&ex=2#ai:MP900401477|

Jess Holmes is part of a team of writers and specializes in writing advice oriented pieces.

Home Improvements That Will Enhance Your Way of Life

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When we make changes to our homes, often we do so because we are planning on making them look better or increasing their worth as an investment. Most of the changes then tend to be either practical or aesthetic, but if that’s all they’re doing then this is quite a limited approach to take.

While your property might benefit a lot from getting an attractive new paint job you see, and while it might be able to benefit to a large degree from having double glazing put in, other projects for your home can do much more to change the way you actually use your property and even alter your routine on a daily basis and your whole lifestyle. Here we will look at the changes that will have the biggest direct impact on the way you spend your days and probably your happiness as a result.

Kitchen/Bathroom Renovations

These are two of the most practical rooms in the house that we use on a daily basis in a very functional way. There are jobs we do in our kitchens and bathrooms that we simply can’t avoid, but having the best utilities and layout here can make those jobs easier and more pleasant – whether it’s adding a hot tub for your bathroom or adding a washing machine and more draining space in your kitchen.

Home Gym

If you’re struggling to get into shape, then giving yourself a home gym will make that a lot easier and mean you are much more likely to stick at the routines you come up with because you won’t have to leave the home to do so. This will then mean that this simple renovation helps you to look and feel better and to avoid illness or obesity – which is a very significant thing to change about your life.

Terrace or Patio

Having a terrace or patio area in the garden allows you to actually use your garden in a much more effective and pleasant way. Rather than just using this as somewhere practical to grow plants/work this then becomes somewhere that you can sit outside with a cup of tea while you read the paper, or somewhere that you can entertain guests. This will mean that you spend more time outdoors, and that in turn will mean that you feel much less stressed and aren’t as likely to get cabin fever after a day at home.

More Living Space

Added more living space in general to your existing rooms by extending them can make a huge difference to your daily routine and make you generally feel a lot less hemmed in and give you many more options for how you want to use your rooms. For instance if you use home extensions on your living room then this could give you more space to entertain allowing you to host dinner parties or have more people round without worrying about the lack of space. Likewise if you use them in your bedrooms it means you can have a larger bed in there, or add some of your other belongings whether they’re decorative or practical.

Donna Shepard is a very artsy person and her taste in taste in design is impeccable. She gives tips, ideas and advice on house decoration in her blogs.

I love my indoor flowering plants

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All of my indoor plants are beginning to bloom. There’s something special about this time of year.

My Thanks Giving Cactus has flower buds that are growing every day. I don’t think they’ll open in time for Thanks Giving but they’ll bloom shortly after. Then there’s my Christmas cactus. Thanks to leaving it out in the cool weather for an extended period it’s already got tiny pink flower buds all over it. I think it will be in full bloom well before Christmas. Hopefully both cactus bloom a couple of times this winter season.

I also have three Amaryllis plants. Mine usually bloom in March of each each or at least somewhere between February and March. I have an African violet and I could never get it to bloom for years. You’d think that would be blooming it’s head off since they are supposed to be easy but mine wouldn’t bloom until I accidently forgot to water it once or twice. It seems they like to be very dry or at least mine does as ever since I’ve let it be mostly dry it’s been blooming and blooming.

My orchids will also start blooming sometime in the next month or so as well. I love having live orchids in the house. They’re so beautiful. Lovely delicate blooms. The flowers last for such a long time once they bloom too! I have three or four orchids.

Do you have flowering plants inside your home? What kinds do you have? Aren’t they lovely, especially when it’s cold and drab outside.

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