Paul Millman, PE, RA’s Post

The brick veneer of this 1960s, 30-story coop exhibited cracks, spalls, and displacement. The board had retained a consultant who recommended installation of almost 70,000 post-installed helical veneer anchors at an estimated cost of $1.6 million. Their recommendation reflexively followed code-mandated anchor spacing over 100% of the facade. SUPERSTRUCTURES was retained to perform an independent study. Via three 30-story drops, we performed non-destructive scanning to detect the presence of existing metal anchors. We followed up with minimally invasive probes at representative locations to validate the results of our initial scan and to visually evaluate the condition of the concealed anchors. Based on our investigation, we concluded that anchors were required only in select locations, under certain conditions. We established criteria by which these locations were determined. Ultimately, only 10,000 anchors were required to secure the facade, at a cost of $400,000. In addition to the anchors, other repairs were performed at discrete locations, as shown in the photos. #facades #restoration #savings

Masonry expansion joints in outside corners. I have been following these posts, and this one is one that I see missed a lot when it comes to expansion joints. I encourage you to follow Pat Conway for his 20 tips on masonry movement joints. Thinking further on this, these same considerations should be contemplated on other claddings as well. Conceptually the same basic concept applies to various cladding types, including stucco, thin brick direct applied veneer (lick and stick), EIFS, etc. It is a mater of understanding the movement and placing the joints such that the movement is controlled and accounted for. As I have heard Rob Aird say in the past, "if you don't give it a way to move, it will find a way to move." He is correct! Controlling the movement is just as important as keeping air and water out of our structures. #buildingphysics #constructiontips #improvingdesing

Tip #4 of 20 to help you locate masonry movement joints. After locating veneer movement joints at some or all inside corners, next locate joints relative to outside corners. Remember, the distance between movement joints is additive around corners - not to corners. As long as the sum of distances on either side of the corner respects whatever guideline you determine appropriate for your specific veneer material then a crack will not form at the corner. For example: for clay brick veneers if you determine that spacing vertical movement joints 24'-0" on-center will be your rule-of-thumb, then Length 1 + Length 2 shall be equal or less than 24'-0". Stay tuned for Tip #5 which builds off of this Tip #4.

Composite veneers and scaling for an upper arch

Marble restoration varies by stone type and the extent of wear caused by traffic. A buffing and chemical process may bring back a lightly worn floor. For those that need more attention, there’s a process for that too. The video documents the restoration of an old marble floor in a high traffic venue. The work consists of re-cutting the floor with diamond pads, resin patching and mechanical polishing. 🇺🇸💪🏼🇺🇸💪🏼🇺🇸 #ROTARYGRINDER #MARBLERESTORATION

JOINTS in SURFACE FINISHES JULY 2015 Gautam Shah) https://lnkd.in/fD4TN3b Very closely placed joints create a virtually continuous surface finish. Stone masonry and wood often have very thin or knife edge joints. Thin joints are for sensorial reasons like touch, fill, visual, etc., and for structural or functional causes. Thin joints provide some flexibility to the surface component, but there is insufficient space for displacement such as in bricks and cobble stone flooring. Widely spaced joints occur for many different reasons. The prime reasons are: non matting planes at the joint, geometric deviations of the surface components’ shapes. Deep joints require greater width for filling up. Wide unfilled or shallow filled joints create crevices, enhancing the light-shadow contrast over the surface.

Fiberglass backed granite panels Natural granite veneer(3-8mm) Max size:3200*2000mm

Worried about staining on delicate surfaces? YESeal MS Sealant is specially formulated to prevent stains on masonry, marble, and other materials. 🔹 Available in cartridges and sausage unipacs 🔹 Low odor, making it perfect for indoor use 🔹 Primerless adhesion saves time and effort Your project deserves the best! Share this post with your network to let them know about YESeal. #SealantInnovation #YESealMS

METZGER MCGUIRE SURFACE REFINEMENT GROUT (SRG) 2GAL SRG was developed to fill/repair concrete floor surface imperfections such as air holes, popouts, surface pitting, scratches and gouges, etc. SRG is designed for use in commercial or retail polished concrete floors where final building temperatures are 32°F (0°C) to +120°F (49°C). https://lnkd.in/eMCRgRJs

Early days, but it's possible to evaporate away terracotta surfaces using a small output laser. (And seemingly thermally decompose the red haematite to black magnetite while I'm at it). Next steps, tune laser power down to the point I'm 'just melting' the surface to revitrify it. Wouldn't it be nice to be able to rebuild sandblasted or abraded faces? (And if anyone has any acid burnt terracotta samples I could have, it would be a useful limit to cross check)