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April 20, 2008
Repointing brownstone on our stone foundation
We've got a stacked stone foundation that was covered and pointed with brownstone coating at some point. I don't want some handyman to repoint my brown foundation with gray cement. Will any mason be able to repoint this stuff, or do I need to consult with someone who specifically works with brownstone? Who would you recommend?
Thanks!
Comments
Obviously you need someone who knows the right mix that allows the stone to breathe and shift when needed
Posted by: guest at April 20, 2008 11:13 PM
Definitely call contractor A. Malek located in Brooklyn...he is the brownstone MASTER! He did our entire facade and it turned out beautifully. He knows brownstone and his workers are amazing!
Posted by: guest at April 21, 2008 3:44 PM
When you say covered, do you mean stuccoed over? That's different than pointing, which is the mortar that goes between the blocks of stone. Particularly if you are talking about pointing, you want a softer mortar, since brownstone is a soft stone to begin with. If the mortar is too hard, the stone will deteriorate. This is often a conflict with current standards, which call for a harder mortar below grade.
So particularly for pointing, you want someone experienced with the material (Malek maybe, though most of their work is stucco, not brownstone pointing - but he or others like him do have experience with the materials).
Posted by: WBer at April 21, 2008 3:57 PM
Thanks for the responses. I suppose it the stacked stone was stuccoed over or covered at some point, although it doesn't have that smoothed-over flat finish of typical stucco houses. The mortar in between is definitely brown, not cement, and certainly softer than cement.
Who else works with brownstone in brooklyn?
Posted by: Jas at April 22, 2008 8:05 AM
Malek did work for us. He took a lot longer than promised. But the problem is years later the job is falling apart. Other brownstone contractors all tell me the same thing: the installation was substandard (too thin coating and bad prep). It may look good this year and next....but.
Posted by: guest at April 22, 2008 11:21 AM
Sounds like your stuccoed-over foundation is covered with brownstone-colored cement, not actual brownstone. It's doubtful you can have it repointed which, as the poster above points out, is a process concerned with the gap between adjacent stones or bricks. You may need to have the "brownstone" coat chipped off and replaced. There are dozens of masonry contractors in Brooklyn who can do this work. You will find many of them listed in the Forum archive. There's no real consensus over who is best. With the NY climate and it's winter freeze-thaw cycle, none of this work is really going to last more than 10-15 years.
Posted by: guest at April 23, 2008 12:38 PM
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