Lateral Failure in Historic Concrete Opening Headers: Causes & Solutions The majority of the historic buildings here in Washington DC were built from brick masonry over about 100 years ago at that time, concrete existed and was being used in some cases but it wasn’t… Read More »Lateral Failure in Historic Concrete Opening Headers
Spray Foam is Not the Answer – Part III: Better Alternatives for Masonry Over the past few weeks we’ve been looking at cases where spray foam has been installed for purposes for which it is not intended. We’ve shown many examples of the improper use… Read More »Spray Foam is NOT the Answer – Part III
Continuing the Case Against Spray Foam: Understanding the Risks and Better Options This past week, we started looking at a topic of spray foam used to fill voids, gaps, holes, and even cracks in some cases, in exterior masonry walls. Often, these walls need actual… Read More »Spray Foam is NOT the Answer – Part II
Why Spray Foam Isn’t the Best Solution for Facade Restoration: Part I Our company focuses on facade restoration and here on our blog and website, we are constantly looking at examples from the field and talking about proper building practices related to facade upkeep and… Read More »Spray Foam is NOT the Answer – Part I
In the picture below, you can see an old Garage wall left behind or the old masonry. The old wall stands directly against another building. This historic masonry wall is deteriorated and falling apart but the building adjacent to it or right next to it… Read More »An Old Garage Wall Left Behind
At Infinity Design Solutions, LLC, we take great pride in our craftsmanship and expertise in restoring the beauty and integrity of historic homes in Washington, DC. Our latest project involved meticulous tuckpointing on a charming historic property in the heart of the city. Tuckpointing is… Read More »Recent Historic Tuckpointing Project Completed in Washington, DC
Last week we took a look at a building with iron spot bricks. The appearance of iron spots can vary widely depending on several factors: Clay Composition: The amount and type of iron compounds in the clay significantly influence the frequency and size of the… Read More »Ironspot Brick and Deteriorated Historic Mortar – Part II
Some historic bricks in Washington DC have black spots. These spots indicate that the brick used is an ironspot brick and / or tapestry brick. These types of bricks are very common in what we think of as a third wave of historic masonry construction… Read More »Ironspot Brick and Deteriorated Historic Mortar – Part I
Today we are looking at the ruins of a historic rubblestone masonry structure located in a remote wooded area. The building was constructed primarily of irregular stone units bonded with mortar, characteristic of early American historic rubblestone masonry. Notable features include the use of larger,… Read More »The Ruins of a Historic Stone Masonry Building
Last week, we looked at part one of the same series on hay doors at some of the elevated levels of historic brick buildings here in Washington DC, often found behind residential row homes and or older industrial buildings. Today, we continue with the same… Read More »Hay Doors in Historic Masonry Facades – Part II