Here are some things to keep in mind when you're painting masonry.Like any surface, masonry needs to be prepped thoroughly before repainting. Make sure any loose and flaking paint is removed, then coat with masonry conditioner. Wait twenty-four hours and then apply a coat of primer before your finish coat to ensure even coverage and a beautiful end result.

Crushed stone and masonry dust work equally well when bringing a brick path back to level.

There are three important concepts to remember for wind-resistant wall construction. Walls have to resist the uplift forces caused by the pull of the wind. Walls have to resist the shear forces that try to push the walls over. Walls have to resist the lateral force of the wind that tries to push the walls in and pull them away from the building. For uplift purposes, walls are the intermediate link between the roof and the foundation below. To resist uplift forces walls have to have a continuous load path that can be achieved through the use of metal connectors for wood frame construction or a combination of metal connectors, vertical and horizontal reinforcement, and a bond beam at the top of the wall for concrete masonry construction. Shearing forces Walls are also subjected to shearing forces that act in the direction the wind is blowing. As wind blows on a wall, the walls perpendicular to the wall the wind is blowing on, are subjected to these shearing forces and are called shear walls. Shear walls are inherently subjected to the shearing and sliding forces. Wood frame walls resist these shearing and sliding forces through the action of the wall studs, the wall sheathing (preferably plywood), and a specific nailing pattern. Concrete masonry walls resist these forces through a combination of concrete masonry units, mortar, and grouted and reinforced cells. As a result of the walls resisting the shearing forces and being fixed at the base, the walls are subjected to an overturning force, or the tendency to rotate over. For wood frame construction, this force is resisted through the use of a holdown or tensions tied down. Vertical reinforcement and grouted cells resist the overturning forces in concrete masonry construction. Wind Ready Walls Finally, walls have to be capable of supporting the push and pull from the wind. For wood frame construction, studs have to be sized and spaced accordingly to resist the lateral forces, and have to be securely supported at the top and bottom plates. Concrete masonry resists the lateral forces by using reinforcement in grouted cells.

If your home is not protected by impact-resistant windows and doors; or impact resistant shutters or panels; consider building your own temporary emergency panels. Step One: Plan the Project. Count and measure each window and door that has glass including French doors, sliding glass doors as well as skylights. You might also want to include roof and gable end vents or any opening that if damaged would allow wind to enter your home. Measure each opening horizontally inside the exterior trim and vertically from the sill to the bottom of the top trim. Add eight inches to both the height and width to provide a four-inch overlap on all sides. When measuring a window with an extended sill measure from the top of the sill to the top of the window and add four inches instead of eight. Sheets of plywood are generally 4 feet by 8 feet. This will help determine how many sheets to buy. Be sure to purchase plywood that is 5/8 inch or greater, exterior grade (CDX). Step Two: Assemble Your Tools and Hardware. You will need a circular saw, drill and drill bits, hammer and wrench, work gloves and safety goggles for this project. You will also need an assortment of hardware including bolts, wood or masonry anchors, nuts and large washers. A range of bolts may be used because different bolts will be needed for wood frame versus masonry homes. Wood Homes use lag screws and plastic coated permanent anchors Masonry Homes use expansion bolts and galvanized permanent expansion anchors Step Three: Get Started Having someone help you with this project will make things a lot easier. First drill holes in the same diameter as the bolts or screws, 2-inches in from the edges of the plywood at each corner and at 12-inch intervals around the panel. Next hold the plywood firmly in place over the opening to mark where to drill mounting holes. If the window sill is flush to the wall, secure the plywood on all four sides. If the window sill extends out at the bottom, secure the plywood on the top and sides. For windows 3 feet by 4 feet or smaller installed on a wood frame house, use 1/4-inch lag screws and plastic coated permanent anchors. The lag screws should penetrate the wall and frame surrounding the window at least 1 3/4 inches. For larger windows, use 3/8-inch lag screws that penetrate the wall and frame surrounding the window at least 2 1/2 inches. For windows 3 feet by 4 feet or smaller installed on a masonry house, use 1/4 inch expansion bolts and galvanized permanent expansion anchors. The expansion bolts should penetrate the wall at least 1 1/2 inches. For larger windows, use 3/8-inch expansion bolts that penetrate the wall at least 1 1/2 inches. If a window or door is larger than a sheet of plywood, you will need to join the panels with 2X4 bracing along the entire seam. Attach the 2X4s to the outside of the plywood panel with 10 gauge, 2 inch long galvanized screws (exterior deck screws) spaced every 4 inches. Use the widest side of the 2X4 to run the length of the entire seam. When youre done, mark each panel with the name of the opening so you will quickly know where to install it when a storm is approaching. Store the panels, washers and nuts together in a location away from the elements. Consider waterproofing the panels with paint or a sealant.

There are several types of foundations used in residential construction but all have one important requirement, the foundation and connections to the walls and floors must be strong enough not only to support the weight of the house and its contents but to prevent the home from being blown away by high winds. Common Foundation Types The two most common types of foundations are monolithic slab-on-grade and stemwall foundations. A slab on grade foundation is a single, continuous layer of concrete that sits directly on the ground. The concrete slab is the floor system. A slab-on-grade foundation should be reinforced with welded wire fabric and have longitudinal reinforcement in the footing or turndown. Construction Techniques There are many construction techniques for anchoring the exterior walls to the foundation. For wood-framed construction, the bottom plate of the wall should be anchored into the slab with anchor bolts and washers. The bottom plate should be securely connected to the wall studs above by using approved metal clips or straps. For concrete masonry construction, vertical reinforcement in a continuously grouted cell should extend from the wall above and be embedded in the concrete footing below with a standard hook. Stemwalls A stemwall is a concrete block or brick wall used on top of the footer for off grade houses where the ground slopes from one side to the other. Stemwalls can support both concrete slabs and wood-framed floors. Stemwalls should have vertical reinforcement in a continuously grouted cell extending from the concrete masonry wall and embedded in the concrete footing with a standard hook. The concrete footing should also have longitudinal reinforcement. Anchorage for an exterior wall to a stemwall foundation is similar to anchoring to a slab-on-grade. Metal connectors and anchor bolts must be used to securely connect the walls to the foundation and give your home the required resistance to the forces created by extreme winds.

Every year, tornadoes, hurricanes, and other severe windstorms rip through hundreds of towns and cities across the United States, injuring and killing people and causing millions of dollars in property damage. You can protect your family from injury caused by the high winds and flying debris of a windstorm by constructing or installing a safe room in your home. A safe room is different from the other rooms in your home because it has been specially designed and tested to withstand wind speeds of up to 250 miles per hour and the impact of a 15 pound 2 by 4 flying at a speed of 100 miles per hour. Typically, the safe room should be located in a central, interior, ground-floor area of the home for additional protection as well as accessibility. The basement of a home can also be used as a location for a safe room. A safe room can be incorporated into the construction of a new home, or it can be retrofitted into an existing home. The safe room can function year-round as a usable area, such as a bathroom, closet or utility room. Safe rooms can be constructed out of reinforced concrete, reinforced concrete masonry or combinations of wood frame and steel sheathing or concrete masonry infill. Safe rooms can also be manufactured, assembled and installed on site. Here are some things to consider when constructing or installing a safe room: Safe rooms must be structurally isolated from the main structure of your home. Safe rooms must be securely anchored to the foundation. Safe rooms installed in or over a crawl space must have a separate foundation. Safe rooms must have adequate ventilation. All components of safe rooms, including walls, ceilings, and door assemblies, must be designed and tested to resist the specified wind forces and prevent perforation by windborne debris.

Despite what we learned from the three little pigs, as they grow older, even the hardiest of brick buildings will require repair and restoration. The strict requirements of some historic districts have given way to lots of new tricks for dyeing and distressing new brick and mortar to closely resemble the older surrounding masonry.

Mix two parts masonry cement and one part sand, adding just enough water for a firm mortar mix. Apply the mortar to all sides of the block using the top of your trowel. Stagger the joints and place the open end of the block to the closed end of the next allowing 3/8 inch for mortar joint. Finally, check for level.

For a designer look in your bathroom, try using cultured marble. It's easy to work with because it's made of real marble dust mixed with plastic resins. It's lighter in weight than real marble and less expensive too. To cut, use a rotary saw with a masonry blade, and smooth the edges with sandpaper. Use a panel adhesive to attach the sheets to the wall and brace them firmly overnight. Remember to use safety glasses and a respirator when working with cultured marble.

The type and shape of the roof on your home can help determine how well it will perform during a severe windstorm. A hipped roof is one that slopes upward from all sides of the building. Because of its aerodynamic properties and construction techniques, most hipped roofs will perform better in windstorms than the second roof type: a gabled roof. A gabled roof has two slopes that come together to form a ridge or a peak at the top, each end looks like the letter A. Homes with gabled roofs are more likely to suffer greater damage, such as collapse of the end wall from high winds because they are often not braced properly during construction. If your home is built with a gabled end wall, use one of the following construction techniques. Continuous wall construction or Balloon framing. Use full-height studs, concrete or solid masonry walls from the floor below all the way up to the roof. Balloon-framed gable end walls perform better in windstorms because they do not have the hinge that usually exists where the triangular part of the gable sits on top of the wall below. Platform framing. Brace the intersection of the gable and the end wall. This intersection is a particularly weak point and those that are not properly braced can collapse, causing major damage to the roof, allowing wind and wind driven rain into the home. In homes with attics, an attic floor or ceiling diaphragm with the proper bracing techniques can be used to provide the lateral support of the gable end wall if the end wall is framed full height. Install bracing along the top and the bottom of the gable end. In addition, connect the gable end to the top of the end wall using metal hurricane connectors. In homes with high cathedral-like ceilings, where there is no ceiling to brace the gabled end, will have to be balloon framed or will require a special design by a registered or licensed engineer.