A More Simple, Plainer America?

[NewGig]

IL, we had a family business and owned the building. The building was brick. My dad and uncle had a minor fight about whether to paint the exterior of the building? My dad won, because a painted brick wall then needs to be repainted every few years and a raw brick wall doesn't. My uncle was all about how things looked, but he was also a frugal soul...

[iris lilies]

IL, we had a family business and owned the building. The building was brick. My dad and uncle had a minor fight about whether to paint the exterior of the building? My dad won, because a painted brick wall then needs to be repainted every few years and a raw brick wall doesn't. My uncle was all about how things looked, but he was also a frugal soul...

That was the right decision. Painting exterior masonry is a whole different kettle of fish from interior brick. Painting the masonry is known in my area as the quick cheap fix. It is forbidden in my historic neighborhood. It is forbidden in my personal rule book.

when you put a layer of paint on exterior brick, it changes The chemical nature of the finish. It allows moisture to be trapped between the layer of paint and the finished brick. Then the brick breaks down.


Exterior brick has a hard surface to hold up to weather. In my city the interior bricks are what’s known as “soft” brick and they crumble and do not stand up to outside weather. Me, I would never have an exposed interior brick wall made of soft brick because I think they’re ugly and they look wrong to me. But that’s merely aesthetics, many people like that look.

I have paid big bucks to have paint removed on one of my tiny houses, always owned by poor people and they slapped paint on the front of it rather than tuckpoint it. A cheap and fast fix.

[NewGig]

I think perhaps the biggest change may be that folks do less driving. We've all been combining trips to save our being out, right? Combining the trip to the market and library and feed store in one trip. We're not going on spur of the moment trips. We're not driving for fun.

Hotels may change to conference centers? The defunct hotel in our town is being rehabbed as a rehab residency.

[happystuff]

when you put a layer of paint on exterior brick, it changes The chemical nature of the finish. It allows moisture to be trapped between the layer of paint and the finished brick. Then the brick breaks down.


Exterior brick has a hard surface to hold up to weather. In my city the interior bricks are what’s known as “soft” brick and they crumble and do not stand up to outside weather.

Never had a brick house, so never knew much about such things. This was my "learned something new today". Thanks.

[Simone]

Here’s the thing about an optimistic outlook: our time is over, the time of us oldsters. I think we are handing the youngsters a world that is not so great. But they will take it and run because they have the optimism of youth.

+1

[LDAHL]

That was the right decision. Painting exterior masonry is a whole different kettle of fish from interior brick. Painting the masonry is known in my area as the quick cheap fix. It is forbidden in my historic neighborhood. It is forbidden in my personal rule book.

when you put a layer of paint on exterior brick, it changes The chemical nature of the finish. It allows moisture to be trapped between the layer of paint and the finished brick. Then the brick breaks down.


Exterior brick has a hard surface to hold up to weather. In my city the interior bricks are what’s known as “soft” brick and they crumble and do not stand up to outside weather. Me, I would never have an exposed interior brick wall made of soft brick because I think they’re ugly and they look wrong to me. But that’s merely aesthetics, many people like that look.

I have paid big bucks to have paint removed on one of my tiny houses, always owned by poor people and they slapped paint on the front of it rather than tuckpoint it. A cheap and fast fix.

What are your thoughts on German smear or mortar washing?

[iris lilies]

What are your thoughts on German smear or mortar washing?

I don’t know if that is harmful to brick.


As for the aesthetics, I don’t mind it on houses built in the 40s and 50s since they are kinda/sorta old. But in general it goes against my purest point of view which is building something to look faux old is dumb. But of course, all architecture borrows from some thing that came before it, so...