Algonquin College - Learning Resource Centre

Masonry

Conservation and Restoration
Brick Resources
Concrete/Cast Stones
Terra Cotta/Adobe Resources
Stone Resources
Stone Carving
Stone Cleaning

Dry Stone Walls
Fireplace/Heating Systems
Landscape Masonry
Mortars/Lime
Suppliers: Materials, Tools
Professional Associations
Journals and Indexes

CONSERVATION & RESTORATION

Standards and Guidelines for the Conservation of Historic Places in Canada (Parks Canada)
Guidelines for Rehabilitating Historic Buildings - Masonry
National Park Service (U.S.) guidelines for rehabilitation in accordance with the Secretary of the Interior's Standards for Rehabilitation.
Non-destructive Evaluation techniques for masonry construction
A Preservation Tech Note from the Technical Preservation Services for Historic Buildings of the National Park Service (U.S.).
Durable masonry
The IRC (Institute for Research in Construction) is conducting research on the durability of masonry walls. These activities include: Rehabilitation of uninsulated masonry wall assemblies; Durability of repointing mortars; and Freeze-thaw durability of masonry units.
Preservation Briefs
Preservation Briefs are published by Technical Preservation Services, National Park Service in the U.S.
Urban Conservation Glossary
A glossary of language used in the conservation of the built environment as compiled by Neil Grieve of the Centre for Conservation and Urban Studies, University of Dundee, Scotland. A number of terms are illustrated, ie: spalling.
Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings (SPAB)
Includes a technical question & answer series.

BRICK RESOURCES

Technical Notes on Brick Construction
From the Brick Industry Association: " A series of bulletins that contain design, detailing, and construction information based on the latest technical developments in brick masonry. Drawings, photographs, tables, and charts illustrate each topic." Print copies of these bulletins are also available in the library of the Perth campus.
Brick Development Association
UK and Irish manufacturers of clay brick and pavers. Publishers of The Brick Bulletin and technical publications on brick and brickwork (many are available online as PDF files).
Brickwork : the historic development / Gerard Lynch
Article reproduced from The Building Conservation Directory (1993).
Rick's Bricks
The Rick's Bricks site includes an essay on "the fine art of hand brickmaking ca.1850" as well as examples of bonding patterns.

CONCRETE/CAST STONE RESOURCES

Preservation of historic concrete
NPS Preservation Brief # 15.
The Repair of reinforced concrete / John Broomfield
Article reproduced from the Building Conservation Directory (1996).
Concrete Construction Magazine
Search the archives of Concrete Construction Magazine and Concrete Repair Digest for full-text articles on concrete (PDF format).
The Maintenance, repair and replacement of historic cast stone
NPS Preservation Brief # 42.
Cast Stone Institute
Site includes technical information such as specifications, tolerances, technical bulletins on cleaning, flashing, patching, etc.

TERRACOTTA/ADOBE RESOURCES

The Preservation of historic glazed architectural terra-cotta
NPS Preservation Brief # 7.
Victorian and Edwardian terracotta buildings / Jonathan Taylor
Article reproduced from The Building Conservation Directory (1995).
Preservation of historic adobe buildings
NPS Preservation Brief # 5.

STONE RESOURCES

Quarries and sand pits
Statistics Canada publication (Cat. No. 26-225-X1B). Statistical information relating to stone quarries and sand and gravel pits in Canada.
Stone quarries and beyond
A comprehensive website compiled by Peggy and George Perazzo pertaining to the geology of building stone, stone quarries and quarrying and stone carving / cutting.
The Stone Foundation Society
"... a society of stonemasons and others involved with and /or interested in stone, stonework and stone art." Publisher of the magazine Stonexus.
Marble Institute of America
Indiana Limestone Institute
New York Landmarks Conservancy
A PDF version of their technical guides to sandstone: The Brownstone guide : maintenance & repair facts for historic property owners and Composite patching of brownstone is available by following the link from Publications - Technical Guides.
Natural Stone Specialist
U.K. site includes a section of articles "Stone explained" written by Dr. Tim Palmer which introduces the geology, properties and characteristics of limestone, sandstone, granite, slate and marble.
Old World Stone
"Suppliers of dimensional cut limestone and sandstone for new and restoration projects." Summit Restoration is the parent company.
StoneExpoZone
This website includes general information about stone as well as an international stone industry directory (quarriers, suppliers of machinery, distributors, etc.). Proclaims to be "the most visited natural stone portal in the world".
Learning Stone
"Learning Stone is about mutual interests, understanding and contacts amongst people who work with stone." Includes "StoneHoo Links", their directory of over 500 stone-related Internet links.
The Stone Network "The business to business portal for the natural stone trade".

STONE CARVING

Gargoyles and grotesques
The website of Walter S. Arnold, sculptor and stonecutter which includes a large gallery of photos and information on stone carving.
Medieval culture as evidenced by gargoyles
Includes photos of gargoyles from various locations (France, England, Germany, etc.).
Stone carving tutorial
Types of stone, carving tools and techniques as outlined by Mark Carroll of The Sculpture Studio.
Stonecarvers Guild
Portfolios and web links for members of this U.S.- based group.
New York Carver
This site contains a number of interesting pages: "Tips & tricks to Gothic geometry"; a glossary of Gothic architectural terms and links to numerous examples of stone carving.
StoneHoo Sculptor / Stone Carver Links
An extensive listing of individual stone carvers and sculptors courtesy of Learning Stone.

STONE CLEANING

Air/water abrasive cleaning of stone and brickwork / Nicola Ashurst
Stone cleaning / Ingval Maxwell
Recent developments in laser cleaning / Martin Cooper
Poultices / Catherine Woolfitt and Graham Abrey
Articles reproduced from The Building Conservation Directory.
Assessing cleaning and water-repellent treatments for historic masonry buildings
NPS Preservation Brief # 1.
Dangers of abrasive cleaning to historic buildings
NPS Preservation Brief # 6.
Masonry Conservation Research Group
"The Masonry Conservation Research Group has been undertaking research and consultancy in the field of masonry conservation at the Robert Gordon University in Aberdeen [Scotland] since 1989." Research areas include: Effects of stone cleaning on Scottish building sandstones and granites; Long term consequences of stone cleaning; Value assessment of stone cleaning, etc.
Prosoco
"Prosoco, Incorporated is a custom formulator of specialty cleaners and protective treatments for masonry and concrete." The site includes product data sheets, material safety data sheets and architectural specifications for all of their products.

DRY STONE WALL

Dry Stone Wall Association of Canada
Dry Stone Walling Association
"...a charitable organization committed to the preservation of dry stone walls throughout Great Britain..."
Dry Stone Conservancy
A non-profit organization based in Kentucky.
L'Architecture de pierre seche / Drystone architecture
Site from France - some English translation. Includes links to other European websites on dry stone architecture.

FIREPLACE/HEATING SYSTEMS

Rumford fireplaces
This website contains extensive information regarding masonry fireplaces and chimneys, especially pertaining to Rumford fireplaces. There are many links to masonry related sites.
MHA-Net : Masonry Heater Information Site
This is the website for the Masonry Heater Association of North America.
Pyromasse
The construction sequence of a masonry heater is outlined in this website of a Montreal-based company.
Chimneys and flues / Russell Taylor
Article reproduced from The Building Conservation Directory (1999).
Chimneys.Com
As they put it: "It's all about chimneys!".

LANDSCAPE MASONRY

Interlocking Concrete Pavement Institute
Includes technical specs for design, installation and repair of pavers.

MORTARS/LIME

Gauging lime mortars / Peter Ellis
Lime : the basics / Jonathan Taylor
Lime mortars and renders : the relative merits of adding cement / Graham O'Hare
Pozzolans for lime mortars / Pat Gibbons
The technology and use of hydraulic lime / John Ashurst
What is lime / Jonathan Taylor
Articles reproduced from The Building Conservation Directory.
National Lime Association
The trade association for U.S. and Canadian manufacturers of high calcium quicklime, dolomitic quicklime, and hydrated lime, collectively referred to as "lime".
Building Limes Forum
U.K. site which was founded in 1992 to promote the development of expertise and understanding in the use of lime in building.
Lime mortars and plasters : A Project of the Getty Conservation Institute "The general aim of this research project is to increase the knowledge base ... regarding the materials and application procedures that might be considered in the treatment of lime-based mortars and plasters."
Repointing mortar joints in historic masonry buildings
NPS Preservation Brief #2.
U.S. Heritage Group
"The U.S. Heritage Group provides everything necessary to identify accurately a total historic mortar solution: scientific mortar testing, custom mortar matching, pre-blended lime mortars, hand-made tools, and specialized training."

SUPPLIERS/MATERIALS, TOOLS

Traditional Building
"This website is the gateway to more than 400 leading suppliers of traditionally styled products and related services. These products are appropriate for restoration and renovation of older structures -- as well as traditionally styled new buildings."
Cintec
"The principal activity of the company is the design and manufacture of the "CINTEC" Micro Concrete and Lime Grout Anchoring and Reinforcing System."
Marshalltown Trowel Company
Marshalltown is a manufacturer of hand tools and trowels for masonry, concrete finishing, plastering, stucco, and tiling.
Trow & Holden
Manufacturers of stone cutting tools.
Goldblatt Tools
Supplier of trowel trade tools.
Derusha Supply
Provider of equipment and supplies for the natural stone industry.
Merkley Supply
An Ottawa building supplier. This site includes many links to construction associations and manufacturers of building products.

ASSOCIATIONS

Canada Masonry Centre
Links to the Canadian Masonry Contractors' Association, Ontario Masonry Contractors' Association, Ontario Masonry Training Centre, etc.
Masonry Institute of Washington
Technical resources include The Northwest Masonry Guide.
International Masonry Institute
This is the website for the International Union of Bricklayers and Allied Craftworkers (Washington DC).
Masonry Advisory Council
The Masonry Advisory Council is a trade association for the advancement and promotion of masonry. "The core of the site is the technical library in which one may find several of our most popular technical documents available to read online."
British Masonry Society
The Masonry Society
"The Masonry Society is an international gathering of people interested in the art and science of masonry. It is a professional, technical, and educational association dedicated to the advancement of knowledge on masonry."

JOURNALS AND INDEXES

Masonry Construction Online
Database of articles from "Masonry Construction", "Concrete Construction", "Concrete Journal", etc.
Note: Issues of this magazine can also be found in the library at the Perth campus.
Stone World
Database of articles from Stone World magazine. You must register for the archives.
Fine Homebuilding
Index to Fine Homebuilding articles.
Note: Issues of this magazine can be found in the library at the Perth campus.

Check the online databases to find articles from magazines and journals on masonry topics. Some examples include:

MasterFile Elite
Includes articles from Pit & Quarry; This Old House, etc.
Proquest Career & Technical Education
Includes articles from Building Design & Construction; Buildings; Professional Builder, etc.
Canadian Newsstand for newspaper articles.