Tips & Tricks

1. Solution to Mildew


Mildew builds up quickly on the shade. Power washing wastes water and can peel paint coatings or old patina from antique bricks.

A good ways to keep pool decks clean is as follows:
• Wet the entire surface with a garden hose
• Mix up a solution of 50% pool chlorine and 50% water in a plant watering can
• Spread or spray the solution on the wet deck and let it soak for 5 to 10 minutes
• Rinse the deck and as it dries the surface should bleach clean. Use household cleaners like "Simple Green" or "409" and scrub difficult spots. You can tell chlorine is gone when bubble (similar to a soapy solution) are no longer present.


* For patios, pathways, steps and driveways, try the same technique except use a mix of water, dawn detergent and chlorox. (Always start with water before adding chlorox so as to avoid mixing concentrated chemicals.) This mix spreads easily with a dampened broom.

* The recommended average frequency to perform this treatment is once every 2 months (depending upon dampness and rainfall). It is important to remember that decks/patios etc. facing north are more susceptible to mold and mildew (because they have less exposure to the sun); therefore will require more cleaning.

* Chlorine and Chlorox are slippery by nature. Keep safety a priority. Wear eye protection and take care to rinse down the surface thoroughly. Remember the bleach will rot cotton threads or materials.
2. Aging a Stone Wall with Moss and Lichen

There are many theories on how to make an object mossy from coating with buttermilk to submerging in a mucky pond for the summer. Some formulas call for mashed slugs, potatoes or grass clippings. Moss won’t grow where it typically would not naturally (like a sun baked driveway or on a plastic pot), but it can be encouraged in moist and shady places.

To grow moss on a surface make a slurry of bits of live moss (from a nearby source) and some sort of agent that will help the mix adhere. Mix yogurt, buttermilk and water in a bucket with the moss. (Many people also add cow munger to this mix). After mixing the ingredients together in the bucket, then paint liberally on stonemwalls to speed up the aging of the patina. Many mosses like the acidity in yogurt and buttermilk. Modeling clay may be added to help hold the slurry in place. Mist regularly to ensure that the area is kept moist and keep it in a shady area for several weeks.

Rough, porous surfaces with nooks help give moss, ferns, small flowers and lichens a foothold. Bermuda coral is ideal for this project. Regular concrete isn’t porous enough. Lichens are a union of algae and fungi living in a symbiotic relationship. They may be transplanted (move the lichen bearing object) and replace or duplicate their original environment. Lichens like sunnier, drier conditions than mosses.

Colonies of moss and lichens enhance the beauty of stone and brick walls.
3. Installation Techniques – Sliced Bricks

• The old bricks are usually sliced to approximately one inch in thickness. Occasionally, the men cutting the brick insert a "slice" on the pallet, which has been cut on both sides. Please have installers use caution and make sure that the bricks are not installed upside-down and that no double sliced bricks are installed. You will, of course, be credited or refunded for any double sliced brick. The sliced side "up" may be apparent on the finished job.

• Thin set is normally used for the installation.

• The load-bearing surface of the installed brick had not been determined, but could crack under, say, the weight of a loaded truck.

• It is not necessary to pre-soak the bricks in water prior to installation.

• A one half-inch notched trowel is useful.

• One half-inch space between each brick usually works well, but can vary depending upon the area to be covered.

• Sealing is not necessary prior to installing.

• Grout is normally spread with a sponge the first time over. After that, most installers use foam rubber, about 11/2" thick. The foam may be cut from old car seats or anything similar and then it is soaked to about 60% water and used to remove the remaining grout. Any remaining light film may be removed with a weak solution of muriatic acid, being careful not to remove the patina of the "old Chicago’s".

• Sometimes a clear penetrating sealer is used for inside jobs or where food spills are likely. Non-gloss will keep the patina. Gloss is sometimes desired for these reasons.