Maintenance of the Site Seminar, Monday, January 24, 1977: Maintenance of Restored or Reconstructed Eighteenth Century Period Buildings by A. A. Murrant (January 20, 1977)

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MAINTENANCE OF THE SITE SEMINAR,
MONDAY, JANUARY 24, 1977

January 24, 1977

(Fortress of Louisbourg Report Number E 20)

MAINTENANCE OF RESTORED OR RECONSTRUCTED
EIGHTEENTH CENTURY PERIOD BUILDINGS

[E 20 04]

A. A. MURRANT

GENERAL PARKS MANAGER

FORTRESS OF LOUISBOURG

INDEX

Heading: Section
Introduction ..............................................................................
Foundations ............................................................................ A
Exterior Masonry Walls ........................................................ B
Timber Framed Walls ............................................................ C
Piquet Constructed Walls ...................................................... D
Interior Walls and Ceilings ................................................... E
Doors ...................................................................................... F
Windows ................................................................................ G
Shutters ................................................................................. H
Frames and Trim .................................................................. I
Hardware ............................................................................... J
Roofs ...................................................................................... K
Flues ..................................................................................... L
Floors .................................................................................... M
Safety Notes........................................................................... N

Some Suggestions for Maintenance
of Restored or Reconstructed
Historic Period Buildings

The reason for writing this is to get some of the methods, procedures, and techniques which we have used in the maintenance of reconstructed eighteenth century period buildings recorded for our own reference, or for any others who may have occasion to benefit from our experience.

Most of the subject matter has been developed by experimentation, trial and error, or by the adaptation of conventional materials and techniques to suit the various eighteenth century situations or problems. All of the suggestions contained herein have been successful over the short term, but because of the relative newness of the Fortress reconstruction, have not stood the test of time.

We do not claim Infallibility, nor that there are not more effective or better ways to carry out the various functions discussed. We do feel, however, that the suggestions written here contain a fundamental basis for the establishment of maintenance standards by stating what should be done to maintain the buildings in a sound condition.

In this paper, we are dealing exclusively with eighteenth century French architecture and construction. Many of the suggestions could apply to earlier or later period structures where there is similarity of design and construction.

The types of construction dealt with are:

(1) Foundations: solid rubblestone masonry or concrete core faced with masonry.
(11) Rubblestone masonry walls with or without cut-stone corners, cornices, window and door openings, etc.
(III) Charpente constructed walls; timber framed walls and partitions where the spaces between the framing members are filled with stone, brick, plaster, wood panelling or combinations of these materials. This type of construction is sometimes called "half-timber construction."
(IV) Piquet constructed wails; where walls and partitions are built ,from vertical logs the logs are exposed with the spaces between .the logs chinked with mortar. A variation of this type of wall is where the logs are cladded with lapped or bevel joint boards or siding on the exterior and sheathed with boards or other material on the interior.
(V) Double or single framed truss roofs with pegged mortise and tenon joints. Roofing material is either slates wood shingles or lapped boards.

A. Foundations

1. Foundations should be thoroughly inspected at least once annually. If there is a basement or crawl space, the interior inspection should be done during the wet season so that leaking or weeping joints can be identified and marked for repair or appropriate sealing.
2.Loose stones should be re-set, and all cracked or otherwise deteriorating mortar should be chipped out and re-pointed over the total accessible area both inside and outside.
3. Where no basement or crawl space exists, the above grade portion of the foundation should be closely examined for cracks which might be an indication of sub-grade failure, and corrective measures taken. This is particularly important where buildings have been built on stabilized original foundations.
4. Drainage should be checked around the building to ensure that no ponding is evident and that run-off is directed away from the building.
5. Air vents and louvres. should be checked to ensure they are free from litter or other debris and any wooden or metal parts checked ,for rots rust or corrosion.
6. Basement or crawl space floor drains inspected and cleared of any blockage.

B. Exterior Masonry Walls

1. All exterior masonry wails should be inspected once annually. All deteriorating mortar should be chipped out and re-pointed using a strong masonry mortar. All new narrow cracks in stones should be sealed using a natural stone silicone caulking sealant. Wider cracks should be sealed with mortar. All areas should be coated with 2 coats of silicone water repellent about I month following repairs. Note: some caulking sealants are not recommended for use on calciferous or alkaline materials. Be sure the proper sealant is used.
2. Cut-stone corners and other cut-stone features should be inspected for spauling and fractures, and sealed, repaired or replaced
3. Entire exterior area of masonry wall should be treated with a generous coat of silicone water repellent every 3 to 5 years depending on the exposure and prevailing climatic conditions. Note: Silicone repellent which has a solvent base should not be used for limestone or marble. A water based repellent should be used on such materials. Both types should be sprayed on using a hand pump sprayer of at least 12 gallon capacity.

C . Timber Framed Walls (Half Timber Construction)

Timber framed walls should be inspected annually with close examination given the following:

1. Check framing members for signs of rot, fungus or insect infestation.
2. Check meetings of wood and masonry for open seams due to warping of wooden members or shrinkage of wood or mortar and seal as appropriate. If possible, spray exposed wood on wide seams with pentachlorophenol before sealing. If mortar is used to seal such seams, a coat of silicone water repellent should be applied over all new mortar.
3. Check masonry for cracked or deteriorating mortar and re-point as necessary.
4. A11 exterior masonry surfaces should be given a coat of silicone water repellent; unpainted and wooden surfaces a coat of pentachlorophenol every 3 to 4 years.

D . Piquet Constructed Walls (Exterior)

1. Unsheathed piquet walls should be inspected annually for loose or cracked chinking, rot, fungus and insect infestation. Badly infected or infested piquets should be replaced to keep such infection or infestation from spreading to adjacent members. Little other maintenance is required on this type of construction.
2. Sheathed piquet, or conventional frame and sheathed walls should, be inspected annually for the following defects and appropriate maintenance.
3. Check lap-board or bevel joint siding for cracks, loose knots, or knot-holes, warping, rot and fungus, and repair or replace defective members as appropriate.
4. Check far-loose siding boards or fastenings, and re-secure as appropriate; badly rusted, bent or drawn nails should be replaced.
5. Since exteriors of most wooden sided period buildings are left unpainted, a coat of clear pentachlorophenol should be applied every 3 to 4 years. Since this material retards the weathering process, the first treatment of pentachlorophenol should not be applied until the desirable weathering is achieved. A weathered gray appearance normally takes 12 to 18 months of exposure to achieve.

E. Interior Wails and Ceilings

I. Exposed masonry walls should be inspected once annually and closely examined for stains and efflorescence which may indicate leaks or condensation problems. Efflorescence should be removed with a wire brush and the area cleaned with muriatic acid solution and rinsed with clear water.
2. Masonry walls coated with stucco or plaster should be inspected once annually for stains or efflorescence damp spots or any other type of defect or deterioration. Any defective material should be removed, re-plastered, and refinished using appropriate materials.
3. Wooden walls such as plain boards, wainscoting, panelling,, etc. should be inspected once annually for loose members or mouldings or man-caused damage, and appropriate repairs made. Repainting should be carried out on an as required basis. Paints made especially for period application should consist primarily of white lead, oil and pigments, and are subject to considerable checking and crazing. This is not undesirable as it adds to the aged period appearance.

Note: It Is important when replacing wooden members, boards, mouldings, etc., that they be replaced with like kind; i.e. jack. planed lumber should not be replaced with machine dressed lumber etc. This is., of course, to retain the period integrity of the structure.

F. Doors

1. Most period doors fall into one of three types:

(a) Pinned rail and plank. .

(b) Board and batten.

(c) Double planked, (vertical and horizontal or diagonal).

Invariably such doors are made from softwood, (pine, spruce,, etc.) and because of their construction are very susceptible to a multitude of ills. This is particularly true of exterior doors. Most serious of these ills are:

(a) rotting at joints and between planking from moisture infiltration.

(b) warping, splitting and checking from changing climatic conditions.

(c) de-lamination caused by rough usage or poor construction.

(d) loosening of hardware from normal wear and tear.

2. Exterior doors should be checked twice annually; preferably in the spring and again in late fall. Special attention should be given to the above points and necessary repairs made. Extensive re-placement of components are difficult and before commencing such replacements due consideration should be given to which is the most practical; the repair or replacement of components, or replacement of the entire unit.
3. Painted doors should be repainted on an as required basis taking care to work the paint thoroughly Into cracks and seams. Unpainted doors should be given a coat of 5% clear pentachlorophenol about every three years to preserve and protect the wood from fungus.
4. Interior doors should be checked once annually for binding, misalignment or loose hardware, and any necessary adjustments made.

G. Windows

I. Eighteenth century period windows are primarily double or single casement, double hung, or fixed single sash. The casement windows are sometimes difficult to keep weather tight since modern weather stripping can not be used. Normally, however, a conventional maintenance inspection with attention being given to the following is all that is necessary.
2. Check casement and double-hung windows for proper fit and adjust as necessary. Windows should be as snug fitting as possible without binding or requiring excessive force to open and close.
3. Check sash corners, muntins and rails for sound mortises, signs of - moisture, rot or fungus infection.
4. Check for broken glass and replace as necessary.
5. Check glazing and remove oil unsound material and re-glaze.
6. Check all hinges, hooks, bolts or slide-bars for looseness and tighten as necessary.
7. Painted sashes should be painted inside and out on an as required basis; generally every 3 to 4 years.
8. Unpainted edges of moving windows or unpainted sashes should be treated with a coat of pentachlorophenol with particular care being given to mortise joints and the top of interior rails where condensation accumulates.
9. Check ail flashings for weather tightness.

H. Shutters

1. Shutters should be dealt with exactly the same methods as exterior doors. (Section F, 1, 2, 3, and 4)

I. Frames and Trim

1. All exterior portions of window frames, door jambs, lintels, sills, and trim should be inspected annually for rots loose members and/or -fasteners. Badly rotted members or members with other defects such as splits, bad warps, etc, should be replaced. All new work should be liberally treated with clear pentachlorophenol preservative even if they are to be painted. This will give better protection against rot and fungus and ensure a longer life.
2. Repainted should be scheduled when sashes are painted taking care to remove all loose paint and blisters and working the paint into all checks, cracks, crevices and joints.
3. Moisture should be excluded as far as possible from entering openings caused by shrinking wooden members or shrinking mortar where the two come together. Pentachlorophenol should be sprayed into such openings after which the opening should be sealed with a mortar grout. .
4. All nails used for securing replaced members should have heads the same as the original work. (e.g. 18th century wrought iron heads.)

J. Hardware (Wrought Iron)

1. Wrought iron hardware covers a broad range of items which require much greater maintenance than contemporary hardware with its precision design and construction, modern rust and corrosion proof materials and finishes lifetime lubrications etc., etc.
2. Essential maintenance of wrought iron hardware fall into four main function categories:

(a) rust control

(b) lubrication

(c) re-finishing

(d) repair and replacement of component parts

It is important, therefore, that the following functions be carried out once annually or as otherwise indicated particularly on exterior hardware, and interior hardware in buildings which are used seasonally, and are unheated for the major part of the year.

3. Inspect all hardware, giving special attention to all moving parts and fastenings.
4. Lubricate hinges, locks, bolts, slide-bars, etc. using oil sparingly so that adjacent wood and masonry are not stained, and the possibility of getting oil and dirt on the hands and clothing of visitors and others is minimized.
5. Check for binding and misalignment which may cause excessive wear or difficulty in manipulating, and adjust or correct as appropriate.
6. Replace components or units where repair or adjustment is ineffective or where defects or wear make manipulating or operation difficult.
7. Normally, rust removal and repainting is carried out when adjacent woodwork is being painted. In cases where severe rusting and/or breakdown of paint occurs, spot work should be carried out.
8. Rust need not be removed down to bare shiny metal. Removal of scale and loose rust by chipping and wire brushing is sufficient. A good quality rust Inhibitive paint should be used In all cases.
9. Check all fastenings (i.e. nails, period head screws or bolts, staples, hook-eyes, etc.) and re-secure or replace as appropriate.

Note: Normally, Interior hardware is left unpainted in its natural forged state, and except in extreme damp conditions, little attention is necessary to surfaces. Where damp conditions exist and light rusting is visible, wiping the hardware with gun oil or light machine oil will retard rusting.

K. Roofs

1. Roof framing members where accessible should be checked for dry rot every four or five years. Particular attention should be given to mortise and tenon joints half-lap joints, and where timber members joists, etc. come in direct contact with masonry walls. Where serious rot Is encountered, the infected portion should be cut out and replaced with sound lumber. In many cases, this may prove difficult and various types of splices will have to be considered depending on the individual situation. Where possible and practical it may be desirable to replace the entire member.
2. At the same time, all pegs pins and dowels used in joints should be checked for looseness due to wood shrinkage vibration, stress, etc. Re-securing tapered protruding pegs may be achieved by driving the peg further into the joint. Un-tapered pins and dowels may be tightened by riving wooden wedges alongside the pin. In exceptional eases pegging may have to be replaced, or, where the joint is split at the peg hole, a hole drilled in sound wood and a new peg driven in place.
3. Wooden roofing shingles should be Inspected about every two years for rot, fungus or moss growth. Warped, curled or badly split shingles should be replaced. Shingles which are rotted or "punky" from fungus or moss growth should also be replaced.
4. A coat of clear pentachlorophenol should be applied to ail shingle roofs every 4 to 5 years after the initial weathering process has taken place. This will largely prevent rots fungus and moss growth.
5. Slate roofs should be inspected annually for loose and broken slates, and such slates re-secured or replaced as appropriate. It is essential for visitor safety that ail slates are secure. Slates falling or blowing from a roof are deadly missiles and could seriously Injure If -striking a person.
6. Special care must be taken when working on slate roofs to ensure that more damage is not caused than is repaired. Eighteenth century slates are not uniform in thickness and therefore do not lie flat. Kneeling, standing or walking on such slates can cause extensive breakage if exceptional tare is not taken. Inspections should be primarily visual using binoculars so that close localized scrutiny can be given to the entire roof area. Light weight aluminum ladders with plastic rollers should be used for easy, safe handling. The ladders should be equipped with large ridge hooks. Large foam-rubber pads should be secured to each end and the centre of the ladder to cushion the contact with the tiles and distribute the weight. A padded cross-piece should also be fastened between the ridge hooks to prevent the hooks from coming in direct contact with the slates.
7. When replacing or re-securing roof slates a generous daub of plastic roofing cement should be placed on the underside of the slate. Care should be taken however, to ensure that the cement is contained under the slate and does not squeeze out around the edges. When replacing single slates, it is not possible to secure the slate with nails. Hooks made from fine brass or bronze welding rods are formed to hook over the top of a secured slate and the bottom edge of slate being replaced.
8. Lead ridge caps should be examined and re-formed and refastened as necessary.
9. Flue and dormer flashings should be carefully inspected for weather tightness and appropriate repairs or maintenance carried out.
10. Eave and crown mouldings, fascia boards and soffits should be closely inspected for rots fungus, moss, loose boards and mouldings, warps and defective joints, and appropriate repairs made.
11. Lapped board roofing can be dealt with in the same manner as board wall sidings.

L. Flues

1. Brick or rubble-stone masonry flues can be dealt with using the same methods techniques and materials as used in the repair and maintenance of masonry walls. (Section B 1,2, and 3).

M. Floors

I. Normally maintenance considerations for floor framing sleepers beams and joists, are only necessary on the ground floors and then only when the floor is built on or close to the ground where the structure is exposed to perpetually wet or damp conditions. where such is the case, and the framing is accessible by crawl space, the framing should be checked every 2 or 3 years except where pressure treated timbers have been used. (i.e. creosote or greensalt pressure treatment). Where untreated timber has been used, inspection can be confined to checking for rot and to ensure that joist hangers are secure.

2. The most commonly used flooring materials in eighteenth century period building are:

(a) Softwood boards (usually pine) either splined or random width T and G. (used in Town-site and Military buildings).
(b) Hardwood T and G, pegged. (usually used only in homes of affluent persons, chapels, etc.)
(c) Edge-laid brick (used in stables, carriage houses, etc.)
(d) Rubblestone, (used in forges, bakeries, etc.)

Since floor care, i.e. sweeping, vacuuming, dust-mopping are daily functions, and an inspection of sorts is done as part of the function, the value of scheduled inspections on say an annual basis is probably minimal. However, routine checks should be made for loose or protruding boards, nails, or pegs on wooden floors, or loose stones or brick on floors made from these materials. The reason for this is to eliminate tripping hazards and to keep flooring from being further damaged.

Softwood floors should be scrubbed once or twice a year using a stiff fiber scrub brush and detergent solution. A good coat of linseed oil should be given to such floors once a year; this will protect the floor from stains, water penetration and abrasion, and keep it mare attractive looking. Hardwood floors should be given this treatment on an as needed basis.

Janitorial staff should be instructed to watch for floor defects .and report them immediately to the maintenance supervisor or foreman.

N. Safety Notes (Special Precautions)

Workmen using chemicals such as silicone water repellent, pentachlorophenol, muriatic acid, heavily leaded paints, etc., should be fully briefed on their potential hazards, and the proper safe methods and techniques for their use. Furthermore, safety equipment such as goggles, respirators, rubber gloves or other necessary protective devices must be provided and their usage enforced.

Workmen working on slate surfaced roofs without staging must use safety harness and lines at all times and other relevant safety practices employed. These precautions should also be taken when working on steeply pitched wood surfaced roofs.

When framing, roof truss, or floor members are being repaired or replaced, adequate shoring and bracing must be used to assure workman safety and prevent damage to the structure.