Mike,

The problem is both mechanical performance and finishing. The repairs
involved patching broken limestone steps leading down to the court in front
of the conservatory. This work was just a small part of a major tax credit
rehabilitation on the entire building, which by and large came out very well
and impressed the NPS reviewer who visited the site (he graciously
overlooked the patches).

I was not involved in the specifications for the project since I was
reviewing it. The patching material was supposed to somewhat match the color
and tooling of the limestone. The installed actually did a fair job of
tooling the patch. However, the color is so far off that it would have been
better to leave the break had it not been for liability concerns. The patch
color is several shades lighter.

Several patches have started to show separation from the stone. One patch on
a door sill has turned into oatmeal and can be dug out with a fingernail.
The installer insists that the patch was supposed to be coated over to match
the stone. I have always thought that it would be preferable to try and get
a reasonable tonal match in the base patch, especially for a surface that
will see a lot of foot traffic.

It will be after the holidays until I find out any success the owner has had
with getting it done over better. I will post photos then.

John Horton, RA
Restoration Specialist
NC State Historic Preservation Office

The opinions expressed in this message may not be those of my agency.

----- Original Message -----
From: Michael P. Edison <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Friday, December 17, 1999 12:27 AM


>Is the problem mechanical
> performance or just plain poor finishing?
>
> Mike Edison