In short, ain't nuthin' perfect and everlasting, 'cept G-d!  Ruth




At 10:30 AM -0500 12/25/08, [log in to unmask] wrote:
Seems to me you're concentrating on the visual aspects and downplaying the
effect of aging--which is mostly manifested (ooh-big word) as deterioration
and performance reduction.  Granite generally continues to perform well,
brownstone if not cut and laid properly doesn't; limestone may or may not.
Good brick will hold up, lousy brick melts away like the mud it started out
as. Clapboard will do well if painted, or of the gray weathered surface is
removed and repainted.  Pine --the kind you're likely to get today--turns
to shit (technically speaking. Timber's OK if you keep the creepy crawlies
and moisture out, or at least let it drain once it gets in; Pressure
treated looks like hell from beginning to end but is generally pretty
durable. High-tech, maybe, maybe not. Copper gets a  nice patina, but its
runoff onto marble or limestone is not good (appearance wise). Terra cotta
which tended to be a relatively inexpensive alternative to stone, can be
durable if everything went well from design to fabrication to erection.
But if not, it may indeed not age well. There are a million little glazing
cracks in my bathroom sink, which if it were outdoors would probably be a
pile of chips.  So the exposure matters, too.

So there.

Ralph
-- 
Ruth Barton
[log in to unmask]
Dummerston, VT

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