Repointing the cellar walls at Meadow Garden was a meticulous project. After removing the non-historic plaster from the walls of the cellar, the original brick walls were exposed for the first time to our preservation team who quickly identified areas of need. The variation in material composition was evident. Much of the brick appeared to have been repurposed from other locations. This indicates an early example of conservation, although this was likely done due to fiscal constraints at the time of construction.
Unfortunately, the deterioration of mortar and brick faces occurred due to the later, modern plaster application using metal mesh and portland mortar. A non-historic pass-through on the wall near the fireplace had caused brick joints to fail above it resulting in major instability of the wall. Repairing and repointing the cellar walls involved carefully matching the remaining original mortar as closely as possible. Because of the variation in the existing material, multiple versions of the mortar were pigmented to match the color pigment of the existing mortar throughout the cellar. This was a painstaking process that the tradesmen from Landmark Preservation, LLC managed with great skill.
