During the summer months air conditioners take a beating, running steadily in many parts of the country. Like any piece of equipment, air conditioners require periodic maintenance to operate at their peak efficiency. There are a minimum of steps to maintaining an air conditioner whether it is a portable window unit or a large unit sitting on a slab outside your home.

Air conditioner maintenance

No matter what type of air conditioner you have, annual maintenance will help it to run at peak efficiency

1. The condenser coil, the one that is usually toward the outside of the unit, collects dirt, grease, insects, and debris and needs to be cleaned frequently.
2. You can use compressed air to blow off the surface of the condenser coil. You can also use a soft brush to loosen the bugs and other debris and then blow it off.
3. Be sure to inspect the fan blades that blow air across the coil. Dirt collects here as well. A buildup of dirt and grease can throw the fan blades out of balance. An out-of-balance fan will run noisily and eventually it will ruin the bearings in the fan unit.
4. You can clean the fan blades with a cloth and a solution of dish detergent and warm water. If you cannot reach parts of the fan blades with this you can use an old toothbrush dipped in the solution to reach those difficult areas. Use a minimum of water to avoid the possibility of an electrical shock. If possible, it is best to remove the fan blades to clean them and then reinstall them in the unit.
5. You will need to clean the interior coil also known as the evaporator coil just as you did the condenser coil.
6. There is a filter inside the air conditioner unit that must be cleaned as well. If you just rinse the filter off with a hose dirt will be trapped inside the filter pleats and it will still offer resistance to airflow causing your air conditioner to run hot and inefficiently. It is best to use a pressure washer to blast that stubborn dirt out of the filter pleats. If one is not available, you might be able to use the pressure washer at your local car wash.
7. Inspect the motor and fan bearings and oil the motor bearings with one or two drops at the most of a good quality light machine oil.

Tips

Make sure the outside of your air conditioner is not obstructed. Move all furniture away from the immediate exterior of your unit and trim all brush and shrubbery so that it does not interfere with air conditioner operation.

Do not use any water at all to clean the interior of your air conditioner.

While servicing your unit, inspect it for frayed wire, broken connections, damage to the coils, refrigerant leaks, and damaged or loose panels.

Lawn furniture such as chairs, Adirondack chairs, lounges, and tables come in many different materials and designs. Probably the most ubiquitous are those made of plastic. These attractive outdoor furniture pieces are not only cheap and durable, they are also easily maintained. While you can paint plastic outdoor furniture with the proper material, if they are properly maintained this is seldom necessary.

Maintaining plastic outdoor lawn furniture

Keep your lawn furniture looking new with proper and timely cleaning techniques

1. The most required of plastic outdoor furnishings is to clean them.
2. If the finish is smooth, you can simply hose off the furniture from time to time throughout the year to clean off leaves, tree needles, and bird waste.
3. If the finish is textured, more may be needed to clean the furniture properly.
4. Hose off the furniture to remove the heaviest debris.
5. Mix a gallon of water in a pail with a cup of bleach.
6. Using plastic, rubber, or latex gloves and a stiff bristle brush, scrub the furniture with the bleach solution to remove mold and mildew.
7. Let the solution sit on the furniture for a few minutes, then rinse thoroughly with cool water. It may take several applications to clean off heavily soiled plastic furniture.
8. Wipe down the furniture with a clean rag to check for any areas that need repair.

Tips

1. If possible, you may want to keep your outdoor furniture under cover until spring or summer to keep it from fading in the sunlight and getting unduly soiled.
2. You can also purchase covers for outdoor furniture, which will help in preserving them from year to year.
3. Exposure of some plastics to the weather, especially sunlight, year after year can change the characteristics of the plastic, turning it brittle. Always test your plastic furniture at the start of the season for soundness prior to using it.
4. If a cup of bleach in a gallon of water is insufficient to clean the most offending dirt, make the solution stronger by adding more bleach. Do not mix bleach with any other cleaning solution. An alternate to bleach may be to mix ammonia with water. In either case, be sure to use gloves and safety goggles to protect yourself.
5. Choose a suitable location to clean your furniture where cleaning solutions will not harm the grass or pavement.

For many people tankless water heaters provide a suitable alternative to the traditional storage tank type water heater. Tankless water heaters only use energy to heat water when you open a hot water tap thus saving money on your energy bill. This depends, of course, on how you utilize your tankless water heater. Misuse of the unit, e.g. taking extra long showers, can cost you as much in energy as your old tank type unit. Installing a tankless water heater is usually a job for a professional but the competent do-it-yourselfer can accomplish the installation with a minimum of problems.

Preparation

Used properly, a tankless water heater can save you incredible amounts on your utility bill

1. Determine your hot water consumption. The more hot water you use, the more you stand to save on your energy bill with a tankless water heater. Calculate how many hot water loads of laundry you do daily as well as how many hot showers everyone in your household takes. Include the number of automatic dishwasher loads you do every day as well. The manufacturer of your appliances can tell you how much hot water they use per load.
2. Determine whether you will purchase and install an electric tankless model or a gas unit. If you opt to install a gas unit, make certain that you purchase the tankless unit equipped for the gas your utility provides you. Natural gas and propane are not interchangeable.
3. Check out the proposed location for your water heater. Tankless units are designed for either inside locations or outside locations. Make sure you purchase a unit designed for an outside installation and that it is freeze protected according to the manufacturer’s instructions.

Installation of the tankless water heater

1. Route a hot and cold water line to the water heater location.
2. For a gas installation, install the proper gas line sized for your water heater to the water heater location. Make sure to test the new gas pipe installation for leaks before hooking it up to the gas valve on the unit. Verify that the new gas line is properly sized for the water heater as well as all the other gas appliances in your home.
3. For an electric tankless water heater, install the proper size electrical cable to the unit location according to the NEC. Make certain that you have installed the proper size circuit breakers in your electrical panel to accommodate the water heater. In some cases, you may have to upgrade your electrical panel to accommodate the new breakers.
4. Once you have the water, gas, or electrical installed, hang the tankless water heater on the wall and vent it for gas. Usually tankless water heaters will require a minimum of a 5″ B vent extended above the roof at least 5 feet above the highest point.
5. If you are going to use a remote thermostat route the thermostat wire now to the thermostat location.
6. Install the temperature and pressure relief valve in the unit and pipe it to an exterior location without using valves, caps, or plugs.
7. With the gas or electricity off, flush water through the unit until it flows clear.
8. Turn on the electricity and/or gas and open up a hot water faucet in the home. Hot water should appear at the faucet within a couple of seconds depending on how far the water heater is located from the faucet and how much water pressure you have.
9. Adjust your thermostat for the temperature you want and you are ready to go.

Tips

There is limited space in the bottom of some tankless water heater models so make sure you plan your installation to use a minimum number of fittings.

Verify that your installation complies with all applicable codes and the manufacturer’s installation instructions.

One of the most common home repairs is replacing a worn and leaking sink drain, also called a p-trap. The p-shaped drain piping under the kitchen sink or bathroom lavatory is called a p-trap. This assembly is made up of two pieces. The wall bend is the piece of pipe that enters the wall at the back of the cabinet. The “J” bend is the next piece of pipe. It connects the wall bend with the tailpiece or drain extension, the pipe that extends from the bottom of the sink to the trap. P-traps are typically made of PVC plastic or chrome-plated brass tubing. They can also be ABS plastic pipe, which is common under sinks in mobile homes. Replacing a p-trap is not particularly difficult but there are a few “tricks of the trade” that will make your job easier.

Preparation

Replacing a drain is less complicated than it looks

1. Clean out the cabinet under the kitchen sink.
2. Place a container under the p-trap to catch gray water that remains in the bottom of the p-trap.
3. Gather some rags to clean up afterwards.
4. Use rubber gloves to protect your hands and wear safety goggles in case any drain cleaner was poured into the drain.

Removing the old p-trap

1. Use a pair of water pump pliers (also called “channellocks” in the plumbing trade) or a 14″ pipe wrench to loosen the slip nuts on both the wall bend and the J bend. Myths and old wives’ tales to the contrary, a monkey wrench or smooth-jawed Ford wrench won’t help you here. The proper tool will make all the difference between success and failure.
2. Wiggle the p-trap to loosen the joints. Allow the water to drain into the container.
3. Pull the p-trap J bend free and throw it away.
4. Use a twisting motion and pull the wall bend out of the threaded wall connection.

Installing the new p-trap

1. If you are installing a PVC p-trap, you will use plastic beveled cone gaskets. If the new p-trap is made of metal, you will be using square-cut slip joint gaskets. The two different types of gaskets are not interchangeable.
2. Clean the threads of the wall connection.
3. Inspect the vertical drain extension tubing that comes down from the bottom of the sink. Make sure it is clean, solid, and not corroded.
4. Slide a slip nut and gasket, respectively, on the vertical drain extension pipe, also called a tailpiece.
5. Place a slip nut over the wall bend so that it fits over the preformed seal on the p-trap end.
6. Slide a second slip nut over the wall bend facing the wall connection followed by a gasket.
7. Slip the wall bend inside the wall connection and start the slip nut loosely.
8. Place the J bend over the vertical drain connection and align it with the preformed end of the wall bend.
9. Start the remaining two slip nuts on that connect the vertical drain pipe to the J bend and the wall bend to the other end of the J bend.
10. With one hand, hold the J bend in perfect alignment with the drain extension and tighten that slip nut hand tight.
11. Follow the same procedure with the slip nut that connects the J bend to the wall bend.
12. Using your pliers or wrench, give each slip nut an additional ¼ to ½ turn.
13. Wipe down the drain piping.
14. Turn on the water at the faucet and check your work for leaks.

Tips

If you are installing a metal p-trap, be sure you use brass friction rings between the slip nuts and the gaskets or the joints will leak.

When using pliers to install the new p-trap, be careful not to squeeze the pliers or you will distort the slip nuts and they will seem to have tightened up when, in fact, they are still loose and will leak. Let the pliers jaws do all the work of gripping and turning the slip nuts.

If your PVC p-trap leaks when you test it simply loosen the leaking slip nut slightly, realign that joint, and retighten the slip nut. If it still leaks, remove and replace the beveled gasket with a new one.

Outside drinking fountains are a unique accessory for decks, patios, and even landscaped gardens. They provide an interesting conversation piece, as well as a central focus point for landscaping, flower boxes, flowerbeds, and walkways. Relatively easy to build, especially for do-it-yourselfers, they also make drinking water readily accessible for children at play as well as those wanting to spend some quiet reflective hours in their garden. You can certainly buy freestanding drinking fountains but they are usually quite expensive and one you build yourself lends a quality of artistry and creativity to your garden artwork and landscape. So, here is one freestanding drinking fountain pattern that is easy to build with tools most do-it-yourselfers would have on hand and parts that are usually available through your local hardware store or plumbing company.

Preparation

1. Determine the location for your drinking fountain. Make sure that there is proper drainage at the base of the fountain for splash and overspray.
2. It is best to install the fountain within a short distance of an underground water line. If you are not sure where one is, an underground utilities locator can help you find one.
3. It is easiest to install this fountain on a deck that sits above ground.

Making the fountain

1. Purchase a drinking fountain bubbler from a plumbing company in your area. If they do not have one in stock, they can usually order it through their suppliers.
2. Cut a piece of 3″ copper pipe the length you want your bubbler to extend above the deck. This may vary depending on who you expect to utilize the fountain e.g. children, older adults, teenagers, disabled people, etc.
3. Drill a hole in the end of a 3″ copper cap off to one side of the center of the cap.
4. Install the bubbler in the copper cap. Secure it with a mounting nut from inside the cap.
5. Attach a length of soft copper tubing or plastic tubing to the threaded end of the bubbler inside the copper cap. Make sure it is a watertight connection. Solder the copper tubing in place or use the proper fittings to make a plastic connection.
6. Fashion a base to the 3″ copper pipe. You can use a copper flange, a brass toilet flange soldered in place, or fashion wrought iron feet like the ones shown here. Use your imagination to build a sturdy base that will be fastened to the deck.

   

   A drinking fountain can lend an element of creativity to your deck or landscaping

Installing the fountain

1. Drill a hole through the deck planking for the water line.
2. Feed the water line through the hole and mount the fountain securely to the deck.
3. Once you have located the underground water line, turn the water to it off.
4. Cut the underground water line and install a tee using the appropriate material along with a shutoff valve to the fountain. This shutoff valve should be a ground key stop and waste valve so you can drain water from the fountain piping in the winter and protect it from freezing.
5. Connect the water line from the fountain to the shutoff valve.
6. Turn the water on and check your plumbing connections for leaks.

Tips

You can finish the copper fountain with a chemical that gives it an antique green patina. Then apply a couple of coats of marine or spar varnish to protect the finish.

You can also finish the copper with a few clear coats of lacquer or varnish or you can paint it.

Make sure that all the edges of the fountain are sanded or filed smooth to prevent cuts or scrapes.

Part of traditional springtime cleaning is to tackle that puzzling project, cleaning window blinds. Window blinds are typically metal, plastic, fabric, or wooden horizontal or vertical strips connected together by a continuous string loop. They collect dust and need to be cleaned regularly to prevent grease and dust buildup. There are many suitable ways to clean window blinds. Here are just a few.

Cleaning options

Cleaning blinds need not be a dreaded task. Just follow these simple suggestions

1. Vacuuming the blinds is a good method to use if you vacuum your carpets regularly. Just use the soft brush attachment and move it back and forth gently over each slat. Vacuuming works especially well for fabric blinds.
2. You can use a glove or sock placed over your hand. Simply slide the slats through your fingers one by one. This is a time consuming method as you must clean the dust and dirt from each slat individually. If the blinds are especially dirty and neglected, you may need to use more than one glove or sock. Spray the glove or sock with a good quality dusting product and repeat periodically as you dust.
3. You can remove the blinds from their support brackets, in many cases, and place them in a laundry tray or bathtub. Let them soak for a brief period in warm soapy water. Scrub the slats gently with a soft brush, rinse them well with cool water, and lay them out in the sun to air dry. You can also hang them over a clothesline to dry.
4. Depending on the size of your blinds and the materials they are made from, you may be able to take them outside and rinse them with a garden hose. Be careful that you do not kink or bend the slats or damage the string harness.
5. A good old-fashioned feather duster works well to maintain your blinds in a clean state. You must use one regularly to avoid heavy accumulations of dust and a grimy buildup.
6. Another good regular dusting option is a lamb’s wool duster. You do not need to use a dusting liquid or spray with these because of the natural lanolin content.

Tips

Use extra care in cleaning aluminum blinds. Chemicals or vigorous scrubbing can damage the paint finish on the slats.

Soaking blinds in a tub or sink is a good way to clean them of dust and dirt but the water can damage or rot the string harness. It’s probably best to avoid this method of cleaning blinds that are aging or visibly worn.

You can spot clean fabric blinds after vacuuming by applying a fabric stain remover to the spot or stain. Follow the manufacturer’s directions.

If you remove the blinds for cleaning, be careful in using a stool or stepladder. Make sure it is securely supported or that you have a helper to hold it for you.

Screen door latches are a high wear type of door latch, primarily because they typically are made from light metals like aluminum or pot metal. The latches usually break either in the inside mechanism or at the button or handle. Replacement of the screen door latch is relatively easy but there are some details to attend to in order to ensure that the latch works properly.

Latch removal

Screen door latches take a lot of wear and tear but they're easy to replace

1. Use the door closer tab to block the door open.
2. Remove the screws that hold the latch halves to each side of the screen door.
3. Remove both sections of the latch.
4. Remove the screws that hold the strike to the doorjamb. Keep the shims that may be located underneath the strike plate.

Latch installation

1. Purchase the proper size latch for your screen door. The door thickness is the predominant factor to take into consideration.
2. Clean the door surface where the latch is located. You can use warm water and a mild detergent to remove dirt, grime, and light corrosion. Dry the door thoroughly before installing the new latch.
3. Apply a light coat of machine oil to the new latch mechanism before installing it.
4. Insert the first latch half through the screen door, making sure that the screw mount holes fit through the predrilled holes in the door..
5. Install the second latch half. Ensure that the operating stem fits into the mating part in the outside latch half without binding or sticking.
6. Install the mount screws and tighten them firmly.

Adjusting the door latch

1. Install the new strike that came with the new screen door latch. If the new latch did not come with a strike, reinstall the old one using the original shims. Do not over tighten the strike mount screws or you will strip out the holes in the doorjamb.
2. Allow the door to swing shut and check to see that the latch fully catches the strike and holds the door securely shut.
3. If the catch does not reach the strike, remove the strike and add shims underneath it. Reinstall the strike and allow the door to swing shut again. You may need to add or remove shims until the catch reaches the strike and latches the door securely.
4. In a wooden doorjamb, the strike location may be too low or too high for the new screen door latch. If so, you may need to raise or lower the strike. Using a sharp wood chisel, cut away the correct amount of wood above or below the original strike location and reinstall the strike in the new location. Try the door again and make sure the latch catches the strike properly.

Tips

You may find that you need to readjust the door closer to make the door swing shut and latch properly. Simply turn the adjusting screw in or out to correct the door closing speed. If it swings shut too fast, the door will slam shut; too slow and the door may not latch at all.

Carbon monoxide can kill you. In every home there should be at least one carbon monoxide detector to determine CO levels and alarm the occupants when CO or carbon monoxide reaches a dangerous point. Every fuel-burning appliance gives off carbon monoxide as a byproduct of combustion. In a properly designed and installed ventilation system carbon monoxide gases are expelled to the atmosphere but system components wear out or become damaged allowing carbon monoxide gases to escape. That is where carbon monoxide detectors come in handy. They sense the presence of carbon monoxide gas and activate an alarm.

There are three basic types of carbon monoxide detectors. Biometric, also known as colorimetric detectors operate on the basis of a detected disc color change. Semi-conductor detectors utilize electronic circuitry to detect the presence of carbon monoxide and trigger an alarm. Safe Air Sentry detectors utilize a chemical process for detection. They are the most efficient but they are also typically very expensive. Carbon monoxide detectors operate with batteries or can be plugged into a wall outlet. There are also hard-wired models with a battery back up. The best bet for carbon monoxide detectors are the combination smoke and carbon monoxide detectors.

Location

Combination smoke and carbon monoxide detectors are the best bet for performance and efficiency

1. Carbon monoxide has a specific gravity of .9667 and thus is lighter than air, which has a specific gravity of 1 so carbon monoxide will rise to the ceiling.
2. So, the most appropriate location for carbon monoxide detectors is near or on the ceiling and close to sleeping areas or bedrooms.
3. Avoid mounting carbon monoxide detectors near the floor, near or above boilers, furnaces, gas-fired hot water heaters, cooking stoves, freestanding heaters or fireplaces, or within fifteen feet of any cooking or fuel-burning appliance.

Installation

1. If you have purchased a battery operated carbon monoxide detector, you can mount it anyplace that is near a sleeping area. Simply mark the location of the mount bracket, drill two holes and attach the mount bracket to the surface with the supplied screws. If mounting the detector to sheetrock without using wall studs, insert hollow wall anchors through the holes in the sheetrock and drive the mount screws into them.
2. Wall outlet detectors simply need to be plugged into a wall outlet. They typically recalibrate themselves automatically.
3. Hard-wired detectors will be mounted to a surface such as a ceiling and connected to a dedicated electrical circuit that originates at the electrical panel.
4. You will need to run two conductors and a ground from the electrical panel either through the attic or under the floor and route them up to the detector location. Connect one end of one conductor to a circuit breaker in the electrical panel. The second conductor, usually a white one, will be connected to the neutral buss bar in the panel. Connect the ground to the ground bar in the panel.
5. At the detector location, connect the conductors to the matching leads in the detector with wire nuts or by utilizing the terminals in the detector itself. Be sure to connect the ground in the detector.
6. Turn the power on at the electrical panel and test the carbon monoxide detector with a test kit to ensure it is hooked up properly and functions as designed.

Tips

Maintain your detector in accordance with the manufacturer’s instructions. Most detectors need to be replaced at least every five years, if not more frequently.

Change the batteries in your detector at least twice a year.

Some say to change the sensor in your detector annually. It may be a better solution to simply change the carbon monoxide detector regularly instead.

Be sure to test your detector regularly to ensure that it is functioning properly.

Aluminum siding is a popular choice for homes because of its low maintenance and relatively low cost. Like every siding choice, however, aluminum siding has its disadvantages. Primarily, it can be easily scratched and dented because it is so soft. Aluminum in its pure manufactured state is too soft to use for things like siding so it is combined with other metals and used as an alloy in manufacturing aluminum siding. Nevertheless, it is still a very soft material. Fortunately, aluminum siding is relatively uncomplicated to repair. If your siding has nicks, dings, dents, or scratches from errant baseballs, rocks, hailstones, or shrubbery that is too close to the house, follow these easy steps to repair those damaged areas and restore your aluminum siding to like new condition.

Preparation

Aluminum makes an excellent choice for long lasting low maintenance siding

1. Clean your siding thoroughly. A pressure washer works best for this. Do not get the end of the pressure washer wand too close to the siding or you can damage it.
2. Let the siding dry thoroughly.

Repair the siding

1. If the damage is on the lower edge of a siding panel or in the part of the panel that is “to the weather”, scribe a line on either side of the damaged area and along the top of that same area to form a rectangle or square.
2. Using a metal straightedge as a guide, cut along the lines with a sharp razor knife.
3. You can also use a power tool like the zip tool or roto-cutter. Set the bit or blade of any power tool to cut very shallow so you do not cut into the sheathing underneath the siding.
4. Remove the damaged piece of aluminum siding.
5. Cut a piece of new siding the same shape as the damaged one and approximately 2″ to 3″ larger all the way around.
6. Cut the nailing flange away from the top edge of the new piece of siding.
7. Apply a good quality silicone or polybutylene caulking compound to the edges of the siding adjacent to where the damaged area was removed.
8. Lay the repair piece into the wet caulking compound and push upward until the bottom of the new piece snaps into the bottom edge of the existing siding panel.
9. Press the new piece firmly into the caulking.
10. Clean all the excess caulking compound with the appropriate solvent.

Tips

You can use duct tape to hold the repair in place until the caulking cures. You can also brace something like a two by four against the repair to help hold it if it is close enough to the ground.

After the caulking compound has cured properly, you can apply a good quality primer designed for use on aluminum and cover that with one or two coats of acrylic paint. Make sure the coats are thinned well for proper adhesion and long wear.

If the damage is small, you can simply pull the dents out with small screws, then fill the holes with auto body filler, sand them smooth, and touch up the paint as described above.

Stucco is an old style of siding that is still popular in many parts of the country. Its make-up has changed substantially over the years, however, and this is what complicates patches and repairs. Until the advent of the twentieth century, stucco consisted of a wide variety of natural ingredients depending on the skill and expertise of the plasterer. After the dawn of the twentieth century, plasterers began to use more and more manufactured materials in stucco. Today, stucco is primarily a mix of Portland cement, builders sand, and water. If your home is an older one with a stucco exterior finish, you may need to conduct tests to determine the make-up of the stucco. Hydrochloric or muriatic acid will dissolve lime, for example, where it will not affect stucco made from Portland cement. Once you have determined what the components of your stucco are, you can proceed to make the necessary repairs. Moisture is the major culprit in causing damage to your stucco. Water seepage from the roof or splashing up from the ground gets underneath the stucco-usually through hairline cracks, seams, and joints-and causes bulges, splits, cracks, and holes to develop.

Preparation

Stucco makes a beautiful siding product but it requires careful maintenance.

1. Determine if the damaged area is a vertical crack or a horizontal one. Vertical cracks around chimneys, doors, windows, parapets, and other architectural penetrations may well indicate a problem with the foundation.
2. For repairing small cracks and holes, clean the damaged area thoroughly. Remove any loose stucco.
3. Cut the edges of the damaged area on a slight bevel toward the house with a sharp chisel.

Repairs

1. Inspect the substrate and determine its soundness.
2. If necessary, replace any loose or broken wood lath.
3. Install a piece of tarpaper in the base of the damaged area for waterproofing.
4. You can also use a piece of expanded metal if the original stucco used that as a base.
5. Wet the surfaces of the existing stucco and keep them wet while applying the new stucco mix.
6. Apply a 3/8″ layer of stucco in the damaged area pressing it into the underlayment or substrate.
7. Scratch grooves in the surface of the first layer to provide a key for the second.
8. Let the first layer dry thoroughly for at least one day.
9. Apply a second layer of stucco mix about the same thickness as the first, scratch it, and let it dry.
10. Apply a thinner finish coat of stucco.
11. Texture the finish coat with a soft bristle brush to match the original.

Tips

Do not attempt to repair stucco in warm weather. Wait for a cloudy cool day.

You can buy stucco repair products or mix your own from one part Portland cement, four parts builder’s sand, and water. Do not make the mix too runny.

Keep the stucco wet during the period of repairs.

You can use a masonry caulk product to repair small hairline cracks but usually the repair will show to one degree or another.

Do not repair a lime stucco mix with a Portland cement one. They have different shrinkage rates and will develop new cracks and damage over time.

Consult a professional for help in matching finishes and colors. The older the home, the more necessary this may become.