Conserving Buildings: Guide to Techniques and Materials, Revised Edition [Paperback]

Martin E. Weaver (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0471509442 | ISBN-13: 978-0471509448 | Publication Date: January 22, 1997 | Edition: Revised Edition

The updated paperback edition of Weaver's landmark work--the essential manual on materials and procedures for restoring buildings

Conserving Buildings, Revised Edition, is the ideal resource for anyone involved in the maintenance, restoration, or rehabilitation of historic buildings. The book combines practical information on the characteristics, composition, and deterioration of building materials with detailed coverage of state-of-the-art conservation methods, fully updated in this edition with current developments in research and practice.

The book contains:
* Systematic treatment of all major building materials--stone, ceramics, masonry, cement-based materials, metal, glass, synthetic resins, and polymers
* Valuable instruction on the restoration and renewal of foundations and footings, slate roofing systems, materials, and other structural details
* Easy-to-follow procedures for conducting structural building surveys
* Over 150 photographs and line drawings, plus case studies from Columbia University's acclaimed Center for Preservation Research
* Newly expanded references, with accessible sources of further information


Whether used as a hands-on sourcebook or a technical desktop reference, Conserving Buildings, Revised Edition, is the manual of choice for architects, engineers, preservation professionals, historic building owners, and students.

Editorial Reviews

From the Publisher

Offers coverage pertaining to historic buildings along with the deterioration and conservation of all major building materials such as stone, ceramics, masonry, metals, paints, cement-based materials metal, glass, synthetic resins and polymers. Each chapter explains the characteristics of material, various forms of deterioration and a review of appropriate conservation techniques. Features information on using temperature and humidity to conserve materials and how to protect them against acid rain, earthquakes, fire, birds and other natural hazards. Also includes numerous photographs and illustrations.

From the Inside Flap

Reflecting Martin Weaver’s nearly 30 years of experience in the field, Conserving Buildings provides uniquely detailed insight into the technology involved in the conservation of historic and modern materials and structures, particularly as it is represented in North America. Packed with 350 photographs and line drawings and illustrative case studies, this comprehensive new work focuses on a wide range of major building materials—from wood, stone, and ceramics, through cement-based materials and metalwork, to paints, coatings, glass and wallpapers. Each chapter covers a particular material, systematically describing the material’s physical and chemical characteristics, the various forms of deterioration common to it, and the application of effective conservation methods. Among other benefits, professionals involved in the conservation effort learn how to use temperature and humidity control to preserve materials and how to protect materials against a host of natural enemies, including earthquakes, acid rain, and fire. Conserving Buildings first offers overviews of building materials and systems, covering the nature of materials, their manufacture and processing, and methods of examining and testing those materials. The next several chapters then examine the deterioration and conservation of such materials as:

• wood types and species: physical, mechanical, and chemical deterioration of wood; the biodeterioration of wood as a result of molds, bacteria, and insects; and wood preservatives
• igneous, sedimentary, and metamorphic rocks: their deterioration and durability in various environments; stone cleaning and repair; coatings and water repellants; the options of conservation or replacement
• architectural ceramics: brick and terracotta, clays, fillers, fluxes, slips, and glazes; the use of attachment, reinforcement, or suspension systems
• cementitious materials: mortar, lime, and gypsum; natural cements; Portland and Roman cements; pozzolanic cements and admixtures; plasters and stuccos
• architectural metalwork: iron and steel; copper, bronze, and other copper alloys
• paints and coatings: vehicles, binders, solvents, pigments, extenders; water and oil-based systems; natural and synthetic oils and resins; varnishes and lacquers (contributed by Frank G. Matero)
• architectural glass: plain window glass; cylinder or muff glass; bevelled glass; engraved and sandblasted glass; glazing systems

In addition, Conserving Buildings highlights myriad techniques for cleaning all types of masonry, and provides methods for restoring old foundations and footings, historic wallpapers, old slate roofs, as well as today’s synthetic resins and polymers. In many instances, coverage of state-of-the-art conservation techniques is enhanced by relevant case histories drawn from the prestigious Center for Preservation Research at Columbia University. Vivid testimony to the rapid progress in the science of building conservation since the early 1970s, Conserving Buildings is an essential reference for architects, engineers, builders, preservationists, and materials manufacturers. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 288 pages
• Publisher: Wiley; Revised Edition edition (January 22, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0471509442
• ISBN-13: 978-0471509448
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 0.7 x 10.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.5 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #205,917 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Complete technical reference, November 6, 2002

By 

misterbeets "misterbeets" (Safe Harbor, MD USA) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Conserving Buildings: Guide to Techniques and Materials, Revised Edition (Paperback)

I bought this to learn more about building materials--wood, stone, concrete, metals--and was not disappointed. Each chapter begins with a summary that's authoritative but friendly. And interesting. You'll learn, for example, that the trick to making a hydraulic cement is to add some siliceous mineral to the limestone before firing in a kiln. The Romans used volcanic rock; modern Portland cement producers find it in certain clays. You'll realize none of these materials can stand up to water, which eventually returns them to their more chemically stable states, changing concrete into limestone, smelted metals back to ores (rust), and turning wood into food for other living things.

What follows the introductory discussion is probably too technical for non-professionals--references to ASTM standards, specifications for water jet delivery in gallons per minute and PSI when cleaning stone, and tips for making your own epoxy using bulk chemicals, complete with Dow Chemical part numbers.

I was a little disappointed by the presentation--B/W photos by the author and very basic drawings--but I suppose that's all that's needed for a book like this.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Conserving Buildings, May 4, 2009

By 

J. Lindner (Gem Lake, MN United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Conserving Buildings: Guide to Techniques and Materials, Revised Edition (Paperback)

This book tells you how best to conserve either historic buildings or modern buildings. It shows how insects may be a problem, how pollution can affect buildings, and then goes on to explain how best to approach various restoration issues. The book covers plaster and concrete, architectural metals, and brickwork, to name a few. In a way it is like what you might hear on This Old House or some other renovation television program.

There may be a limited target audience for a book like this, but having it on the bookshelf of the Facilities Manager may be a wise investment.

1.0 out of 5 stars Did not ship promptly, January 2, 2011

By 

DISAPPOINTED - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Conserving Buildings: Guide to Techniques and Materials, Revised Edition (Paperback)

After 23 days, I have still not received the book I ordered. I even emailed the seller after day 23 to find out when I would receive it and was told to wait another week and a half. Would not recommend this seller.