ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Friday, September 20, 1996 TAG: 9609200087
SECTION: FALL HOME & LANDSCAPE PAGE: 6 EDITION: METRO
At the L.K. Steadman house on Cassell Lane in Roanoke, all it took was a little sandblasting to spruce up the entry.
When the house was built, the brickwork around the doorway had been painted white to match the door trim and the four square columns that support the porch roof. Steadman thought it made too glaring a contrast against the beige mortar that was used to lay the brick.
Steadman never liked the look of it, but was dissuaded from removing the paint by contractors, who said it couldn't be done without damaging the 45-year-old-mortar.
"No one was sure it would come off," Steadman said.
Finally, a contractor agreed to do the job at a cost of several hundred dollars. Sure enough, the mortar was damaged.
When they were uncovered, the bricks around the door turned out to be very porous and of lower quality than those used in the rest of the house. But after the mortar was repaired, Steadman was pleased with the effect.
The next step, Steadman said, will be to repaint the woodwork to match the new mortar.
LENGTH: Short : 33 lines ILLUSTRATION: PHOTO: 1. & 2. ROGER HART STAFF The brick surrounding theby CNBentry to the L.K. Steadman home was painted white by a previous
owner to match the door trim and columns. Steadman had the brick
sandblasted to remove the paint and match the mortar.