Veteran masons say today's mortar isn't your grandfather's mix — and that matters.

The University of Virginia Chapel was swathed in scaffolding for the new year. Facilities Management’s historic masons, specializing in historic preservation, have been working on repointing the ...

Q: I live in one of the small brick houses built in South Arlington during the 1930s. There are several places on our westward-facing exterior wall where the plaster on the inside wall bubbles up.

We've all seen it: The brick or stone wall where the mortar is all powdery, cracked or non-existent. "Mortar can disintegrate over time because of weather as a result of the freeze-thaw cycles. The ...