Hi Mark,

You are quite correct and I should not have said that the old ways are the best but sometimes old ways do have a better track record than new methods simply because they have stood the test of time. We are now paying a very heavy price here in the UK for the liberal application of Portland cement renders and mortars by the Victorians upon some of our oldest buildings. Attempts at undoing this work can result in serious damage to underlying fabric (brick & timber) and thus oft times it is just left in place knowing quite well that any underlying damage and decay is proceeding apace - undetected.

I am sure that some new things must be better than old. People talk about "keeping up with the times" and hence it might appear that the old ways are somehow valued less than new when with the passage of a little more time this might not actually be the case.

Regards

Ken Hume