Tried lime mortar for a repoint on an old church last month and it's way easier to work with than standard Type N

The stuff stays workable for like 45 minutes longer and you don't have to fight it drying out before you can tool the joints, has anyone else switched over for historic stuff?

2 comments

2 Comments

thomas.piper28d ago

Used to be one of those guys who swore by Type N for everything, said lime mortar was too soft and not worth the trouble. Tried it on a 1800s farmhouse foundation last spring just to shut up the historic preservation guy and man was I wrong. The working time is night and day different, you can actually breath while you're pointing instead of rushing like a madman before the mortar stiffens up. Plus it lets the old bricks move a little without cracking which makes a ton of sense when you think about how those old walls were built. I'm a convert now for any job on a building built before 1900, no question about it.

jade22628d ago

Heard this exact same thing from my buddy who does stonework, he just finished a row house in Philly and swore he'd never go back to modern mortar on old brick after trying like mortar. @thomas.piper put it better than I ever could, the working time alone is worth it.