Unpopular opinion: I thought lime mortar was just for old buildings until last month

Three years ago on a job in Savannah, I saw a guy repointing with it and thought it was a waste of time. Last month, I had to fix a wall on my own house that kept cracking with modern cement mix. A supplier in Atlanta told me to try a lime mortar for its flexibility, so I mixed a small batch. The wall hasn't moved a bit since, and the color match is perfect. What's the oldest building you've worked on that needed lime?

3 comments

3 Comments

rodriguez.cora2mo ago

Heard lime lets old brick breathe, which is why it lasts.

wendygarcia2mo ago

Remember my buddy who used modern mortar on his 1900s chimney? That thing crumbled in two winters.

the_reese8d ago

My uncle had the same thing happen to his place up in Vermont. He used regular Portland cement on a fieldstone foundation from the 1870s. Three years later he had to tear out half the wall and start over. The old brick and stone need to be able to dry out, and modern mortar is just too hard and stiff. It traps moisture inside and then the freeze-thaw cycle does the rest. It makes you wonder why they changed something that worked for over a hundred years.