Tried lime mortar on a 1900s row house repoint in Baltimore and instantly regretted not using type N

Lime mortar is a nightmare to work with in cold weather, took me 3 times longer to set and it still crumbled in a spot. Has anyone else switched back to modern mix for historical jobs just to save your hands?

2 comments

2 Comments

josephf109d ago

1907 house with original soft brick here, the lime mortar actually saved me from replacing a dozen busted bricks that would've cracked with type N. I'd rather deal with slow curing than chase down period replacements.

diana_bell748d agoTop Commenter

Wait, you actually had soft brick that didn't turn to dust the second you looked at it wrong? Because I've seen that stuff crumble if you sneeze near it. My buddy's 1910 place had a whole corner collapse after a storm and the mason said the lime was the only thing holding it together. But you're telling me you had bricks that were actually salvageable? I've been told for years that anything from that era is basically a lost cause if you touch it. That's wild, man. I've seen new guys try to put modern cement on old brick and the results are always a disaster.