Lime mortar mix can be used for a variety of purposes.  The most common use is to use lime as a bonding agent to cement bricks or stones.  In this case, lime is mixed with an aggregate (like sand) and water at a 1-part lime: 3-parts aggregate ratio.

Lime mortar mix is also used in masonry construction where the stone or brick is laid on a bed of mortar so that the joints between the brick or stone are filled with mortar.  With lime mortar, the walls will be able to “breathe” which means that air and moisture can pass through the walls, helping to prevent damp.

There are three types of lime that are mainly used for building work: NHL 2, NHL 3.5 and NHL 5. All three types can either be bought pre-mixed or you can mix yourself using hydrated lime and sand (also known as sharp sand).

If you want to make your own lime mortar mix, you need to make sure that you have the right type of lime for your needs, and that the sand has the right grading.  The NHL 2 is commonly used for internal plastering and pointing that does not come into contact with water or rainwater

Lime mortar mix is an old building technique that uses a lime and sand mixture to hold bricks in place.  It’s been around for centuries and is still going strong today.  There are many advantages to using lime mortar mix over cement.  For one, it is much more durable and has been known to last up to 400 years in some cases.  Cement can not make the same claim, as it only lasts a fraction of the time that lime mortar mix does.

Lime mortar mix also allows moisture inside your walls to evaporate instead of trapping it in like cement would.  This means that there will not be any water damage to your bricks and foundation over time.

Another advantage that lime mortar mix has over cement is that it takes much less energy to produce than cement does.  Because of this, you will be helping the environment by utilizing lime mortar mix instead of cement.

The other day I was looking for a lime mortar mix, just to see what it was all about.  I had never heard of it before and I was curious.  I found some good information at this site: http://www.limecreterevival.com/lime-mortar-mix/.  This is the description of lime mortar mix from their website, “Lime mortar is a type of hydraulic lime that has been mixed with sand and water, to form a mortar. It has been used since the days of the Romans and there are many old buildings today that have been built using this particular type of mortar.”

I have always been interested in how things were made back then, so this was something new for me to learn about.  The great thing about being on the internet is that you can find just about anything you want if you look hard enough for it.  I am no different than anyone else in that respect.  If I want to search for something on the internet, I will do what everyone else does and Google it.

So here’s my question: Do you use lime mortar?  What do you think about it?  Are there disadvantages to using this material?  What do you think about cost?

Lime mortar mix is a traditional mortar that has been used as building material for thousands of years.  It is made from calcined limestone that is mixed with water to form lime putty.  This lime putty can then be mixed with sand and other materials to form different types of mortar.  Mortar is the binder between bricks, blocks and stones; it holds them together in a wall.  There are two main types of lime mortar, fat lime and hydraulic lime.  

Fat lime is quick setting and weak, but needs no heat to set. Hydraulic lime sets slowly but produces strong mortar.  Hydraulic limes are usually classified by their strength when first set and their strength after 28 days. Hydraulic limes are often called natural cements because they were the original cements used in the 18th Century before Portland Cement was introduced in 1824.

Fat lime mortars are softer than cement mortars meaning that they allow the structure to breathe; they are also more vapour permeable than cement mortars meaning that they dry out faster which reduces dampness problems such as efflorescence and salt leaching. Lime mortars have better workability than cement mortars meaning that they can be

We use a lot of lime mortar.  It is an important part of the historic buildings that we see all around us.  It was used in this country for thousands of years, and just about every building you see is constructed with it, even though a lot of it may be hidden away, under pointing or plaster for example.

The main difference between lime mortar and the more modern stuff we normally use today is the way it hardens.  Lime mortar hardens by absorbing carbon dioxide from the air, so it needs to be exposed to the air to do this.  This means that if you cover up some recently laid lime mortar with plastic sheeting while it is drying out, you will end up with a pile of sludge that won’t harden properly.  In this case it will still harden but it will take ages and could take many years before it is as hard as it should be.

Modern cement based mortars will not suffer in the same way because they don’t need to absorb carbon dioxide from the air to harden.  They rely on water instead, so if they are covered while they are drying they will set fine and remain stable.

Lime mortar is composed of lime and an aggregate such as sand, mixed with water. The Ancient Egyptians were the first to use lime mortars. About 6,000 years ago, they used lime to plaster the pyramids at Giza. In addition, the Egyptians also incorporated various limes into their religious temples as well as their homes. Indian traditional structures built with lime mortar are more than 4000 years old. Lime mortars were also used in Greece, Crete, and Syria.[1]

The benefits of using a lime mortar include elasticity and lower tensile strength than that of cement mortar, which allows for the building to flex during earthquake activity.[2]  Lime mortar is not as strong as cement or other types of mortar. However, it has been shown that under certain conditions, lime mortars can last longer than modern cement mortars.[3]

Lime putty can be used as a binding medium for fresco painting because it is inert and will not alter the pigment of the paint once dried. The process involves applying thin layers of color while the plaster is still wet.[4]