01/07/2026
The next project is well under way this week 🔨
A full house repoint using a beautiful non hydraulic quicklime mortar 🙌
Why use non hydraulic quicklime mortar on older homes and buildings?
Breathability … It allows trapped moisture to escape freely.
Flexibility … It moves naturally without cracking historic bricks.
Sacrificial nature … It absorbs decay to protect older masonry.
Softness … It matches the strength of original soft bricks.
Authenticity … It preserves the historical integrity of older homes.
In more detail …
1. Exceptional Breathability
Traditional solid-walled buildings do not have modern damp-proof courses or cavity walls. They rely on the masonry network to absorb and release moisture. Non-hydraulic lime mortar is highly porous. It acts like a sponge, drawing water out of the walls and letting it evaporate safely into the air. Cement traps this water, causing damp, mold, and rot inside the home.
2. Structural Flexibility
Older buildings are typically constructed on shallow foundations. They move, settle, and flex with seasonal temperature changes. Non-hydraulic lime is flexible and self-healing; it can accommodate minor structural movements without cracking. Modern cement is completely rigid. When a cement-pointed building moves, the stress causes the surrounding bricks to crack instead of the mortar.
3. Protection of Original Masonry (Sacrificial Action)
In conservation, the mortar should always be softer and more porous than the surrounding stone or brick. This makes the mortar "sacrificial." Soluble salts and freeze-thaw moisture cycles will attack the mortar joint rather than the historic brick. It is cheap and easy to repoint a lime joint every few decades. It is incredibly expensive to replace eroded, spalling historic bricks.
4. Material Compatibility
Pre-industrial bricks and stones were fired at lower temperatures, making them much softer than modern building materials. Non-hydraulic quicklime mortar provides a perfect low-strength match. Using a hard, dense modern cement mortar against soft historic brick forces moisture to exit through the face of the brick, causing the brick surface to crumble away over time.
5. Eco-Friendly and Authentic
Non-hydraulic lime re-absorbs carbon dioxide from the atmosphere as it cures over time, lowering its overall carbon footprint. It also matches the original aesthetic, color, and texture of historic construction, preserving the visual character and monetary value of the property.
