The history of Lime Mortar
The History of Lime Putty as a base ingredient for mortar and plaster can be traced back beyond the middle ages and roman times to the ancient Egyptians, some 6000 years ago when it was a standard building material, including in the build of the great pyramids (and those structures are still standing today!). A Great testament to the durability of this amazing material.
In contrast, the more popular alternative today (Portland cement) has a recognised life of 100 years, which is obviously a lot less than Lime putty based mortars.
Lime Mortar in todays building methods
Lime Putty is most common today in the decoration and repair of traditional and historic buildings, particularly so where any restoration or maintenance work needs to be in keeping with the construction materials and methodology employed during the era it was constructed in.
This is primarily to preserve and replicate the integrity of the structure as well as ensuring the materials in the build remain compatible.
For example, Stratacote has provided lime putty to be used in the rebuild and repair of several historic structures in Canterbury since the Christchurch earthquakes, such as the sign of the Takahe and numerous other buildings where a slaked lime and sand mix was used as the bonding material.
Lime mortar is a very flexible and breathable bonder which makes it ideal in situations with large seasonal fluctuations and earthquake prone areas where flexibility in building materials is desirable.
Check out the Slaked Lime Page here: https://www.stratacote.co.nz/p...
If you have a historical building restoration project or would like to know how to use this proven building material in your new build, feel free to reach out to us today!
P: 021 228 4436