Traditional lime mortars are used to ensure historic masonry fabric is restored and preserved to the original quality and state.
Over the years many properties have suffered from the effects of impervious cement repointing. Portland cement prevents walls from breathing and does not allow for moisture to escape, causing many problems.
Lime Pointing Before And After
Stone deteriorates through the action of moisture and affects of frost. Stone naturally absorbs water which then dries out – a process generally referred to as “breathing”.
The use of cement mortar can prevent this breathing process, leading to damage in many ways. Cement pointing traps in the moisture, which through the action of frost and the concentration of salts accelerates the decay of the masonry.
Many older stone buildings, or those incorporating cob or timber, shift and move subtly over time or with the seasons.
Sand and cement mortars set much harder than the historic fabric and have little inherent flexibility. When they are used to repair original walls, natural movement can cause cracks through the much softer masonry rather than the mortar joints, whereas soft, durable, and breathable lime mortars, however, will move flexibly with other materials, and have self-healing properties.
All of these problems shown can be rectified by the removal of the cement mortar and repointing with lime. Any stones or bricks that are too damaged can be chopped out and replaced.
Wedding Venue
The beautiful venue was repointed using Unity Lime’s hot-lime mortar and natural hydraulic lime products.
More Before And After Shots
This stone built field wall was re-built and repointed using Unity Lime’s hot-lime mortar and natural hydraulic lime products.
Before & after: cement pointing removed and repointed with traditional lime mortar
Large section of stone walling repaired using traditional lime mortar
Using Lime with Insulation Boards
We can see in this instance how Unity Lime recommended solutions to solve significant damp problems using woodfibre insulation and lime plaster. The full system is supplied by Unity Lime, more information can be found on our website.
A Hidden Treasure
A well discovered in a garden of a property was re-built and repointed using hot lime mortar, including a new working pump and stone flower bed.
Finished Projects
Traditional Limes were used to help create this stunning look to this kitchen
This Grade II Listed property required the rear and gables to be repointed. The main problem on this property was the extensive amount of cement repointing that had been carried out, this is often the main cause of moisture problems in period buildings. Samples of the existing lime were taken so Unity Lime could carry out mortar analysis, and establish the most appropriate match. The cement pointing was then raked out and repointed with our traditional Cumbrian hot lime mortar. The final image shows the original stonework once the work had been completed.
Property refurbed which was covered in ivy before, which had been there for years. This was all cleaned off and repointed using a traditional lime mortar supplied by Unity Lime