Had to choose between lime mortar and type N for an old house repair

I was working on a 1920s brick foundation in Portland and couldn't decide between lime mortar and type N because the homeowner wanted it to last but the old bricks are super soft. I went with lime mortar after a local mason warned me type N would crack the bricks over time, and so far the wall is curing nice and slow. Has anyone else had to pick a mortar type for an older house and regret going one way or the other?

2 comments

2 Comments

ivancoleman16d ago

Funny you mention Portland because the local weather there changes everything. Lime mortar actually breathes way better than type N in that damp climate, so you probably saved those soft bricks from spalling in five years when they trap moisture behind hard cement. A buddy in Seattle did the opposite on his 1910 craftsman and now he's chiseling out all the cracked joints every spring. The slow cure time with lime is annoying but worth it for foundations that see constant rain. Did you add any local sand to match the old stuff or just go with straight lime putty?

lilyt9016d ago

Local sand is key, @ivancoleman. It's like using the same gravel in a driveway base as the granite countertop in your kitchen, just makes everything settle better. Actually ran into a guy restoring a Victorian downtown who mixed in crushed brick from the original demolition, and the whole wall feels more stable than my modern concrete block shed. Funny how we think newer materials are always better until the old stuff outlasts them.