The benefits of lime mortar
If your house was built before 1910 it was constructed with lime mortar. The people who designed and built your house knew what they were doing. Since then double glazing, central heating and cement repointing have all been introduced. Cement repointing (visible on over 90% of houses in the Peak District) is damaging and destructive to the fabric and the look of the building. Luckily, it’s a problem that can easily be solved.
Cement mortar (the stuff between the stones) blocks the movement of moisture within the walls. This causes a build up of dampness in the building which leads to decay and dampness in the stonework and mould on internal surfaces. Cement pointing seals the house, preventing it from breathing. To make matters worse, cement pointing is often applied lazily, with no thought given to the aesthetics of the building.
If the cement is removed and replaced with lime mortar the house will cope far better with rain, moisture from the ground and the activities of day-to-day living. Lime allows the moisture to evaporate and the house to breathe - as originally intended.
Lime mortar's ability to cope with movement within the building is a fundamental part of the design of the property. If cement is used as a pointing mortar on a building originally constructed with lime mortar, it will be incapable of moving in harmony with the rest of the structure. This will cause stress and cracking in the walls.
Lime mortar is eco-friendly, the manufacturing process produces less carbon dioxide than ordinary cement. It also re-absorbs carbon dioxide during its lifetime lowering its carbon footprint further.
Lime mortar looks much better than cement pointing. Its natural, subtle colours and the blend with the surrounding stone significantly improves the appearance of the walls.
If your home suffers from damp, cracking or timber decay, please consider that many of these problems are easily solved by allowing the building to function as it was originally designed to, by the replacement of cement pointing with lime mortar.
When should you consider lime mortar repointing?
If your stonework or pointing bears any resemblance to these images then we can help. Examples like these can be found on around 90% of stone built houses. Click on each picture for a brief description.
Decaying stonework with patches of cement to hide the worst parts.
A common sight especially in the lower third of a wall.
The use of cement was inappropriate here. Movement in the foundations resulted in the cement falling out.
This is very common and ugly, effectively sealing the joints, preventing the building from breathing.
The cement smothers the 5mm joint
The bricks decay as moisture is forced through the brick rather than the impervious cement joints
The stonework is already suffering from the effects of trapped moisture
Done by someowho didn't know or care what they were doing.
The lip traps moisture encouraging decay
The joints beneath 25mm of strap pointing are 5mm. Visually unappealing.
Older cement pointing has caused these stones to lose their outer faces.
The use of cement pointing trapped moisture in the stones, and their front faces blew off
The old cement has been mixed badly and is in need of replacement.
This is ugly and very common.
It's easy to find shoddy work done by people after a quick buck.
Badly applied cement compounds the problems here - ugly as well as useless.
A 17th century house wall, sealed tight by cement.
Not only ugly, but it traps moisture in the walls.
The damage is pretty clear.
Cement has been laid over the original lime mortar in this picture, with obvious negative conseqences for the cement, the stone and the house.
About Stone & Mortar
We chose Stone & Mortar as the name for our business. We wanted the name to reflect exactly what we are interested in, and what we do best. We concentrate on one thing – lime mortar. As explained elsewhere on this site, lime mortar is a material that has been around for a long time, from the pyramids of Ancient Egypt to the modern day. Despite being used for millennia, its benefits are only now being fully understood from a scientific perspective, and it is gaining in popularity as a consequence. Put simply, we replace the mortar between the bricks and stones of your home, outbuildings and garden walls. In doing so, the structures can breathe again, damp is eliminated and the look of the building can be restored as close to its original beauty as possible. Google and YouTube have many independent references to support the value of lime mortar.
We enjoy the slow and steady nature of this work. Lime mortar pointing is no quick fix – it takes time, skill and knowledge. A south facing, exposed wall is more of a challenge than a sheltered north facing one; big joints take more time to get right and really narrow ones can be a real pain. Much depends on the weather and the peculiarities of each stone, and the buildings themselves. Restoring your building with lime mortar is a worthwhile investment in time and money for both practical and aesthetic reasons.
We are proud of the work we do. We enjoy witnessing the transformation that a building undergoes when horrible old cement and crumbing mortar is replaced by a traditional, attractive and long lasting lime mortar, and we hope that you will too.
When each job is finished, we like to place a fossilized ammonite into the mortar - this is our personal calling card. It is also a nod to the source of our lime (from the fossil rich east coast where the ammonite comes from) and also an indication of the confidence we have in our work standing the test of time.
Stone & Mortar gave me a great quote for repointing the front of my house. The whole process was professional, with attention to detail, great communication and an excellent finished job. It saved the small fortune it would have cost for an ineffective damp proof course, and there is noticeable less damp in the property. Highly recommended!
Dave P, Glossop
How much will it cost?
Discounts given for brews & biscuits
With Stone & Mortar you'll know exactly how much the job will cost from the outset. We charge based on the physical size of the job in square metres (or square feet if you prefer). People who charge by the day are trying it on - we prefer to be straight when it comes to money. The price includes everything with the exception of scaffolding.
Scaffolding is provided at cost via an independent contractor. We have our favourite, but if you wish to organise your own scaffolding please do.
Discounts are available if you're likely to provide brews & biscuits during the day, and depending on how excited we are about the job.
Send me a message...
When you're in need of a dependable & experienced lime mortar specialist this is the best place to start.
Phone:
07950 88 96 70