Watch out for that old lime mortar on heritage jobs

Got a call last week to repoint a 1920s brick wall in the historic district. The homeowner said it was a simple job, maybe two days. I showed up, mixed my usual modern mortar, and started chipping out the old stuff. That's when the trouble started. The original mortar was a soft lime mix, and my harder cement-based mortar started cracking within hours as the old bricks moved. I had to stop everything, research proper lime mortar mixes, source the right hydrated lime, and redo the entire section. What was quoted as a 16-hour job turned into a full 80-hour week of work and learning. Has anyone else been caught out by not checking the mortar type on older buildings first?

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3 Comments

riley_garcia5mo ago

Holy crap, you didn't check the mortar first? That's brutal.

2

rivershah2mo ago

Nah, you can usually tell by looking at it if the mortar's shot.

4

ramirez.caleb5mo ago

Yeah, that's a rough lesson to learn the hard way. Honestly though, checking the mortar first isn't always so simple on a quote visit. You can't always just start chipping at a client's historic wall before you have the job. Sometimes you only see the real problem once you're in it.

1