I would be interested to know how to identify old lime pointing against old sand and cement pointing.
Sand cement mixes such as 5:1 can be fairly buff coloured taking on the colour of the sand. Similarly Lime when mixed with say concreting sand and perhaps some natural colourants such as brick dust or iron oxide can also achieve a buff colour. I believe they also used subsoil’s with lime to achieve the right shade.
Sand cement mixes are obviously firmer than lime mixes in their early life even weak 5:1 or 6:1 mixes will be stronger than lime initially but I understand that lime will also have a similar firmness once it has fully carbonated over many years.
I often look at old brick walls or buildings and ask myself is that Lime or is that cement? Particularly those from the late 19th century or early 20th century.
Some walls even have different shades of pointing due to repairs carried out in the distant past but I'm never sure if this is two different mixes of lime or a lime mix against a cement mix. Unfortunately many of these walls are too high or inaccessible to allow close examination even if I new what I was looking at.
Identifying lime pointing against cement pointing is obviously very important to people proposing to buy a period property. Can anybody share their wisdom on this please and tell us how to tell the difference from a distance if possible?
Sand cement mixes such as 5:1 can be fairly buff coloured taking on the colour of the sand. Similarly Lime when mixed with say concreting sand and perhaps some natural colourants such as brick dust or iron oxide can also achieve a buff colour. I believe they also used subsoil’s with lime to achieve the right shade.
Sand cement mixes are obviously firmer than lime mixes in their early life even weak 5:1 or 6:1 mixes will be stronger than lime initially but I understand that lime will also have a similar firmness once it has fully carbonated over many years.
I often look at old brick walls or buildings and ask myself is that Lime or is that cement? Particularly those from the late 19th century or early 20th century.
Some walls even have different shades of pointing due to repairs carried out in the distant past but I'm never sure if this is two different mixes of lime or a lime mix against a cement mix. Unfortunately many of these walls are too high or inaccessible to allow close examination even if I new what I was looking at.
Identifying lime pointing against cement pointing is obviously very important to people proposing to buy a period property. Can anybody share their wisdom on this please and tell us how to tell the difference from a distance if possible?
