Went back and forth between lime mortar and Type N for a 1920s repoint job in Portland

I had this old brick wall behind a storefront in southeast Portland that needed repointing bad. The original mortar was soft lime based stuff crumbling to dust. I spent like two weeks going back and forth with the building owner about whether to match it with lime or just use Type N for the strength. He kept saying Type N would hold up better and be cheaper, like 40 dollars a bag vs 60 for the lime mix. I finally talked him into going with the NHL 3.5 lime mortar because these old soft bricks need to breathe. Man what a mess that was. The lime takes forever to cure and you have to keep it wet for days. But six months later I walked by and the wall looked perfect, no cracks at all. The bricks were still solid too. Has anyone else had to fight a customer on using the right mortar for an old building?

2 comments

2 Comments

reesemiller16d ago

Man that's a rough spot to be in. I've had a few customers push for Type N on old brick too and it always feels like you're fighting common sense. The thing that gets me is people think harder means better but they don't realize the brick is the weak link. You match the mortar to the brick not the other way around. A stiff mortar on soft old brick just traps moisture and pops the faces right off. Wish more people understood that before they start arguing about bag prices.

the_rowan16d ago

Used to think harder was better but you just changed my whole approach to old brick work.