Lime Pointing Edinburgh

How We Use Lime Pointing To Renew Your Current Stones’ Mortar To Create Robust Strength And A Seamless, Beautiful Finish…

Without our lime mortar pointing Edinburgh services and after years of weathering, your existing stonework cracks as stones move all over the place. The look deteriorates.

Then its structural reliability wears. This makes your masonry unsafe and prone to fail further as time passes.

However, there is a solution, which will prolong the life of your stonework…

Lime Mortar

James Allan Stonemasons (Edinburgh), we only use lime mortars – along with the right preparation and technique – to ensure your stones will remain in place and endure the harshest environments for many years to come.

As lime is tougher than concrete over many years, you can have peace of mind knowing your structure will remain as strong as a Scotsman is.

Durable Lime Pointing Edinburgh

Our lime mortars are bonded using natural hydrated lime, which is stronger and more durable than concrete. We carefully choose our lime, sand and aggregate to ensure compatibility meaning you receive lime mortar pointing that is tough but fits in with your existing mortar.

Hand Crafted Lime Pointing

We take the time to understand how the previous stonemason pointed your stonework. By doing this, we can achieve an identical match and replicate their technique.

This ensures you will have the perfect finish that fits seamlessly into your existing stone craft and restores your building to be like new again.

Our lime pointing Edinburgh process is to:

1. Remove your existing defective stone mortar
2. Brush area to be dust and debris free
3. Hose away any remaining dust particles for the perfect adhesion
4. Apply by hand for a solid structure using pointing keys
5. Leave the mortar to cure/dry a while
6. Carefully brush for either a smooth or rustic finish of choice

The pointing in stonework is the mortar that sits between the pieces of stone and bind and hold the wall together. From time-to-time, all stone buildings and their walls will need repointing.

The two main reasons for repointing stonework:

Decay: If the original lime pointing has decayed over time, then it needs to be replaced. There can be several reasons for this decay but it is usually down to the effects of the weather over a long period of time and/or poor maintenance. Anything that causes damp masonry such as an overflow pipe or a blocked drain can also exacerbate the decay.

Incorrect mortar: If an incorrect mortar has been used to repair a stone wall previously then this will almost certainly have caused problems leading to the need to replace with lime mortar.

We live in a world today where often the more modern the solution, the better. As time moves on, so does technology and this makes sense in many instances. However, there are some exceptions. This includes traditional stonemasonry.

Traditional stone walls work on the basis that moisture entering the wall has to be able to escape as water and water vapour as easily as possible. Some people think that using cement for this is a good idea because surely as a modern product, it will be able to be used in such a straightforward context? Unfortunately not.

The use of cement mortars is widely recognised as being harmful to stone buildings, walls and other structures as they can drastically alter the way the wall handles water and moisture.

The problem is that cement mortars tend to have a closed pore structure which is consistent rather than allowing the building to breathe. Because trapped moisture can expand and contract, cement will ultimately fail, often causing damage to the surrounding stone.

Lime mortar however is flexible and can handle the transmission of water and water vapour and ensures the surrounding stonework is not damaged.

Why lime mortar pointing should be used on all stone walls

Lime allows buildings to breathe: Lime is material that is sympathetic to traditional construction. Vapour permeable, it allows buildings to breathe and reduces the risk of trapped moisture and the subsequent damage of stonework.

It’s more environmentally sound than cement: Using lime mortar is generally thought to be more environmentally sound than using cement. It has less embodied energy than cement and also helps to absorb carbon dioxide in the setting process of carbonation and is made in a much more natural way.

Lime is durable and has stood the test of time: Look at the historic buildings that you can find in Edinburgh, Scotland and the rest of the UK. Many of these were built hundreds of years ago using lime in the building process. The Pantheon Temple in Rome is one of the oldest buildings in the world and has a lime concrete dome that is over 43 metres wide. This has stood for approximately 2000 years.

Lime finishes look great: Compared to cement and other mortars, lime finishes are beautiful, visually softer and more pleasant to look at, blending in with the surrounding stonework in a much more natural way.

Using local limes enhances regional identity: There is a diverse range of limestone available across the UK which means that different limes can vary in colour, texture and other properties. That means local limes have their own regional look and identity and using local limes can help provide a continuous link both the surrounding area and the past, promoting a proud regional identity.

Below Are Examples Of Our Expert Lime Pointing:

For More Information On Our Edinburgh Lime Pointing Services & A Friendly Chat, Call Us Today On: 0131 447 0003 Or Email Us Here.