I drove down to Lancaster Lime Works this morning and the owner took the time to answer questions I had regarding what type lime to use for my application. FYI, he says it is good to bring a closeup photo of the brick or stone and a sample chunk of the original mortar, in order to determine what product is best. Anybody looking into masonry with lime mortars will quickly find a general lack of information and what is available is often conflicting. Most available info is from the UK. As I mentioned to the owner, it may be easier to get the nuclear codes in the US than to find Quick Lime. He said it is best left to the pros because of safety issues and litigation. That leaves three choices, lime putty, lime putty mixed with aggregate for a pre-mixed mortar and bagged, powdered Natural Hydraulic Lime. These three choices are also very hard to find in most locations. What we can find locally is usually Type S mason's lime which I was told is not intended to be used as the base of a lime mortar and most likely will not carbonate back into limestone. Their website holds a lot of knowledge and the owner seemed willing to take the time to elaborate where necessary. I bought a pre-mixed lime putty mortar, but have not tried it yet. read more
