lime mortar

Mortar can be used to decorate and renovate walls, indoors and outdoors. Lime mortar has a pleasingly rough aspect and can help regulate humidity by absorbing moisture from the air, so it makes a room healthier, too.

Use a standard recipient, such as a large bowl, to measure out the ingredients. Adjust quantities to suit the thickness of the layer you want (0.5 cm to 1 cm, for example).

For non-porous surfaces, such as walls covered with old paint, you should add a little cement* to the mix. The mortar will adhere better.

In a mason's mixing pan, mix 2 parts water with 2 parts lime, 1 part of cement and ½ part sand. Always pour the water in first, then sprinkle in the dry ingredients. Mix thoroughly with a stick, and then let rest for 5 minutes. The mixture has the right consistency if when you separate the mixture with a spatula, the edges do not run together.

wall without mortar

Before you apply the mortar, you should wire brush the wall, scoring it with a painter's knife if the wall is very smooth, and moisten it with a damp sponge or spray bottle. Apply the mortar with a spatula and plasterer's trowel, starting from the bottom of the wall. While the mortar is still damp, you can wipe a sponge over it to bring out the texture of the grains of sand.

lime mortar wall detail

Once dry, there are a myriad of possibilities for the finish. You can scratch the mortar, coat it with linseed oil or wax, or make a colored mortar with pigments.

* Cement manufacturers have taken steps to reduce the energy used to produce their products as well as their environmental impact. Despite these efforts, these impacts are still high. When a home is renovated or restored, cement is difficult to reuse. For this reason, please use cement sparingly.

Lime: Natural Hydraulic Lime (NHL 3.5-Z).
Sand: River sand. Different grades can be used, depending on the desired use or effect.
Cement: White or gray cement. More or less quick-setting.

July 2007 [green DIY]
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