Fixing Our Lime MISTAKE - Restoring a Stone Building

Comments · 190

• SU

  @suecooper3016 · 3 years ago

  our elderly neighbour who was in the building trade his whole life (apart from when war interrupted) for over 70 years once told us how the builders started a new area of land here in our part of the south eastern New Forest.There is a clay plain only 1-2 feet below the topsoil for miles around here so when a block was marked out for building pre WW2, the first man called in was the water diviner. Once he had determined the best place, a well was dug. <br>After that, next to the well a deep 12-18 inch trench was dug, which was at least 4 yards long. This was where the lime was to be slaked for the whole block. Sand was brought in &amp; piled alongside too so the mix would depend on which of the &nbsp;jobs were being done on the day. The lime pit was refreshed as needed and as it was next to the well, water was always &nbsp;on hand. We live in a house that was built using lime mortar that is 100 years old this year &amp; if we have a heavy goods train along the nearby line go past we can feel the house vibrate. However it causes no cracking/disturbance problems to the fabric of the building.<br>We are happy to see traditional proven building methods being used again.

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• DA

  @davidritchie8263 · 3 years ago

  Having spent the last few years striping rough stone Cumbrian slate walls back and re-plastering with lime in the uk, managing shrinkage and suction can be tricky - we found drenching the walls prior to daubing out was key, almost hosing them down! Another good trick is to collect a small bucket of small ‘pinning’ stones and wedge these into any gaps to reduce the amount of mortar shrinkage. Keep ‘mist’ spraying it with a bottle for 2 to 3 days and bashing it with a dust pan brush to get it to tighten up - chemically it’s not drying its reacting with the CO2 in the atmosphere to sublime slow is better - keep it wet. 2 to 3 weeks between coats

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• DU

  @dusane54 · 3 years ago

  When I was a little boy, I remember that my grandfather used to make slaked lime by digging a hole about 2x2 meters wide and deep, pouring quicklime into it like you do in a barrel and pouring water on it with a garden hose and letting it react chemically, covering it boards and also let it work for a few days, maybe weeks, and then when he needed to plaster the walls of the house, he just scooped it into a bucket - it had the consistency of soft butter and he could use it on a damp wall. I know that the slaked lime could last even for a long time, he just checked that it did not dry out and added water from time to time to maintain the density of the lime.

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• LE

  @Lea-bw9wj · 3 years ago

  You could almost hear the building take a deep breath of relief with all that concrete gone

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• RO

  @rolandtb3 · 3 years ago

  Some examples of how we used lime:<br>Thinner for a wall white wash. Like a putty or paste for large openings in adabo walls (mud, dung, grass/copra/straw, lime), pliable and soft for plastering or textured wall effects. <br>Mixtures will vary depending on construction style and period. Older homes did not have damp proofing, base foundations/concrete footings, oil/tar parging, dimpled membranes, french drains. Hence damp, humid, frequent cracking and settling. Lots of seasonal movement &amp; repairs. To reduce settling we added underpinning, foundation bridges or bases. Perimeter drains were added. Eavetroughs and downspouts were installed to move water away from the house.<br>On stone wall interiors, we filled in gaps with thicker, denser slag. Then wire brush or point if the effect was to highlight the stonework. If the desired effect was a textured finish (stone not visible), the walls were filled in stages: cleaned, filled, rough finish, thiner 2nd layer, smooth 3 rd layer. Level, square, smooth were all relative terms during the fix.<br>Like your approach. Educate, experiment, evaluate. Learn by doing 1, 2, 3 or 4 times as needed.

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• IL

  @ilenesatchell5445 · 3 years ago

  I didn&apos;t see your tendency to purposively explain technicalities coming. Your channel is evolving into an entertaining, informative place to be, and I&apos;m always glad to see that another one is out for viewing.

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• AN

  @anneyday3493 · 3 years ago

  I really appreciate hearing your thought process in choosing materials and methods. It&apos;s continuously impressive, to me, how large an undertaking this renovation is, and how tenacious you both are in bringing it to fruition. Inspiring too. As soon as I finish watching this, I&apos;m off to put triple-thick, peel-stop primer on the cellar walls. Fun times here too! :)

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• JU

  @JustinBellingerTV · 3 years ago

  Sucks undoing work, but it is the right decision. Great video.

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• SY

  @sydneyevans2637 · 3 years ago

  Bummer that you had to undo some of the work. Good that you only lost a half day. Now you can be satisfied that you&apos;ve got it right and it will serve you well for many years. I really admire your dedication to all your projects. You&apos;re going to have a beautiful place when you are finished. Although finished is such a sketchy word when you&apos;re a homeowner.<br>Best to you both!

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• MA

  @MariaMoreira-wm7tn · 3 years ago

  É tradição na Beira Baixa, Alentejo e Algarve, saber trabalhar com cal viva. Ainda hoje as casas antigas são pintadas com cal, tanto no interior como no exterior. É comum vermos as mulheres das aldeias pintarem as paredes exteriores das casas e os muros, todos os anos.

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• JE

  @jeanettefriston2353 · 3 years ago

  I was always told that when putting any sort of cement mix onto a wall you spray the wall with water first so that it does not suck the moisture out of the mix too quickly, is this not possible with lime mortar. &nbsp;I wish I was 20 years younger or had less pain, I would love to do what you are doing

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• CA

  @carolerodeghiero8157 · 3 years ago

  It is good to know you take the time and effort to correct a mistake. You are great

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