Benefits
Maintaining good vapor permeability in the exterior envelope of an historic building will allow the historic masonry units themselves to have an even longer service life thus keeping them in a better state of conservation. Vapor permeability is also key to the longevity of new sustainable construction projects. Saint-Astier® NHL has low capillarity and high vapor permeability. Independent studies have shown Saint-Astier® NHL to have a higher level of vapor permeability than all mortar mixes containing any amount of Portland cement. This remains true while achieving comparable strengths for many applications without the need to add Portland cement or a Pozzolan to achieve proper and effective mix designs.
Immune to Salts and Sulfates
Saint-Astier® NHL is completely immune to sulfates and salts. Alkali-silica reactions, common with Portland cement mortars do not take place with Saint-Astier Natural Hydraulic Limes. This is due to the absence of tri-calcium aluminates only created in high temperature fired kilns which are required for the production of Portland Cement.
Modulus of Elasticity
Saint-Astier® NHL has an excellent modulus of elasticity. Unlike Portland cement-based mortars, Saint-Astier® NHL mortars limit the requirements for strategically placed control joints in walls. The breathability of mortars made with Saint-Astier® NHL also reduces, if not eliminating, the requirement for weep vents in curtain or veneer walls.
Quick shipping and excellent Customer Support. I had a couple of questions about the lime mortar to sand ratio. My questions were answered within thirty minutes each time. Anthony Hita, Architectural Conservator, was great to work with. Following Anthony’s guidance, the mix was easy to work with and I am confident that my Great-Grandfather’s slotted tombstone will stand for another hundred years.
With all of the info LimeWorks provides and the great products they sell, I was able to match our repairs perfectly to the 114 year old stucco on our house. Truly a great product and a great company! Picture is during the finish coat application so you can see what’s new and what’s existing. On this area and many others we used 12x 55lb bags of NHL 3.5 and a little over 1T of sand, the Lime was consistent throughout all of it.
I ordered a 55lb bag of NHL 5 to restore the parging of a wall in my 100-year-old basement (the mix was 2½:1 with all purpose sand from Home Depot). The bag was packaged with bubble wrap and placed in an appropriately sized cardboard box with all seams sealed with tape. Natural Hydraulic Lime is somewhat of a rare material in the US, so I was pleased that Limeworks offers fast shipping at a reasonable rate.
Awesome product and fast delivery!
Shipped quickly (one day arrival!!) and did the job needed for our historic brick repair. Thank you!