Selecting the Right Lime Mortar
Our Lime Mortars
We manufacture and supply a variety of ready-mixed performance mortars, supplied wet and ready to use or in powdered form. Our Lime Mortars are convenient to use, coming premixed with a range of binders and sands to suit your application needs.
There are three types of ready mixed lime mortar:
1. Natural Hydraulic Lime Mortar – Uses hydraulic lime as the binder blended with washed and kiln dried
sands.
2. Hot Lime Mix – Uses finely ground quicklime blended with good quality sands.
3. Torching / Parging – Uses mature lime putty blended with selected aggregates
Our Hydraulic Lime mortars use three different top quality Hydraulic Limes as binders from two of the largest manufacturers of Hydraulic lime - Socli and Tarmac.
These are used to produce the following range:
Ironstone Old White mortar (NHL strength 3.5) – Using Socli Ionic Old White (Grey) hydraulic lime as the binder, blended with washed and kiln dried sands. This produces a very versatile premixed buff coloured mortar for building and re pointing.
Ironstone Lite mortar (NHL Strength 3.5) Using Tarmac (Cream) hydraulic lime as the binder, blended with washed and kiln dried sands. A very versatile premixed cream coloured mortar which is fatty and ideal for building and re pointing.
Lime Green Medium (NHL 3.5) and Strong (NHL 5) mortar – Using Holcim (White) hydraulic lime as the binder, blended with washed and kiln dried sands. Its natural colour is chalk which makes it an ideal premixed mortar to blend with natural pigments and create a fantastic range of coloured mortars ideal for building and repointing.
Womersley’s use the Lime Green mortar to create the European range of numbered colours which you will see in the Womersley’s mortar colour chart along side Ironstone Old White and Ironstone Lite.
These are available to purchase as samples in the Womersley’s mortar sample box. Lime Green also colour the medium and strong mortar in the manufacturing process, producing the full range of Lime Green colours. The Cinders and Cotswold are always available as stock items and the other colours are for pre order.
These are available to purchase as samples in the Lime Green sample box. The NHL 3.5 hydraulic lime mortars are most popular and suitable with most types of masonry in most locations. The NHL 5 lime is often reserved for very exposed locations such as chimney stacks and gable ends as they will benefit from the added strength you get from an NHL 5.
Hot Lime Mix
Womersley’s manufacture the widest range of Hot Lime Mixed Mortars in the UK. The range is achieved by using a variety of sands and pozzolans blended with Buxton Quicklime. The Hot mixes are made fresh to order. Womersley’s Hot Lime Mixes are highly regarded within the building conservation industry and were used on the recent restoration of the historic Ribblehead Viaduct. A hot-lime mix is a very vapour permeable mortar, with a good ‘sticky’ consistency and can be up to twice as breathable as NHL 3.5 Mortar. Our full colour range of samples are available to purchase
in a convenient sample box.
Torching/Parging Mortar
Manufactured using mature lime putty blended with selected aggregates, horsehair and fibres. Used on the underside of roof and ridge tiles. It is 100% breathable creating a healthy and breathable living environment. Our Torching Mortar has a natural elasticity allowing it to absorb minor movements.
We really hope this information assists to explain the differences between theese Premixed Lime Mortars but please if you need any further assistance give the experienced team in the office a ring