Rant: Mortar mix ratios are too stiff for old brick

Worked on a 1920s row house in Philly last month, and the standard type N mix everyone swears by cracked all the joints. Who else has had luck with a softer lime blend for historic stuff?

2 comments

2 Comments

the_cora17d ago

Feel you on this one. My go-to for any pre-war brickwork is a lime putty mix, way easier on the old soft units. Had a similar disaster on a Victorian terrace before I figured that out.

taylor.betty17d ago

And it's not just brickwork either, seems like folks are finally remembering that the old ways of doing things often work better than all this modern quick-fix stuff.

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