Tried a new lime mix on a chimney job in Denver and it set way too fast

Last fall I was repointing an old brick chimney and decided to try this pre-blended NHL 3.5 lime mortar from a local supplier. It was a dry, windy day, maybe 50 degrees out. I mixed a small batch like normal, but it started to get stiff in the hawk after only 20 minutes. By the time I was halfway up the scaffold, my trowel was dragging through it like wet sand. Had to ditch the whole batch and start over with my usual stuff. Anyone else run into issues with these 'natural' limes in low humidity?

2 comments

2 Comments

johnson.adam1mo ago

That dry Denver air will suck the life right out of a lime mix. Had a similar thing happen on a porch repair last spring, not with NHL but just a bagged lime mortar. Wasn't even that windy, but it was bone dry and the stuff just turned to crumbs on the wall. Ended up having to mist the brick and the mortar board constantly just to buy some working time. Makes you wonder about the old timers and how they managed it without a hose.

rosejackson1mo ago

Makes you wonder about the old timers" is the key thing. I see this everywhere now, how we rely on cheap tech to fix problems our habits create. We use a hose because we won't slow down and work with the weather.