Does the Mortar Really Make a Difference?
At Waters Craftsmen we often argue that it is better to use a scientifically designed mortar such as Jahn Restoration mortar, because it will perform better. Why conduct an expensive mortar analysis and match the original mortar, if the original mortar didn’t work very well to begin with? Why not make it work better? Once, lime mortar was the traditional mortar of choice. But you could build a brick or stone wall only so high before it would have to be left to set and dry. It would take years to build a foundation with lime putty mortar. With natural cement lime one could build faster and cheaper. But natural cement still takes a long time to cure—sometimes as long as one year. And, after World War II there was simply not enough natural cement to build all the buildings and runways. So the switch was made to Portland cement. But Portland cement is fired at a much higher temperature and causes the formation of salts (tricalcium silicates) that cause the stone and brick to spall. Portlan
