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Repointing A Historic New Jersey Home

Historic masonry restoration completed by the Technical Install Team of LimeWorks.us in Moorestown, New Jersey. This circa 1790 historic brick home was repointed using Ecologicā„¢ Mortar. Ecologicā„¢ Mortar is made with Natural Hydraulic Lime (NHL) and contains NO harmful Portland Cement. The use of Portland Cement to repoint historic buildings will cause premature degradation which may include spalling of historic bricks, moisture build up within the walls, damage from salts, and poor water vapor transmission. Water trapped within masonry walls may negatively encourage moisture issues to begin within the building including mold, mildew, and interior wall damage as well as increase heating and cooling costs.

What is especially unique about this repointing job is that the entire front faƧade was found to have remnants of the original white highlighting done within a narrow keyway incised into the center of the joint work. Many photos in the video correspond to the side walls which were simply repointed using the Natural Hydraulic Lime and sand Ecologicā„¢ Mortar struck flat and having no such embellishment. However, the front was accurately reproduced with the highlighting work which is referred to historically as ā€œPenciling.ā€ To learn more about the methods and materials used for appropriate historic masonry restoration visit LimeWorks.us.

ā€“LimeWorks.us

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6 thoughts on “Repointing A Historic New Jersey Home

  1. Bonnie L McIntyre says:

    I have a two story brick building that needs love and new mortor. I live in Enid, Okla. I realize that I may have to do rather extensive searching for the perfect mason. Any thing that you can tell with certainly be appreciated.
    It is in the Waverly Historic District and is certainally valuable to me

  2. Admin says:

    Hi Bonnie!
    Thank you for reaching out, we would love to help you with your restoration needs. I would recommend our Ecologic Mortar Mix, (https://limeworks.us/product/ecologic-mortar/) which comes in 12 stock colors and 4 custom mixes that will help you match the right mortar mix for your brick house. This can be viewed with our Ecologic Mortar Kit (https://limeworks.us/product/ecologic-mortar-kit/). You can also send us a sample of the mortar you would like to replace and we will do a free initial observation (https://limeworks.us/services/free-observation-of-your-sample/) of the mortar piece with which we can develop a mortar that simulates your mortars colors and aggregates.

    For any next steps or further questions, you can contact us at support@limeworks.us or by calling us at 215-536-6706

  3. Sarah says:

    Hi. I have a 227 yr old stone home in the Poconos. It is basically one giant room, most of the stone interior walls are covered in parge skim, except for one area which is left untouched. The old mortar here crumbles at the touch. I’d like to remortar using a historic mortar that can deal with the high humidity if the house. What do you recommend? Thanks

    1. Admin says:

      Hi Sarah! Thanks for your question. Our Natural Hydraulic Lime is a great option for repairing historic masonry, because of the Limes vapor permeability it will allow the masonry unit to breath and won’t trap water. I would recommend giving us a call at 215-536-6706 so that you can get connected with a product specialist who can talk you through finding the right product for the job. Make sure you ask for Chris!

  4. Concetta says:

    Hi, I have a brick home facade. We are creating a French Country Old Word exterior. Weā€™d like to do a Portland cement parging over the brick facade. It looks lighter then darker in certain areas. A very mottled look. It quiet beautiful for an aā€Old Worldā€ look. Do you do this type of technique? I can send you photos to show you what technique looks like. Let me know if you can asssit me with my French l Country Exterior home project. Thankyou.

    1. Anthony (LimeWorks) says:

      Hello Concetta, it sounds like you are talking about a new kind of finish known as “German Schmear” that is meant to mimic the look of old failing parge coats or limewashes and has been very popular in the last few years. Depending on the age of your house, doing this technique with a Portland cement parging could be a very serious and costly mistake that may cause irreversible damage to your brick. Be very cautious of DIYers on blogs, YouTube, and other social media platforms who are posting tutorials on this kind of thing without fully understanding how the materials may interact. If you’d like to talk more about your specific project, please reach out to us either by phone at 215-536-6706 or by email by filling out the form at this link: https://www.limeworks.us/contact-us/

      Make sure to include the age of your building, and maybe a few photos to help us see what the situation on your building looks like.

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