detecting lime mortar

[sm_jamieson]

What tests can you do to find out if a house has been built with lime mortar ? Cheers, Simon.

[Stuart Noble]

If you can rake it out with your finger without damaging your nail varnish, it's probably lime mortar

[Andrew Gabriel]

Lime mortar, once set, is chalk (and sand). Drop some into an acid (vinegar, kettle descaler, etc) and it will fizz as the chalk dissolves.

Oh, I've come across plenty of cement mortar which would pass that test too.

[Richard]

My test was simpler. Having bought my house I simply pulled away at the wallpaper to redecorate and all the plaster came off the wall. Every room had to be taken back to brickwork and re-plastered. That was fifteen years ago but funnily enough it's still a sore subject.