Not lime mortar then

[geraldthehamster]

OK, I decided not to lay my previously mentioned hearth on lime mortar, as I had sand and cement to hand.

It's a 4x5 arrangement of 2 inch thick 9 inch square Victorian terracotta pammet type tiles.

I still want to avoid modern concrete pointing, which I don't think would suit the tiles. I want either lime or a lime effect, sort of off- white and gritty. My concerns about lime are the drying time (I want to get the stove installed), and whether there's an issue when I seal the tiles - as I think I'll have to do, as they are very matt and porous after acid cleaning (does anyone have ideas on an approproate sealer?). I was thinking maybe snowcrete and sharp sand - has anyone used snowcrete? Is the result off-white or brilliant white?

Cheers Richard

[Andrew Mawson]

Add lime to a sand & cement mortar to get the best of both worlds.

AWEM

[Tim Watts]

geraldthehamster ( [e-mail]) wibbled on Monday 07 March 2011

08:06:

Yes - I did - for rendering the inside of my fireplace. I used white playsand and a little lime. The result was an off white, but light enough to take whitewash (proper whitewash).

Snowcrete is brilliant white so it pretty much comes down to which sand you use. Do not use regular builder's sand as there's too much clay. Sharp sand will be better, but I don't think you'll get a very white colour, which is why I went with playsand. It's light and very well washed and about the right grade for mortar and pointing.

[geraldthehamster]

Playsand, I hadn't thought of that.

Cheers Richard

[Bartc]

This lime is different from the fruit, isn't it?

[Dave Liquorice]

Probably known as silver sand by your builders merchant and at 1/10th the price of "play sand". B-)