As the subject says, I need to repoint around my door frame. I live in a pretty old house in the moors in West Yorkshire. I don't know the exact age, but at the very least early 1900s, maybe even when the mills nearby were built? It's pretty typical of terraced houses in the area: stone and lime mortar.
Right now there are large cracks around the door frame where the old mortar has broken off over the years, revealing the gap behind the masonry and some wooden panels. I really need to do something about it before the autumn starts in earnest, as right now the internal structure of the building is pretty much exposed to the elements. It's also draughty and pretty cold. So, what do people recommend I do?
I have a few questions actually, so I will make a list otherwise some will certainly get lost. I spent ages trying to find the answers to no joy, so I am sorry if some of this is already answered elsewhere.
1 - Long term, I would like to be using period materials that are going to look right i.e. lime mortar. Also, these old stone buildings need to breathe so sticking a load of silicon or expanding foam in there really isn't ideal. However, is it too late in the year to do the lime mortar now? It gets cold up here pretty quickly (10c already tonight) and I am concerned that old-school lime mortar isn't going to finish curing (apparently it needs 3 months?) before we start getting frosts up here. Is this accurate? Can I get away with doing it with the lime mortar if I get it done ASAP? I probably have one month, perhaps two at most before we get some frosts. Is there anyway I can do it and protect the mortar while it cures?
2 - If I CAN use the lime mortar now, do I need to put mastic over it or is this defeating the purpose of using hydraulic lime?
3- Again, if I CAN do it with the lime mortar now, will adding polypropylene fibres make the mortar less likely to crack in response to the door opening/closing and the contraction/expansion of the wood?
4 - If it IS too late for me to do the lime mortar now, what can I use as a stopgap solution? This would need to completely seal the door against the elements for the winter BUT be readily removable when I want to redo it with the lime mortar.
Thanks in advance for any advice. Once again, I'm sorry if these questions are answered elsewhere; I spent ages trying to find the answers with google to no avail.
Right now there are large cracks around the door frame where the old mortar has broken off over the years, revealing the gap behind the masonry and some wooden panels. I really need to do something about it before the autumn starts in earnest, as right now the internal structure of the building is pretty much exposed to the elements. It's also draughty and pretty cold. So, what do people recommend I do?
I have a few questions actually, so I will make a list otherwise some will certainly get lost. I spent ages trying to find the answers to no joy, so I am sorry if some of this is already answered elsewhere.
1 - Long term, I would like to be using period materials that are going to look right i.e. lime mortar. Also, these old stone buildings need to breathe so sticking a load of silicon or expanding foam in there really isn't ideal. However, is it too late in the year to do the lime mortar now? It gets cold up here pretty quickly (10c already tonight) and I am concerned that old-school lime mortar isn't going to finish curing (apparently it needs 3 months?) before we start getting frosts up here. Is this accurate? Can I get away with doing it with the lime mortar if I get it done ASAP? I probably have one month, perhaps two at most before we get some frosts. Is there anyway I can do it and protect the mortar while it cures?
2 - If I CAN use the lime mortar now, do I need to put mastic over it or is this defeating the purpose of using hydraulic lime?
3- Again, if I CAN do it with the lime mortar now, will adding polypropylene fibres make the mortar less likely to crack in response to the door opening/closing and the contraction/expansion of the wood?
4 - If it IS too late for me to do the lime mortar now, what can I use as a stopgap solution? This would need to completely seal the door against the elements for the winter BUT be readily removable when I want to redo it with the lime mortar.
Thanks in advance for any advice. Once again, I'm sorry if these questions are answered elsewhere; I spent ages trying to find the answers with google to no avail.
