Just how flush you should go when repointing with lime.

A video explaining the problems and pitfalls of applying insufficient lime pointing.

[@TiddlesTheBearBaiter]

Well and sympathetically described. Thank you.

[@irishcottagerenovation9900]

Brilliant video, you have just answered so many questions I had. Feel embarrassed by my ignorance. Thank you so much for sharing. Heather

[@michaeljamesdesign]

P for plenty Heather. Get it banged on.

[@ashsmith3293]

Love your informative videos thank you very much for uploading

[@michaeljamesdesign]

Cheers Ash. It’s just stuff that I think and needs more research to clarify though

[@simonaldridge7491]

Great video - thanks

[@bpj3600]

Great video 👌

[@johnmurphy1466]

The more the people are educated about the whys and what fors of flush pointing the more fashionable it will be 👍

[@michaeljamesdesign]

Thanks for the comment John. There's a saying that a good example of pointing looks like a bad example of plastering. There's a lot of truth in that. Although most of it is gone, there used to be many examples of a half and half pointing/rendering way of partly covering stone. It was sooooooooooooooooo rustic and appealing to look at. It really resonated with the senses. I find that as these older properties age and become more dilapidated because of lack of essential maintenance (mainly in the south of England) that I'm now forced to knock back much of the friable stone. The result is this semi-rendered finish. Looks lovely. Takes a bit of skill and know how but as long as there's a combination of stone and lime mortar showing it's very aesthetic.

[@metallitech]

Flush looks much better anyway. I totally agree with everything you've said here.

[@michaeljamesdesign]

Thanks bruv. I like your vid.

[@masdelasmelias]

Totalmente de acuerdo, ademas encuentro que se ve mucho mejor con mas cal . Me encantaria ver un video de como aplicas el mortero de cal y como lo rascas para el resultado final, muchas gracias, una excelente clase , gracias.

[@michaeljamesdesign]

Ningún problema

[@atroutflycrazy8057]

I totally get what your saying michael , its tough working with clients that want it there way but not the way advised . If those stones need such coverage it would almost be better to just lime render the wall. Asthetically it is much nicer to see most of the stone or just render it. You can only give the client the best job option ,explain why n if they decide otherwise its there problem.

[@carltonbreezy]

It's their not there. 👍🏿

[@andyobrien5696]

Another informative and interesting video MJ, very nice flush pointing. 👍 Although next time could you do it in weatherstruck please 😁

[@michaeljamesdesign]

Andy O’Brien: I can waffle for England.

[@freddiemoses467]

Another great video. I carry out building surveys and am amazed at the amount of pleb bricklayers out there who just chuck in cement. I surveyed a property in Hove earlier in the week and all of the faces of the victorian bricks were spalled because of this. Could you give me some advice - how does lime mortar fair in costal areas? I guess the salt decreases the PH of the lime quicker than in mainland areas

[@michaeljamesdesign]

Hey Freddie. Salt water definitely has an impact on lime mortar so sea defences need a very robust mix. Canal sides also suffer unless the mortar is beefed up. But generally, a good mason who understands his coastal area, should be able to advise. It’s all about the amount of Pozzolan. Weather prone countryside is the same. Harsh prevailing winds on escarpments and fells need a stronger mortar than a sheltered garden area. But lime makes a rough old mortar. I’d be happy with my current mix with the addition of 10% blast furnace slag.

[@freddiemoses467]

@@michaeljamesdesign Interesting stuff - Thanks for the response!

[@amyntas97jones29]

Hi Mike, Have you heard of Stormdry? It is a breathable sealer. It prevents water entering, but allows it to exit. It seems to me that it can perform the same function as limewash. It's not like a silicone sealer that traps in moisture.

[@michaeljamesdesign]

I've heard of it. Very very expensive.

[@JawsMiniCrusher]

I live in South west France and the French call this type of pointing "pierre apparente" I switch to doing this style myself on my own house, I noticed that an added benefit is it doesn't collect as much dust compared to recessing the joints . Enjoying the channel . 👍

[@michaeljamesdesign]

Get your work posted. Many (including myself) would like to see what you're doing.

[@JawsMiniCrusher]

@@michaeljamesdesign here's a repair I did kzbin.info/www/bejne/i4jbemiBfJudbbs And here some lime hemp plastering kzbin.info/www/bejne/jqiZeZyepdhjrbs

[@michaeljamesdesign]

@@JawsMiniCrusher This is brilliant. Thanks for sharing. Great work.

[@ianm4]

Thanks for sharing. Flush looks very good and attractive. Did you do the ceiling as well? If so, how was that done? (in between the joists)

[@michaeljamesdesign]

I can’t lay claim to the ceiling. Not my job

[@ednankivell4128]

Might aswell of rendered it !😉 thanks for the great info on the page

[@samarshi539]

Thank you Mike for another informative video. I live in a listed building with lots of flats and soon it is going to be repointed with NHL 3.5 , sadly we cant disagree with the freeholder ( otherwise ,I would have suggested hot mixed mortar )but can influence the choice of NHL brand. What brand of NHL3.5 would you recommend hopefully with high free lime content? Some people suggest Saint Astier might be better than the others. Thank you .

[@michaeljamesdesign]

If you email me I’ll forward details.

[@heriothandyman3148]

Total side question, 3:18 what is running vertically against the window frame? Is it a mortar fillet or is wood/pvc trim? Couldn’t quite tell.

[@michaeljamesdesign]

Hi, yes, just a mud fillet. Would’ve been easy to do it in lime though.

[@diogenes1815]

Nice dubbing out, when you gonna plaster it?

[@michaeljamesdesign]

Ha ha! Good comment. I would've liked to but people like exposed stone.

[@benbirby]

Really appreciate this video. Not nearly enough scholarly information in the US about this. I am about to repoint my 1880s fieldstone foundation using NHL 2.0 and I would like your opinion on something- If I'm only concerned with the "mechanical function" of the wall, and the aesthetic of exposed stone is not a concern, is the ideal thing to parge the whole thing after pointing and then limewash? Or just point flush as shown in this video? Thank you!

[@michaeljamesdesign]

Historically most buildings were lime washed or rendered. This protects and fends off moisture ingress. The elements will always seek to reduce a house to rubble so the more lime you can put inside and out, the longer the house will last.

[@benbirby]

Thank you! No visible evidence of prior lime wash but I will plan to do at least that, if not parge. Appreciate your advice.

[@michaeljamesdesign]

@@benbirby In which case, make hot lime wash from quicklime. Powder or kibble. Don't buy it ready made, it's like pish and you'll need loads.

[@benbirby]

Unfortunately quicklime is not really available where I live. When I repointed my very soft brick chimney, I got lime putty from the lime specialists in my area and made the lime wash from that. It seemed to work alright, and not too expensive.

[@michaeljamesdesign]

@@benbirby that'll do.

[@ifilmit3512]

I'm in west Wales a 170 year old house made of slate. Walls are 800mm thick. One wall is natural with lime pointing which is starting to fall out in places. The other three walls have been cement rendered on outside some of which has blown. The slate underneath looks poor quality and I wonder if i take all the cement off and lime point it, will it survive a Welsh winter 300mt up a hill and 5 miles from the west coast?

[@michaeljamesdesign]

Of course it will. What do you think was used when it was built? But you need someone with specialist knowledge of limes and pozzolans.

[@Hew.Jarsol]

Hi mate. I have a 1851 sandstone/mud cellar wall which needs repointing. What mix etc would suit it ie 3:1 soft sand and lime? Wguch lime and which sand..? I'm not using cement. Thanks Thanks...

[@michaeljamesdesign]

1:2 high free lime content NHL2.

[@airborne652]

Just started pointing the external walls of my Victorian terraced house with NHL 3.5 from Conserv. Some idiot at some point has repointed with cement and I noticed damp spots on the internal walls. Since pointing with NHL the damp has gone. I can’t believe just how many neighbouring houses have been cemented also. At some point we’ve had chemicals injected in the walls also!

[@michaeljamesdesign]

Hey Ben, the built environment has been suffering for many years now. Glad to see it's slowly being put right. Keep up the good work.

[@Scribe3168]

Do you know if brick and stonework was sized with a hot animal glue before plastering with lime?

[@michaeljamesdesign]

Hey Scribe. No, definitely not. No need for a mordant.

[@paulklasmann1218]

How long will that lime pointing last before it begins to crumble from age/dampness? I ask because I need to point several natural stone walls and some stone infill between timbers and the old mortar is crumbling as I poke at it. Is NHL suitable for all pointing applications? I've never used it before.

[@michaeljamesdesign]

You should get a couple of hundred years out of a hot mixed mortar. NHL is still an unknown quantity but having said that there is evidence of some failure.

[@strikemehandsome]

Sorry to butt in. I'm sure Micheal won't mind. The more you cover the stone the longer the erosion time. If you recess your adding a loss. Don't be afraid to cover old rubble stone. The old boys weren't! A coat ot two of limewash is always a good idea, even on timbers. ✌️.

[@michaeljamesdesign]

@@strikemehandsome I was talking to Nigel about it and he was saying about how doing it wrong is the same as ageing a property deliberately. It’s like intentionally weathering the mortar.

[@rosslukeshay]

Great video mike Any chance you could let me know the mortar formula , lm in the process of a house restoration in Ireland 🇮🇪,Thanks

[@michaeljamesdesign]

1:4 QL to sand.

[@rosslukeshay]

Thanks Mike , just curious what’s your opinion on lime insulation ,

[@michaeljamesdesign]

@@rosslukeshay In what respect?

[@rosslukeshay]

@@michaeljamesdesign wall breathability is There a need for insulation,& is it worth the extra cost ? Thanks

[@michaeljamesdesign]

@@rosslukeshay Insulation is a pretty expansive subject. It's good in most cases but - in this case - you'll have to be more specific. What insulation are you talking about? Do you mean on this job or on your house? Do you mean sheep's wool insulation or insulating ingredients in plaster? Or do you mean plastering over products with heat retaining properties such as cork?

[@mickeymortimer4407]

you could always sponge a bit off to show some rock? yay or nay mate? Having said that I realise that stone should be flush pointed and limewashed too yeah!

[@michaeljamesdesign]

I whole heartedly agree. But not with quicklime as it wets it up and turns it into slop

[@bhartley1024]

My understanding of portland cement is that the lime doesn't get burned off in the kiln, its component calcium and oxygen are still there, but it reacts with silica to make calcium silicates, so it is no longer 'free lime'. I think the goal of the engineers formulating the cement is to have the perfect balance of silica to lime, ensuring there is no free lime and no excess silica. This gives the strongest, hardest, least porous cement, which is of course, exactly what we DON'T want for stone masonry.

[@michaeljamesdesign]

Thanks for the contribution Mr Hartley. It's really appreciated. This is the kind of thing we need to get out there. Anymore gems like this, please post.

[@kjpw147]

In the US we have type N mortar. That’s what I’m going with to build my walls

[@TheNinja691]

Sorry, but that looks aweful. If you’re going to go to the effort of smearing the stone face with lime, you might as well just render the lot.

[@michaeljamesdesign]

Hello anonynous commenter.This was actually originally lime washed but then it got plastered using modern materials. Because of flood water this failed and was subsequently stripped off. It was then repointed using cement which suffered from mould because of condensation and the fact that there was no lime render to protect the stone from fungal infestation. The new owners wanted to change the cement pointing to lime. As the property sits in an area of regularly wet land which is subject to flooding it would've been better for the property if was fully rendered with lime. But who am I to argue? However, this isn't the finished work. If you want to see this then follow: kzbin.info/www/bejne/rIXZhZd4e9mbfKs

[@TheNinja691]

@@michaeljamesdesign fair enough, I’m not doubting you are right and as long as the customer is happy, who am I to argue. I will check out the link, thanks for sharing. Ps- I’m anonymous because I am being tracked and hounded by scammers. 🙏