what should I use for pointing fireplace, I want a white finish. fireplace is radnorshire stone which is quite flakey on the horizontal plane. I am getting conflicting advice. some say 1 white cement / 1 hydrated lime / 6 sea sand others say 1 Hydraulic lime (not hydrated) / 2.5 sharp sand
is the first option problematic as I understand the mortar needs to be softer than the stone.
just use lime and sand, so hydrated lime with sharp sand 4:1 if the stone is soft the heat will expand the cement and make it crack,the lime and sand wont.
welsh brickie wrote:just use lime and sand, so hydrated lime with sharp sand 4:1 if the stone is soft the heat will expand the cement and make it crack,the lime and sand wont.
so 4 hydrated lime to 1 sharp sand (and no cement)? or the other way around?
I rang a specialist lime company earlier who said hydrated lime only lasts a few weeks before it looses its cement quality, so effectively, since it is on the shelf for a while, hydrated lime would be just like adding another quantity of sand. he recommended hydraulic or fat lime. can you comment to this?
I have used hydrated lime and sand mix 4 sand 1 lime and havent had any problems,but if you worried add a small ammount of white cement to the mix. I am not a lime expert but hydrated lime is easier to purchase in a bag,than lime putty,fat lime etc its available at most builders merchants
is there anything I can coat the finished stone and pointing with to bring out the colour of the stone and will be safe and heat resistant? does it have to be a breathable coating?
I was thinking wd40, is this a really stupid idea in a fireplace and above a fireplace?
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