Lime Mortar Walls vs. Cement Mortar

Qualities of Lime Mortar

• Porous: This allows moisture in the building can virtually unnoticeably evaporate through the pores. This is great for regulating a property’s humidity and avoiding damp formation.

• Flexible: The lime within lime mortar allows the substance to be flexible, reducing the likelihood of cracks forming and building instability as a result of the earth’s natural movements and extreme weather.

• Weatherproof: Lime mortar walls will protect your building from all forms of weather, including frost, without the need for additional sealing.

• Proven effective over centuries: The construction of lime mortar walls dates back as early as the Roman times, used for many applications including buildings, bridges and suspended floors.

Qualities of Cement Mortar

• Non-permeable: This creates a sealed surface that doesn’t offer a passage for excess vapour, meaning most buildings using cement will require increased ventilation methods. It does not deal with moisture meaning you may experience condensation problems.

• Rigid: Constructing using cement mortar will require expansion joints to avoid cracking with natural earth movement. This is a great property to have in the right project, but sometimes the cement can be too strong for the other materials it is used with.

• Waterproof: Your cement mortar will completely seal joints and walls. Other materials used around cement though will need to treated and protected to avoid rot developing.