I swore off lime mortar for years until a job in Charleston changed my mind

Emma Smith · 2026-10-15T18:20:04.645481+00:00

For about 12 years I mixed everything with Portland cement because that is what my first boss taught me, and I figured lime was just old timer nonsense. Then last spring I repointed a brick wall on a house built in 1890 down in Charleston, and the owner had a mason from Savannah come look at my first test patch. He poked at it and said "that cement is going to trap water and spall every brick in 5 years." I redid the mortar with a 1:3 lime and sand mix and came back 8 months later, and the soft brick around it was still dry with no cracking. Now I want to know, how many of you are still using straight Portland on old brick, and what finally made you switch?

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I swore off lime mortar for years until a job in Charleston changed my mind | Bricklayers - The Community Guide