Applications and uses of lime mortar. Where is lime mortar used?

Calcium oxide (quicklime) is used in a wide variety of areas of human life — agriculture, gardening and the food industry. However, lime is most often used in construction for the production of different mortars. Lime mortars play an important role in any construction work, because lime-based mortars absorb moisture well and are characterized by high plasticity.

Features of simple lime mortar

Lime mortars can be simple or complex. In a simple mortar, only one substance acts as the binder component (lime), while in a complex mortar there are several binders (cement, gypsum, lime).

Simple lime mortar is a mixture of slaked lime, water and sand. To prepare such a mortar, a container is used: lime is first poured into it, and then water is added in small portions. It is very important to observe the proportions, because the strength and reliability of the completed work depend on the consistency of this mortar.

Features of complex lime mortar

As mentioned earlier, complex lime mortar includes several fillers at once. Thus, lime-sand mortar, lime-cement mortar and lime-gypsum mortar are distinguished. The advantage of such mortars is that they have increased plasticity, strength and better adhesion. This makes it possible to carry out various construction works both inside and outside a building, in regions with different climates and humidity levels.

It should be noted that lime mortars can be lean, normal or fat. Their difference lies in the fat content and the amount of individual components in the mixture. It is important to know that a lean mortar, due to the low fat content of the binder, tends to crack after drying, while a fat mortar is difficult to apply.

Use of lime-gypsum mortar

Lime-gypsum mortar includes lime, water, gypsum and sand. Gypsum is added for a reason: it helps reduce the setting time, since simple lime mortars set rather slowly. This produces a strong, thick mortar that can significantly speed up the entire construction process. To prepare lime-gypsum mortar, lime putty is first mixed, after which all the other fillers are added. It is used for interior and exterior plastering work. This type of mortar is used in regions with a dry climate, and the rooms where the walls need to be plastered should have low air humidity.

Use of lime-cement mortar

One of the most popular fillers for lime mortar is cement. It is added to the mortar for specific construction purposes, for example, finishing and facade work. The popularity of lime-cement mortar is explained by its relatively low price, strength and plasticity, as well as good adhesion of the mortar to the surface. To prepare such a mortar, only high-quality slaked lime is used. Lime-cement mortar is actively used for finishing work in rooms with high humidity. It can easily be used to plaster walls made of brick, wood and concrete.

Use of lime-sand mortars

This type of mortar involves mixing lime, water and sand into a mixture. The sand must be sifted and washed in advance; in addition, the proportions must be taken into account. The optimal ratio of lime to sand is approximately 1:2 or 1:3. A mortar with added sand is quite inexpensive, but very often cement is added as an additional binder to achieve a better result. In that case, it is best to take from 3 to 6 parts of sand to one part of cement. Lime-sand and lime-sand-cement mortars are used for bricklaying and plastering work.

The spheres and areas of application of lime mortars are essentially limited to the construction field. But, as we all know, construction is a very complex industry with many different technological processes, and lime mortars are needed in these processes. With their help, it is possible to build a reliable and durable house.