Lime For The Mortar

[tyrkala]

I am making my own mortar mix and cannot find "masons' lime". I found "Horticultural Hydrated lime" The breakdown is at:

http://www.hi-yield.com/products/Pro...bels/33371.pdf

Can this be used?

Thanks,
Mike

[RTflorida]

Should be available at your local brickyard or masonry supplier.....Home Depot and Lowes are not the answer, they only carry the horticultural "garden" lime. Not really sure of the difference, I've just been warned to NOT use the garden lime for masonry.
Hopefully one of our resident "home chemists" has the reasoning.

RT

[Gromit]

Originally Posted by RTflorida

Home Depot and Lowes are not the answer

This must be a regional thing; all the orange and blue boxes around here carry lime piled right next to the portland cement.

[tyrkala]

I found a refractory dealer 2+ hours away. I'm just going to make the trip and have piece of mind that it is done with the right materials the first time. There is not a big demand for these products where I live, so they are hard to find. Thanks, Mike

[RTflorida]

May be regional.....they do have pallets of the horticultural lime in the outside garden depts. Hopefully, someone chimes in as to the real differences. In a quick google search, I found that there are several types of mason's lime - including Type S and N, this is what makes type S and N mortars what they are.......but nothing explaining the difference between hydrated garden lime and hydrated mason's lime (from what I found, both types are of the hydrated variety).
Now I remember why I just bought the premix (dry) Type S and M mortars, Heatstop 50, and Sakrete premix concrete......I'm not a mason, so I took the "safe" route - just call me chicken, I didn't want to screw up a mix and then have to re-do it.

RT