Hydraulic lime is a type of calcium carbonate used to make mortar and plaster products. It hardens when exposed to water and has low elasticity, making it ideal for historic preservation. It comes in several varieties for different applications.
Hydraulic lime is a type of lime, or calcium carbonate, that is used to make mortar and plaster products. The lime is heated, then mixed with an aggregate material such as sand or stone. Once this mixture is mixed with water to form mortar, it can be used in many types of masonry construction projects. Mortar can be placed between bricks or blocks to bind them together, or it can also be applied to the surface of the masonry to create a plaster or stucco application.
A specialized form of limestone is used to make hydraulic lime. The limestone is mixed with clay then fired in a kiln at high temperatures. This process removes much of the moisture from the lime and also produces mineral by-products known as silicates. The remaining limestone and silicates are combined to form hydraulic lime.
To understand how hydraulic lime works, it is important to first understand how traditional hydrated lime works. When hydrated lime is mixed with water to form mortar, it has a consistency similar to peanut butter. By reacting with the air, the grout absorbs carbon dioxide, causing it to harden or harden. Hydraulic lime mortar, or vice versa, begins to harden when exposed to water. Over time, it will also absorb carbon dioxide from the air to experience a second stage of curing or curing. Due to these different reactions, hydraulic and hydrated lime are very different products and are not interchangeable.
Hydraulic lime offers a number of advantages over traditional lime mortar mixes. Most important is its ability to cure and harden when wet, meaning it can be used in many applications where other grout products would fail. It also has low elasticity, resulting in fewer cracks due to expansion and contraction. Hydraulic lime is also very porous, allowing excess moisture to escape rather than build up within the wall structure. This makes it very popular for historic preservation applications, where traditional hydrated lime cracks or crumbles over time due to trapped moisture.
This product comes in several varieties, which are chosen based on the application. Type 2 Natural Hydraulic Lime (NHL-2) is designed for interior applications and some exterior uses where the mortar will be protected from moisture. NHL-3.5 is suitable for most exterior applications, while NHL-5 is designed for the toughest exterior applications, such as attics, burying and chimneys.
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