Stumbled on a stat about mortar drying times that blew my mind

I was reading through some old masonry guides on the library's website last night and found out that traditional lime mortar can take up to 2 years to fully cure. Always figured it was a few weeks tops like modern stuff. Has anyone else run into issues with projects using old-school mortar where it felt soft way longer than you expected?

3 comments

3 Comments

tessa_clark7420d ago

Have you tried keeping it covered with wet burlap and misting it daily for the first few weeks? I've found that makes a huge difference in preventing hairline cracks.

taylor_young20d ago

Woah, that's a wild stat. Honestly, most people don't realize that "curing" and "drying" are two totally different things with old school mortar. Tbh, the real issue isn't just how long it takes to set, but that you have to keep it damp for months or it'll crack and lose all its strength. Ngl, a lot of historic restoration guys mess this up because they treat it like modern portland cement and wonder why their work fails. That two year timeline is for the carbonation process to actually finish, not just for it to feel solid to the touch.

garcia.laura20d ago

Oh boy, you nailed it! I had a similar mess on a old stone wall I was fixing up out back. I kept it covered with damp towels and misted it twice a day for a solid three months, and it still had tiny cracks in a few spots. That carbonation part really is the key, most folks just give up after a month or two and then wonder why the mortar crumbles away a year later. It is a labor of love for sure, but worth it when it holds up right.