400 year old welsh stone cottage. We have several internal walls made with stone and slate. These are not the external stone work. The morter is crumbling. Very dusty and rough. I'm guessing they need reoointing? Any advice gratefully received 🙏
If the mortar is crumbling then they definitely do need repointing. I'm sure you will need lime mortar judging by the age of the cottage. I love them for the character they bring but they need to be vacuumed with a soft brush setting on low suction rather often.
How beautiful, there is nothing quite like accentuating nature within an interior space.
A few guidance points for you, as well as a link to experts Heritage House:
What does the pointing process achieve?
Walls need to breathe – and if the pointing doesn’t allow this, the wall will rapidly deteriorate. Mortar joints are the lungs of a wall. Incorrect pointing causes irreparable damage to older buildings. It is essential to understand what the mortar joints actually do: Mortar in the wall is to act as a bedding between stones and varies from fine joints in ashlar stonework to larger joints in rubble masonry walls. Joints are effectively reduced in size by inserting small stones and ‘snecked’ pieces of stone. It must be flexible to allow movement/settlement of the structure due to thermal responses and settlement within the structure. Many earlier large buildings are not designed with the modern expansion/contraction joints of today. Old Houses: If the house is built using lime mortar, it is most likely that the walls are solid – they won’t have a cavity. These walls need to be treated very differently to ones with a cavity. Old walls need to breathe – the stone and brick from which they are built is usually harder, and less absorbent than the lime mortar.
Heritage House:
Heritage House are experts in their field on on all types of internal and external masonry work, they break down the entire process with images to illustrate the types of mortars to be used depending on the age of the home and if it has a cavity within the existing structure.
I usually love stone walls but they do need a thorough tidy up. Please don’t shoot me but I would be tempted to plaster over it. You could use a traditional lime mortar. If that is sacrilege (I’m sure it is!) then getting the mortar repointed would be good.
Please don't plaster over it. You will strip all the character and it will look like another boring plasterboarded dull room. The character is incredible.
Ruth Foulkes thanked Isla Cherry
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Ruth FoulkesOriginal Author
Isla Cherry
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