Last edited 09 May 2022

Lime putty mortar

Hot-mixed Lime Mortar, published by Historic Environment Scotland in April 2015 states: ‘Lime putty is made by slaking quicklime with excess water (without adding aggregate). The lime and water react and form a putty, which is normally stored and left to mature for several months (the lime continues to take up water and ‘fatten up’). Although the slaking stage generates heat, the subsequent production of a mortar, by mixing the matured lime putty with aggregate, does not. Lime putty mortars, being ‘air limes’, rely solely on carbonation from exposure to the air in order to harden and can therefore be stored indefinitely if kept in sealed containers or under the cover of a layer of water.’

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