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Planning (early) for next season’s project. Going to remove (sand blast?) paint from an old 1888 stone/block foundation wall of my small Victorian in the Chgo ‘burbs. Needs lots of tuckpointing. What is the correct mortar mix to use to point the open cracks, etc.? This ‘wall’ is about 3-4 ft agove grade outside before the frame home begins. Thanks for any help/advice.
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You will want to use a low portland content mortar to avoid spalling or cracking the stone. A modern brick wall may have a mortar mixture that contains eleven percent portland, but an old stone foundation like yours may have less than one percent mortar. In the old days, most mortars were just sand and lime, because portland hadn't been discovered then, which is why the really older buildings have such narrow mortar joints. An example soft mix might be a ratio of one part cement to three parts lime to two parts sand. This is a very soft material that may match your old stone, and it's endorsed by the Society for the Preservation of New England Antiquities.
Barry
*Ask the builder has some good info on tuckpointing and matching mortaron the web.Go to the below link. Be sure to follow the link at the end ofthe article.The two articles should answer most of your questions. AskThe Builder
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Planning (early) for next season's project. Going to remove (sand blast?) paint from an old 1888 stone/block foundation wall of my small Victorian in the Chgo 'burbs. Needs lots of tuckpointing. What is the correct mortar mix to use to point the open cracks, etc.? This 'wall' is about 3-4 ft agove grade outside before the frame home begins. Thanks for any help/advice.