LIME
Lime is produced by burning and then slaking limestone, and is the durable, breathable mortar that humans have been using for thousands of years. It is suitable for external and internal applications, whether in floors, walls or roofs, and its disinfectant properties (due to high alkalinity) render it especially suitable for wet areas like kitchens and bathrooms. Natural Hydraulic Lime, the most weather-resistant lime type, has a proven longevity over millennia and a strength that directly rivals cement.
In collaboration with TCS Calce
Natural Hydraulic Lime
The raw material itself. We exclusively utilize Saint-Astier natural hydraulic lime for all of our mortars due to its strength (σ = 10 MPa). This lime can be mixed with local builder’s sand to create walls and floors, mortars, plasters and finishes. It can also be mixed with hemp, perlite or expanded clay aggregate to create lightweight infill panels for timber frame construction or stone buildings.
Note: By only buying the binder and using local materials to make custom mixes, one saves on transportation costs by up to 75%.
Structural Lime Mortars
Natural Hydraulic Lime based mortars for structural applications, such as stonework, restoration, structural reinforcement or injections. The high strength of the NHL5 binder is further increased with the use of metakaolin (a natural pozzolanic additive) and suitably selected aggregates to create mortars with up to 15MPa strength, and injection grouts with high penetrability and compatibility with historical masonry. The addition of alkali-resistant glass fibre reinforcement meshes can fully maximise the strength of the intervention.
Insulative Lime Mortars
Natural Hydraulic Lime based lightweight mortars with crushed pumice, perlite and glass spheres. With a very low thermal conductivity (λ = 0.058 W/mK) and a very high breathability (μ < 6), these mortars are ideal for the restoration and energy upgrade of historical buildings. The addition of alkali-resistant glass fibre reinforcement meshes can also increase out-of-plane bending strength in historical masonry tenfold, thus combining insulation, dehumidification, plastering and structural reinforcement in one single pass.
Hemp Lime
A Natural Hydraulic Lime based organic mortar with hemp shiv aggregate. In addition to the low thermal conductivity of this mix (λ = 0.07 W/mK), the hemp shivs are hygroscopic, allowing the hemp lime mix to regulate humidity and create comfort inside the building in a way that normal lime mortars cannot. It can be used to plaster on existing walls or cast-in-place to create a continuous, monolithic, insulative and breathable wall assembly up to 30cm thick that is ready to plaster.
Opus signinum
A Natural Hydraulic Lime based mortar with crushed brick aggregate. This mortar is identical to what ancient Greeks and Romans were using in their villas, and its longevity is measured in millennia. It is most often used to create noble and durable floors, but it can also be applied as a surface finish in vertical surfaces as well. Additionally, it is precisely the mortar that was traditionally used in the mediterranean to waterproof cisterns, and it is thus naturally resistant to both wear and tear as well as water intrusion and high humidity.
Pastellone
A Natural Hydraulic Lime based decorative smooth plaster. This thin, water-resistant stunning finish is most often used in kitchens, showers, and outdoor spaces, where its fine aggregate and polished texture protect the wall or floor from water intrusion and render it soft to the touch. It comes in a vast array of colours, is synonymous with architectural luxury, and is one of the most lasting inventions of the Renaissance builders and plasterers of Venice.
Lime Paints
CL-90 Lime based finish coats, made from high-quality air lime that is slaked for a minimum of 24 months. The sands included in the mix are chromatically and granulometrically selected to create intense visual effects. The exact texture of the finished wall will depend both on the paint and on the existing substrate, allowing one to experiment with coarser or finer undercoats prior to the application of the paint. Suitable for both interior and exterior use.
