Is it time to get repointing for your home? It is good to restore the mortar between brickwork lines when these materials become cracked or worn out. This bonding agent plays a huge role in the strength of your building and is hugely responsible for keeping your walls in great shape. Your mortar lines can also have a huge impact on the look of your building.
When you are getting your repointing done you should be careful to use a good quality mortar. There are lots of different types and some are a lot tougher and more durable than others.
What is Mortar?
Mortar is a material that is used in construction projects. This material is used to hold masonry items in structures together. This material can be used in brick walls, certain types of sidewalks, sculptures, retaining walls, and interior decor and some types of mortar are even used to seal gaps on rooftops.
The mortar used in modern buildings usually consists of four ingredients; cement, hydrated lime, fine sand, and water. The ratio for these ingredients is usually altered to give mortar different levels of comprehensive strength, flexural strength, bonding ability, and the ability to withstand natural elements.
Different Types Of Mortar
In building constructions, only a couple of mortar types are used. Here is a quick look at some of the most common types.
- Type N
This is the most common type of mortar and it is used for projects walls and decorative non-load bearing projects. The mortar is very popular because it accepts concrete pigmentation colours very well which is helpful for creating a desirable effect.
This mortar has a medium strength level but it doesn’t offer the best protection against severe weather conditions.
- Type S
This type of mortar is good for areas that are often pressurized and affected by high winds, earthquakes, and other natural elements. The high-strength mortar is often used in underground projects, building foundations, sewers, pavements, sidewalks, and patios.
- Type M
Type M mortar is also a high-strength mortar that can handle a lot of side pressure. It is a great mortar for heavy foot traffic areas, top-heavy buildings, retaining walls, roads, and driveways. This type of mortar doesn’t have a very good bonding strength and isn’t suitable for areas where it might be exposed to lots of natural elements.
- Type O
This type of mortar is low in strength but great for indoor projects. It is a great product to use for decorative purposes or on non-load-bearing walls. This mortar is often used to patch up small damaged areas in an existing mortar and in existing buildings.
- Type K
Type K mortar isn‘t used in modern buildings because it has a very low strength level. This type of mortar is still used in older buildings that already have weakened structures. The reason this weak mortar is used in weak buildings is so it won’t cause damage to the masonry of these older buildings.
- Thin Set
Thin-set mortar is a very weak type of mortar that is made from cement and these mortar types often include materials like epoxy. The mortar is ideal for indoor projects that don’t bear a lot of weight or pressure. It is societies used as a grout for tiles and can be durable but will be weakened by natural elements.
If you are having a tough time selecting the best mortar type for your building then you should give Pro Tuck Brickwork Restoration a call. These mortar repointing experts can offer you good advice regarding the right mortar to get and they can get your entire home exterior repointed so your building can look great and withstand natural elements for much longer.