DIY Preservation with Virginia Lime Works

RECOMMEDED DOCUMENTS

Lime 101: The Basics
Repointing for Beginners
Plastering for Beginners
Painting Historic Masonry

With the advent of television programming that encourages more and more "Do it yourself" projects, homeowners are now taking it into their own hands to restore their historic buildings. Whether you are "flipping" a historic home, or ensuring that your structure is there for your grandchildren and greatgrandchildren to enjoy, Virginia Lime Works has a wide selections of products that are not only easy for any "DIY-er" to use, but also will breathe new life into the historic masonry without causing the irreversible damage that comes when using modern incompatible materials.

If you are repointing historic masonry (be it brick or stone) we recommend our line of Mix&GO pre-mixed mortars. Our standard mixes are made with NHL 3.5 which will give you a mortar that is not too hard, but also will stand up to the elements and be durable for years to come. If you need something a bit stronger (as in repointing a lighthouse in Maine) or something softer (crumbling decaying brickwork) our Mix&GO made with a NHL 5 or NHL 2 (respectively) might be what the house doctor ordered. Click here to learn more about which NHL for which application.

If you are needing to repair interior plasterwork or want to render/stucco your historic masonry we have a line of easy to use Mix&GOs for this as well. We have mixes designed for just about every application including plaster/stucco on masonry, wood lath, and metal lath. Explore our Mix&GO Plasters/Stuccos by clicking on the links to the right of the page.

Many people make the serious mistake after going to all the trouble of repointing or rendering their historic masonry properly, of using modern incompatible coatings or paint. Check out our information on the left to learn more about painting historic masonry.

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