P
Last summer, while repointing my soft Norfolk red brick walls, I encountered an all too common issue – whole sections that had been previously repointed with a harder cement mix – in some areas almost pure cement 🤬
Lime is messy and requires time and patience that the modern construction site cannot give.
I agree with the thrust of the article – but it oversimplifies lime vs. cement.
The article seems to frame the shift to cement as a relatively modern phenomenon, when in reality, it has been used in UK home construction since around the early 1900s. It also misses the technical nuance – cement itself isn't the culprit for cracking. The issue is using a mortar mix that is harder than the surrounding brick.
