Hello All,
Next to my house runs a small creek that turns into Class V rapids during big storms. Many years ago someone DIY'ed a very medieval looking stone wall which seems to mostly be comprised of granite rocks and boulders gathered from the land and mortared together. The work looks good and it's held up well over the years. There are a few areas in need of repair and it also needs to be completed at one end. I've always been enamored with stone construction and would love to take on this project.
I've tried placing a few stones with the pre-mix mortars that can be purchased at Lowes and HD, but the adhesion simply is not comparable to the rocks I remove from the old wall. Whatever this mortar is that the guy used, it simply will not let go of the rocks. The stuff I'm using just cracks off, or the best bonds can still be pretty easily chipped off with a chisel.
I've tried varying the amount of water I'm using, making sure the stones are nice and clean. Is there some other product I need to use to get a good bond? A big difference I notice is that the old mortar has pretty large particle sizes, meaning tiny stones 1mm or 2mm in diameter. The pre-mix does not. I'm sure there's more to it than that, but just an observation.
Thank you!
Next to my house runs a small creek that turns into Class V rapids during big storms. Many years ago someone DIY'ed a very medieval looking stone wall which seems to mostly be comprised of granite rocks and boulders gathered from the land and mortared together. The work looks good and it's held up well over the years. There are a few areas in need of repair and it also needs to be completed at one end. I've always been enamored with stone construction and would love to take on this project.
I've tried placing a few stones with the pre-mix mortars that can be purchased at Lowes and HD, but the adhesion simply is not comparable to the rocks I remove from the old wall. Whatever this mortar is that the guy used, it simply will not let go of the rocks. The stuff I'm using just cracks off, or the best bonds can still be pretty easily chipped off with a chisel.
I've tried varying the amount of water I'm using, making sure the stones are nice and clean. Is there some other product I need to use to get a good bond? A big difference I notice is that the old mortar has pretty large particle sizes, meaning tiny stones 1mm or 2mm in diameter. The pre-mix does not. I'm sure there's more to it than that, but just an observation.
Thank you!