Man repoints a French house, cue bucket loads of comments from people who have never held a trowel, made a lime mortar mix or understand the word 'vernacular'. This is a perfectly reasonable demonstration of how you do this by hand. The French have automated some of this effort these days (certainly for bigger jobs) with a pneumatic/mechanical system that chucks/sprays the mortar on the wall for you and if you were to get a contractor to do this for you then likely that's the kit they would turn up with to do the job. The way they do it is coat the wall getting in all the crevices, then come along afterwards and scrape/pressure wash off the excess to reveal the stone. The type of finish you get and can aim for is dependent on the stone that makes up the wall. If your stones are all nice regular and sizeable, then you can go for the 'every stone is picked out' approach. When you have a really random wall like this was, with a lot of smaller stones in it, then this part-rendered look that you end up with is absolutely typical and very definitely vernacular for a lot of rural France. Trying to reveal every little stone is BS (I've tried it and it looks shit). I have a gable-end wall on what was a small stable that I'm converting into a workshop right now. It was probably last pointed 40/50 years ago and the weathered-out cracks show loads of small pieces of tile used as packers still embedded in the remaining mortar. This is also absolutely typical. Having said that, I'd agree that old stone walls that have had all their original mortar weathered out of them are a thing of beauty in their own right. Whenever I'm stood in front of a wall that I'm about to point up I always wish I could leave it looking the same, but put it back into a structurally sound and weatherproof state. Just not possible. Good job buddy!
Brian, Thanks for explaining what is impossible to do in video. I would also add that the closer to the ground the heavier the pointing should be, towards the top of the walls we try to be a little more delicate. Take care and best of looking with the house :)
Great observation; so many critical comments from armchair ‘experts’ when IMO the father and son team have refurbished this wall to a very high standard, their workmanship, attention to detail and work ethic are excellent. The job satisfaction they’ll have on completion is something that money can’t buy.
Full flush weather pointing. A vernacular style here in the Scottish highlands and coastal areas. It offers the best protection and flattest surface for water run off. We would scratch it back with a trowel not a wire brush and then beat the mortar with a stuff brush to compact and offset any shrinkage. Nice job.
yeah... if you want to protect stones from elements its best to cover them mostly. such house can last much longer. pretty much everyone who was building with stone was doing that. just some buildings lost its cover and now people think they never had it
I worked in Southampton marina many years ago as a diver. We repaired the dock wall the same way except we were under water. Love your videos and the inspiration they provide ... keep them coming.
Just happened upon your channel and the work you and your father do is truly beautiful! The patience you have to honor the home’s history, and restore it as close to the original as possible is amazing. Thank you for sharing these projects! Also love, that you were learning everything through your father who was in construction wow.
There will be pockets of air if you smear the mortar between the stones. You better throw it with some force on the wall, so it will fill all the gaps, and then smooth it evenly. It is also possible to mix the lime with water to a consistence similar to buttermilk and spritz it on with a big brush first, then let it set for some hours so it can help bond the mortar to the surface.
Thumbs up for using limebased morfar. It tills me you are well aware that cementbased morfar in concrete world destroy the walls In the Long run. Well Done!
Years ago I was a mudboy for a stonemason that takes a lot of work thanks for putting your videos on here I hope you have a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year
Sehr Gute Arbeit und geniest die gemeinsame Zeit! Ich habe damals mit meinem Vater auch unseren "erst 200 Jahre" Alten Bauernhof in Bayern Restauriert. Wir haben nie wieder so viel Zeit miteinander Verbracht. Drei Jahre später Starb er leider viel zu Früh😥.
Hey Carl, raki g out the old loose stones and mortar is loads faster when you use compressed air at 110 PSI or slightly higher. Saves a shitload of work and time you can use for the actual plastering....
Wonderful job! The gorgeous light aqua paint on the old wood shutters looks so nice against the 'blond' colored mortar & stone! I hope you decide to keep them that color.
I get addicted to your videos. This work looks great again. It also reminds me of when I (as an office worker) offered to help a friend do the same thing by saying, yeah, it’ll be two days… but it took a lot more… and I didn’t have the cases of beer;) and I now love the way you make your videos, everything is there. And the “blue nail” in the corner made me laugh. Thanks again to you both for those vids.
Greeting from USA. Looks awsome I found the channel the other day and have been watching non stop. I should be working on our house we are building. You do Awsome work!! Would love to restore a place like that!!!! Keep it up looks great I love when people restore older homes and buildings so much history is wasted when left to rot!!!
Carl, I am amazed at what you are doing! Wow...just wow. I'm new to your channel, and did subscribe. But I have a question: Are there any videos of the farmhouse renovation as well? I've been scrolling and watching so many of the barn, and loved the Range Rover clutch repair. But I can't find any videos of the interior of the actual farmhouse remodel yet. Would love to see what it was to what it has become. Thanks, and Cheers!
dont "smear" the mortar, but slap it on with speed for better bonding and keep it from drying out too quickly. cement (and concrete) hardens by crystallizing which takes time and humidity.
Did you soak the tiles in water before adding them into the wall? It seems as though I heard a long time ago that if they were not wet prior, then they would soak up the water from the cement mixture, causing premature failure of the cement. NOTE: I am not familiar with brick laying or masonry work. However, I would like to know if this is true, in case I ever need to do work like that. Perhaps, different clients require adjustments.; I live in Texas, and I think you are someplace in Great Britain.
Throwing the mortar from the trowel to the wall gives better adhesion and is quicker. You'll see French Artisans doing it that way. I don't know if you did it, but leaving a bucket or two of render in the mixer for when you make the next mix helps to even out any potential colour difference.
Interesting video. I'm in the same line of work in my country (Malta) but I'd use different methods. We use a grouting bag to fill the big voids in between stones. Much faster and gets the mortar further inside. Also we use a nylon brush and wetted sponge to finish and clean the surface. Wire brushes are not allowed as they scratch and leave iron particles behind. Another thing I want to point out is that using metal screws as used in the video is bad practice. This is because metal is affected by temperature fluctuations much more than stone/lime and causes cracks, even if its stainless steel and won't rust. Instead we use glass fibre dowels held in place by a suitable adhesive. As for the people saying that he should have left more stone exposed: it wasn't really a choice as he had to match the style that was already there.
Why not use a high pressure washer to clean the joints out one section at a time? That way you'd wet the surfaces before mortaring. Or could you cause the wall to come tumbling down with high pressure?
Bonjour , je regarde quelques une de vos vidéo même si je ne comprends pas l'anglais c'est un plaisir de vous voir faire. Et de ce fait je me permets de vous dire que votre façade et très bien fait , MAIS dans votre maison dans l'ancien crépit qui était a la chaux, il y a certainement du sels hygroscopique qui sont très destructeur , comme vous avez fais un crépit au ciment ,vous avez bloqué l'échange gazeux car contrairement a la chaux le ciment est étanche. les sels( si il y en a) était a peu près a 1,20 m de haut , maintenant avec votre crépi au ciment les sels vont migrer plus haut et causé des dégats faites attention et prenez toujours les sels en compte peu de gens le savent. j'ai appris cela avec sur le site métriconsult qui parle de ces sels , par contre ne vous découragé pas, votre travail et formidable bonne continuation Cordialement Denis
Pardon Monsieur, mais le narrateur ici a particulierement explique qu'il est necessaire d'utiliser le sable et le lime, pas le ciment. Cet ancien methode permet que la maison peuve respirer. Je crois que cela evite les problemes dont vous parlez. Un jour je dois apprendre comment ajouter des accents, mais pour le moment, je m'excuse.
The old mortar had not "decayed". Old stone houses were built by the stone being bedded in clay. Then perhaps a skin of lime render was put on top. Or perhaps the clay was simply left visible between the stones.
Mate just out of curiosity how old are you? The work you're doing is bloody fantastic!! Just found the channel and watched the whole roof restore, subbed right after Edit: also are you trade qualified or just pretty handy and learning from the old man? Loads of questions I know but you are literally living my dream just curious as to how you went about getting there!!
I’m in my mid 20s! Thanks for the kind words, it’s really my parents place, I’m just helping them restore it. All the knowhow is from the old man who was in construction :)
@@carlroge Just found your channel and I’m binge watching all your content. Soak up all you can from the old man and carry on his legacy. This type of craftsmanship is priceless.
Please be carefull you doesn't use the good lime. "renocal" contain Portland cement Use cl90 lime. when walls are every day in contact with a lot water you can use nhl2. But as you need breathable ancient wall use cl90 for rejointing and coating, this is the best... ( breathable, color, patination).
Just out of curiosity -- what type of stone was used for the walls -- sandstone, limestone, granite? Your use of lime cement is perfect for walls with porous material -- untold damage has been done by well-meaning restorers using impermeable cement to repoint porous brick walls in victorian constructions. Glad to see restoration taken on by someone who is willing to let the house function as it was meant to do.
I assume this is sandstone, much more difficult than Limestone pointing, the tile garating will soak the water out of your mortar, so you can get the next coat on quicker, with Limestone walls I find it easier to fling the mortar in, that way you get it in all the voids, but I notice the "professional" builders here use a pump to force it in, the second coat I push off the hawk with a tool called a cats tongue here in the Lot, but I also use what looks like a very small bricklayers trowel, I then brush off with a stiff broomhead as it is more gentle than a wire brush, thumbs up for Renocal ! Chris B.
hello my friend, where you live limestone is used to build the walls? im asking because where i live is more common to see walls made of sandstone and i was curiousd to know if they work as well. Near where i live i foud a limestone quarry and was thinking in maybe starting a small project with them, but as i have never seen a house build with it i am a little woried if it is gonna work.
@@marcusagrippa5628 Hello Marcus, I am not sure where in the world you live, but if you have a Limestone quarry near you you need to look at the type of stone it is, some Limestone is very hard, and is idea for building with, other seams are quite soft, and can break down if subjected to freezing conditions, here in Southern France everything is made with Limestone, houses, walls even the crushed rubble is used for driveways, it is a very nice material to build with, I use it for building mortared walls, and dry stone walls in the garden, so my advice would be to go to the quarry and pick up a few samples of their stone, you can then see how it is to work it, but you must use a lime mortar , walls for houses are usually constructed by using the flat face to the outside, a Mt thick wall then has 2 outside faces with rubble and mortar thrown in the heart, if you try to build a thin wall it is difficult to end up with stones that are strong, unless you dress them both sides, then it is difficult to maintain a regular thickness. Good luck with your project! Chris B.
Why didn't you point around the stones? Was it to stop wet getting in, local style or something else. Some places in France and the UK point around the stone, also some expose the lower stone and render above it.
I used plastic putty knives to clean out and repack the mortar. They are more flexible and cheaply replaced. A dollar store spray bottle moistens the stones before repacking and spraying a light mist on the fresh repair slows the drying time so things don't crack. Get some rubber gloves too.
In the UK we (mostly) point around the outside of the stone, so you see more stone than mortar. This is the other way around, more mortar than stone. Is this a preferred technique/style in your country?
We use this method of pointing in the north of Scotland as the weather is very harsh. Got to remember these buildings were never intended to be exposed. They usually had a lime harling or lime wash protecting the Masonry. This pointing is the next best thing to protecting and functionality
Brian, you don't understand the difference. Pointing is placing a lime or cement mix between the stones to stop moisture getting into the wall, and on an old wall it means to scrape out decomposed mortar, replace missing and defective stone, and replacing the mortar. Rendering is to cover the wall with a unifying cement or modern coating to seal the wall and to bring it to an even surface.. The walls in the video still exhibit some stone and lots of unevenness. If I had asked for a render and got what went on this wall, the tradies would not be paid. Render and pointing are two distinct processes with two ratioanles.
@@davidstokes8441 thanks but no thanks. After 50 years as a Chartered Engineer in building/civil engineering the difference is well known. My comment still applies
When ancient lime mortar that holds a stone walk together degenerates over time it loses its capacity to hold stones in place. This is why ruins crumble. Properly protected from water either inside or out, a lime mortar stone wall can last indefinitely. While the appearance of a quaint stone wall is nice it will soon have the appearance of a quaint pile of rocks if not stabilized. You mention the use of lime for breathability and this is true. But there is a much more important quality that the lime brings. It mimics the strength of the existing, remaining mortar. When considering repointing most tradesmen simply assume that a bag if portland cement and some sand will do it. Sadly this is a VERY bad idea. The analogy is like an egg shell. When you apply a cement based pointing mixture you are in essence making a thin waterproof egg shell that covers whatever material is behind it. With a fresh egg, we all know that the egg inside will deteriorate, leaving only the fragile shell to remind us of what it used to be. The same is true of a lime masonry wall. Should the interior become damp due to the new waterproof shell allowing interior humidity and moisture to inhabit the wall that lime mortar will actually increase the rate at which it loses its strength. And you will not even know it. Until the collapse, that is. So it is important in the restoration if ancient masonry structures that the exterior finish material sheds rainwater, allows water vapor to pass through the wall and dissipates any actual moisture that may accumulate within the wall. And just as the Romans discovered, mortar made of lime and sand properly addresses all of those concerns. Nice work. This structure gets another 50 year lease on life.
I think also lime mortar is a tad flexible and can cope with slight movement, as you get with every wall on the planet, unlike portland cement which will crack at the very mention of movement.
Moisture doesn't travel through the wall it convects off it both internally and externally. And in fact its very hard to remove water more than 4" into a wall. The lime crystal shape is such that water passes around it very easily thus drawing water from the stone into and then rapidly off the mortar through convection. So your mortar should be dense and lime rich as its differing thermal expansion rates that cause cracking and delamintation and if its not dense it will crumble as it does this. It can be harder but it definitely has to be flexible eg. earth mortar backing with a lime putty finish is fine even though the earth is very weak in comparison. The other thing to consider is the lime richer substrate will have the greatest pull on the water so its essential the layering is correct. Sorry to ruin your egg metaphor.
@@corindoyle it is important that we all share ideas and observations about everything and that includes specialized areas like the performance and properties of masonry and stone walls. I am an architect and owner of a firm that for over 40 years has specialized in the areas of historic preservation and building structural stabilization. I work closely with very specialized structural engineers and the engineers at the American Society for Testing of Materials. In addition to masonry, I am considered an expert in the area of adobe construction. An associate of mine is now the Architect for the Arch Diocese responsible for the preservation and stabilization of the famous adobe Mission at San Juan Capistrano, California, USA. An important part of my work is the scientific testing of the materials used in each building that we address. Only after understanding what the specific materials are and how they are performing can we devise the appropriate corrective measures for that structure. The work is fascinating and every challenge is different and new. Thank you for your comments and best wishes for a successful and beautiful end result.
If you pressure wash the wall the night before, it'll take out all of the dust, put some moisture into the stone and the mortar will adhere better. At least, that's how we do it here in Normandy, leaving more stone exposed. Good job though!
This might be the traditional style where you’re from but it’s hard to get my head round it. Either point the joints showing off the stone work, or render the wall completely. This is in between, why?
Does anyone know if you can expose a stone wall from under plaster in a farm house where the other side of the wall is to the outside elements? I've only seen stone e walls exposed on walls, where the other side of that wall is in another room indoors. Thank you.
I don't think you're meant to do that when working on stone with lime products are you? I think you use lime mortar to keep breathability considering it's a solid stone wall, whereas if you apply waterproofing chemicals you lose the breathability and trap moisture within. Whereas if you're working on more modern builds (e.g. cavity walls) you can be a lot more flexible.
@@alexroge6495 no they wouldnt. In all Europe there are thousands of Castles, walls, temples, houses, etc, etc, etc with hundreds and thousands of years with the stones visible. The vídeo autor did what he did to spare work.
Whatto Carl, good to catch up on your videos, I got locked out of my account for some time lol. I was wondering how you will finish up the wall at ground level, will it be a thick layer of limecrete resembling interior skirting board or something different?
Never use cement , only use nhl 3.5 , or lime putty to point with … if you can lime wash as well you add more protection .. Jobs looks awesome by the way , just hope there is ZERO cement in mix as it will be completely compromised and hold water in building
Oh dear what a shame, these types of stone buildings were often built directly onto the ground with no foundation. The wall thickness varies between 20 and 36 inches with a gap in the middle between the facing stones. This gap was filled with the loose waste pieces from the stone. A mixture of dust to pieces the size of your hand. The mortar used, in France is called tradifarge, a Chalk based mortar which never goes hard. During the life of the building the wall settle and move and as it weathers and moves the chalk based mortar allows the stone to move and settle and reset. I completed a large Charente granite barn which was at risk of collapse. You should never fill out the mortar gaps with fired clay broken pot. The tradifarge must be in one layer otherwise pieces will break away as the wall moves. I used compressed air and a jetting gun to spray the mortar mix on my wall in layers before each had a chance to dry. Then using a wire brush remove the surplus to highlight each stone in profile. Took 8 weeks to complete. Fair play to thischap who worked hard and had achieved a rendered finish but with a little research and finding out from local tradesmen you could have achieved what the french call a ‘hundred year finish’ this wall is not. But you have to admire anyone who is prepared to roll up their sleeves and get on with it. Well done chap.
He is using hydraulic lime, as you can see from the bag in the video. Filling deeper pockets is not a bad idea. Lime shrinks too much if the volume is too high. I do it differently, but the work in this video is flawless.
Try brushing it out to just catch edge of stone would look better and I work on listed grade 1 and 2 am working on a castle at the moment you have lost all detail of stone
He would then have to remove all of the mortar from the rest of the building to match the new finish. I think he matched the existing finish quite well.
But what would the original builders have done though. It may be quaint to *us* to have the exposed stone, but concealing them as much as possible may have been the way these buildings were originally done (I don't know the particulars or history of the style, so someone else would have to answer that).
Man repoints a French house, cue bucket loads of comments from people who have never held a trowel, made a lime mortar mix or understand the word 'vernacular'.
This is a perfectly reasonable demonstration of how you do this by hand. The French have automated some of this effort these days (certainly for bigger jobs) with a pneumatic/mechanical system that chucks/sprays the mortar on the wall for you and if you were to get a contractor to do this for you then likely that's the kit they would turn up with to do the job. The way they do it is coat the wall getting in all the crevices, then come along afterwards and scrape/pressure wash off the excess to reveal the stone.
The type of finish you get and can aim for is dependent on the stone that makes up the wall. If your stones are all nice regular and sizeable, then you can go for the 'every stone is picked out' approach. When you have a really random wall like this was, with a lot of smaller stones in it, then this part-rendered look that you end up with is absolutely typical and very definitely vernacular for a lot of rural France. Trying to reveal every little stone is BS (I've tried it and it looks shit).
I have a gable-end wall on what was a small stable that I'm converting into a workshop right now. It was probably last pointed 40/50 years ago and the weathered-out cracks show loads of small pieces of tile used as packers still embedded in the remaining mortar. This is also absolutely typical.
Having said that, I'd agree that old stone walls that have had all their original mortar weathered out of them are a thing of beauty in their own right. Whenever I'm stood in front of a wall that I'm about to point up I always wish I could leave it looking the same, but put it back into a structurally sound and weatherproof state. Just not possible.
Good job buddy!
Brian, Thanks for explaining what is impossible to do in video. I would also add that the closer to the ground the heavier the pointing should be, towards the top of the walls we try to be a little more delicate. Take care and best of looking with the house :)
Great observation; so many critical comments from armchair ‘experts’ when IMO the father and son team have refurbished this wall to a very high standard, their workmanship, attention to detail and work ethic are excellent.
The job satisfaction they’ll have on completion is something that money can’t buy.
Full flush weather pointing. A vernacular style here in the Scottish highlands and coastal areas. It offers the best protection and flattest surface for water run off. We would scratch it back with a trowel not a wire brush and then beat the mortar with a stuff brush to compact and offset any shrinkage. Nice job.
Wtf has that got to do with the video?
@@bradley2427 because it's a similar style. Adding context to this video for the people saying it's wrong. That's why.
yeah... if you want to protect stones from elements its best to cover them mostly. such house can last much longer. pretty much everyone who was building with stone was doing that. just some buildings lost its cover and now people think they never had it
I worked in Southampton marina many years ago as a diver. We repaired the dock wall the same way except we were under water. Love your videos and the inspiration they provide ... keep them coming.
Nice to see youngsters performing an old craft. And being good at it.
Great results again. Done to resemble how they would have done it 300 years ago. Rustic and beautiful.
Just happened upon your channel and the work you and your father do is truly beautiful! The patience you have to honor the home’s history, and restore it as close to the original as possible is amazing. Thank you for sharing these projects! Also love, that you were learning everything through your father who was in construction wow.
There will be pockets of air if you smear the mortar between the stones. You better throw it with some force on the wall, so it will fill all the gaps, and then smooth it evenly. It is also possible to mix the lime with water to a consistence similar to buttermilk and spritz it on with a big brush first, then let it set for some hours so it can help bond the mortar to the surface.
Oglądam kolejny odcinek i jestem pod wrażeniem dbania o szczegół, dążenia do zachowania szczegółów budynku.Gratuluje i pozdrawiam.
Please put more videos, I love watching these things.They will be future reference videos to many people.
Thumbs up for using limebased morfar. It tills me you are well aware that cementbased morfar in concrete world destroy the walls In the Long run. Well Done!
Years ago I was a mudboy for a stonemason that takes a lot of work thanks for putting your videos on here I hope you have a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year
Your construction work and video editing work are both outstanding. Thank you for sharing.
Sehr Gute Arbeit und geniest die gemeinsame Zeit!
Ich habe damals mit meinem Vater auch unseren "erst 200 Jahre" Alten Bauernhof in Bayern Restauriert.
Wir haben nie wieder so viel Zeit miteinander Verbracht. Drei Jahre später Starb er leider viel zu Früh😥.
That is a labor of love and patience. It’s beautiful.
I would like it that stones remained more visible, not almost all covered but those are choices.. Good job anyway thanks from Italy
The right mindset and a good feeling for the materials makes for a great outcome. Chapeau.
Hey Carl, raki g out the old loose stones and mortar is loads faster when you use compressed air at 110 PSI or slightly higher. Saves a shitload of work and time you can use for the actual plastering....
Wonderful job! The gorgeous light aqua paint on the old wood shutters looks so nice against the 'blond' colored mortar & stone! I hope you decide to keep them that color.
I get addicted to your videos. This work looks great again. It also reminds me of when I (as an office worker) offered to help a friend do the same thing by saying, yeah, it’ll be two days… but it took a lot more… and I didn’t have the cases of beer;) and I now love the way you make your videos, everything is there. And the “blue nail” in the corner made me laugh. Thanks again to you both for those vids.
Time and talent saves history. Thank you for sharing.
Greeting from USA. Looks awsome I found the channel the other day and have been watching non stop. I should be working on our house we are building. You do Awsome work!! Would love to restore a place like that!!!! Keep it up looks great I love when people restore older homes and buildings so much history is wasted when left to rot!!!
Love those colours. The yellows of the wall with the green shutters and terracotta roof.
Carl, I am amazed at what you are doing! Wow...just wow. I'm new to your channel, and did subscribe. But I have a question: Are there any videos of the farmhouse renovation as well? I've been scrolling and watching so many of the barn, and loved the Range Rover clutch repair. But I can't find any videos of the interior of the actual farmhouse remodel yet. Would love to see what it was to what it has become. Thanks, and Cheers!
dont "smear" the mortar, but slap it on with speed for better bonding and keep it from drying out too quickly.
cement (and concrete) hardens by crystallizing which takes time and humidity.
Be careful with cement, maybe better use chalk
@@Stoffmonster467 I think you mean lime.
Its lime...air cured. So humidity retards it.
Did you soak the tiles in water before adding them into the wall?
It seems as though I heard a long time ago that if they were not wet prior, then they would soak up the water from the cement mixture, causing premature failure of the cement.
NOTE: I am not familiar with brick laying or masonry work. However, I would like to know if this is true, in case I ever need to do work like that. Perhaps, different clients require adjustments.; I live in Texas, and I think you are someplace in Great Britain.
Throwing the mortar from the trowel to the wall gives better adhesion and is quicker. You'll see French Artisans doing it that way. I don't know if you did it, but leaving a bucket or two of render in the mixer for when you make the next mix helps to even out any potential colour difference.
Interesting video. I'm in the same line of work in my country (Malta) but I'd use different methods. We use a grouting bag to fill the big voids in between stones. Much faster and gets the mortar further inside. Also we use a nylon brush and wetted sponge to finish and clean the surface. Wire brushes are not allowed as they scratch and leave iron particles behind. Another thing I want to point out is that using metal screws as used in the video is bad practice. This is because metal is affected by temperature fluctuations much more than stone/lime and causes cracks, even if its stainless steel and won't rust. Instead we use glass fibre dowels held in place by a suitable adhesive.
As for the people saying that he should have left more stone exposed: it wasn't really a choice as he had to match the style that was already there.
Still noticing, you all work very neatly. It's nice to see.
Why not use a high pressure washer to clean the joints out one section at a time? That way you'd wet the surfaces before mortaring. Or could you cause the wall to come tumbling down with high pressure?
Reminds me of all of the villages filled with the "se vende" houses along the Camino. Wonderful to see one being restored!
You are the salt of the earth, for sure. What a skill set.
I love the Amstel beer cases. Greetings from the Netherlands.
Bonjour , je regarde quelques une de vos vidéo même si je ne comprends pas l'anglais c'est un plaisir de vous voir faire.
Et de ce fait je me permets de vous dire que votre façade et très bien fait , MAIS dans votre maison dans l'ancien crépit qui était a la chaux, il y a certainement du sels hygroscopique qui sont très destructeur , comme vous avez fais un crépit au ciment ,vous avez bloqué l'échange gazeux car contrairement a la chaux le ciment est étanche.
les sels( si il y en a) était a peu près a 1,20 m de haut , maintenant avec votre crépi au ciment les sels vont migrer plus haut et causé des dégats faites attention et prenez toujours les sels en compte peu de gens le savent.
j'ai appris cela avec sur le site métriconsult qui parle de ces sels , par contre ne vous découragé pas, votre travail et formidable
bonne continuation
Cordialement
Denis
Pardon Monsieur, mais le narrateur ici a particulierement explique qu'il est necessaire d'utiliser le sable et le lime, pas le ciment. Cet ancien methode permet que la maison peuve respirer. Je crois que cela evite les problemes dont vous parlez. Un jour je dois apprendre comment ajouter des accents, mais pour le moment, je m'excuse.
The old mortar had not "decayed". Old stone houses were built by the stone being bedded in clay. Then perhaps a skin of lime render was put on top. Or perhaps the clay was simply left visible between the stones.
How to describe what you have achieved, one word Amazing
Mate just out of curiosity how old are you? The work you're doing is bloody fantastic!! Just found the channel and watched the whole roof restore, subbed right after
Edit: also are you trade qualified or just pretty handy and learning from the old man? Loads of questions I know but you are literally living my dream just curious as to how you went about getting there!!
I’m in my mid 20s! Thanks for the kind words, it’s really my parents place, I’m just helping them restore it. All the knowhow is from the old man who was in construction :)
@@carlroge Just found your channel and I’m binge watching all your content. Soak up all you can from the old man and carry on his legacy. This type of craftsmanship is priceless.
Awesome stuff!! You're learning from a true craftsman!
Жизненному опыту обучает его отец.Достойный родитель и достойный его сын!
Please be carefull you doesn't use the good lime.
"renocal" contain Portland cement
Use cl90 lime. when walls are every day in contact with a lot water you can use nhl2.
But as you need breathable ancient wall use cl90 for rejointing and coating, this is the best... ( breathable, color, patination).
Merci pour le partage.
Beau boulot, je faisais ça avec mon père qui était maçon.
Ca me rappelle ma jeunesse.
Keep up the good work.
🤘👍
You should be very proud, such great work!
It provides a beautiful finish that compliments the colour of the stonework 😁👌👌👌👏👏👏❤️❤️
Lovely work....brilliant effect! Last another century.
Before was beautiful!!
Just out of curiosity -- what type of stone was used for the walls -- sandstone, limestone, granite? Your use of lime cement is perfect for walls with porous material -- untold damage has been done by well-meaning restorers using impermeable cement to repoint porous brick walls in victorian constructions. Glad to see restoration taken on by someone who is willing to let the house function as it was meant to do.
looks like a rock called "molasse" : a mix of sandstone and limestone.
These men can be proud of their work, god will reward them for their humble labor.
에고 꼼꼼하게 잘하네.
Two Thumbs Up from Korea !!!👍👍
Very nicely done!! Looks beautiful.
Tedious work that!
Worth the effort.
Stuccoing my foundation after I had it insulated a few years ago was an absolute nightmare so I can only imagine how difficult this must be!
That was so relaxing!!😊❤❤❤ thank you for not putting back ground music on.
@J Sev thank you!!
Nice pointing job there fella. I have a bug will to do in the near future
LOOKS FANTASTIC ...thankyou from Queensland
Amazing place & great repair work KUDOS to you & Father !!!
The result looks amazing! And it is exactly how I wanted to do to my stone fireplace! Thank you so much
If I was 30 years younger I would be there helping out.
Beautifully done. That corner!! 🥳🥰
Beautiful work ! Thank you
You could point all of it but I find when doing large areas just take a handful and smack it on the wall and wipe it around then take off the excess
I assume this is sandstone, much more difficult than Limestone pointing, the tile garating will soak the water out of your mortar, so you can get the next coat on quicker, with Limestone walls I find it easier to fling the mortar in, that way you get it in all the voids, but I notice the "professional" builders here use a pump to force it in, the second coat I push off the hawk with a tool called a cats tongue here in the Lot, but I also use what looks like a very small bricklayers trowel, I then brush off with a stiff broomhead as it is more gentle than a wire brush, thumbs up for Renocal ! Chris B.
hello my friend, where you live limestone is used to build the walls? im asking because where i live is more common to see walls made of sandstone and i was curiousd to know if they work as well. Near where i live i foud a limestone quarry and was thinking in maybe starting a small project with them, but as i have never seen a house build with it i am a little woried if it is gonna work.
@@marcusagrippa5628 Hello Marcus, I am not sure where in the world you live, but if you have a Limestone quarry near you you need to look at the type of stone it is, some Limestone is very hard, and is idea for building with, other seams are quite soft, and can break down if subjected to freezing conditions, here in Southern France everything is made with Limestone, houses, walls even the crushed rubble is used for driveways, it is a very nice material to build with, I use it for building mortared walls, and dry stone walls in the garden, so my advice would be to go to the quarry and pick up a few samples of their stone, you can then see how it is to work it, but you must use a lime mortar , walls for houses are usually constructed by using the flat face to the outside, a Mt thick wall then has 2 outside faces with rubble and mortar thrown in the heart, if you try to build a thin wall it is difficult to end up with stones that are strong, unless you dress them both sides, then it is difficult to maintain a regular thickness. Good luck with your project! Chris B.
@@453421abcdefg12345 Thanks very much for replying, Chris B, it helped a lot.
@@marcusagrippa5628 No problem, glad to be of assistance.
Why didn't you point around the stones? Was it to stop wet getting in, local style or something else. Some places in France and the UK point around the stone, also some expose the lower stone and render above it.
I am glad this came up on my suggested videos. I need to do this on my foundation. Thanks!
I used plastic putty knives to clean out and repack the mortar. They are more flexible and cheaply replaced. A dollar store spray bottle moistens the stones before repacking and spraying a light mist on the fresh repair slows the drying time so things don't crack. Get some rubber gloves too.
@@cathybaggott2873 thanks for the tips
This is the type of real work I love to watch. Art work in itself really! ❤️❤️❤️
In the UK we (mostly) point around the outside of the stone, so you see more stone than mortar. This is the other way around, more mortar than stone. Is this a preferred technique/style in your country?
Same here in Italy
Stone outside in Catalonia
We use this method of pointing in the north of Scotland as the weather is very harsh. Got to remember these buildings were never intended to be exposed. They usually had a lime harling or lime wash protecting the Masonry. This pointing is the next best thing to protecting and functionality
It depends the person. In my village in France we prefer to see more stone and just mortar around the it
Might as well just render it
Um excelente trabalho de criatividade, sem dúvida um excelente conteudo, excelentes dicas parabéns e muito sucesso
Way to rock that Boston Red Sox cap....
Abonnoment & 🔔 & 👍
Right, no cement mortar on old walls!
Vous avez une belle maison et propriété!
This is unbelievable to watch. I love it totally.
thats rendering not pointing. Tile infills placed incorrectly divorcing the 2 coats
Brian, you don't understand the difference. Pointing is placing a lime or cement mix between the stones to stop moisture getting into the wall, and on an old wall it means to scrape out decomposed mortar, replace missing and defective stone, and replacing the mortar. Rendering is to cover the wall with a unifying cement or modern coating to seal the wall and to bring it to an even surface.. The walls in the video still exhibit some stone and lots of unevenness. If I had asked for a render and got what went on this wall, the tradies would not be paid. Render and pointing are two distinct processes with two ratioanles.
@@davidstokes8441 thanks but no thanks. After 50 years as a Chartered Engineer in building/civil engineering the difference is well known. My comment still applies
When ancient lime mortar that holds a stone walk together degenerates over time it loses its capacity to hold stones in place. This is why ruins crumble. Properly protected from water either inside or out, a lime mortar stone wall can last indefinitely. While the appearance of a quaint stone wall is nice it will soon have the appearance of a quaint pile of rocks if not stabilized.
You mention the use of lime for breathability and this is true. But there is a much more important quality that the lime brings. It mimics the strength of the existing, remaining mortar. When considering repointing most tradesmen simply assume that a bag if portland cement and some sand will do it. Sadly this is a VERY bad idea. The analogy is like an egg shell. When you apply a cement based pointing mixture you are in essence making a thin waterproof egg shell that covers whatever material is behind it. With a fresh egg, we all know that the egg inside will deteriorate, leaving only the fragile shell to remind us of what it used to be. The same is true of a lime masonry wall. Should the interior become damp due to the new waterproof shell allowing interior humidity and moisture to inhabit the wall that lime mortar will actually increase the rate at which it loses its strength. And you will not even know it. Until the collapse, that is. So it is important in the restoration if ancient masonry structures that the exterior finish material sheds rainwater, allows water vapor to pass through the wall and dissipates any actual moisture that may accumulate within the wall. And just as the Romans discovered, mortar made of lime and sand properly addresses all of those concerns.
Nice work. This structure gets another 50 year lease on life.
Please excuse my error. In the first sentence i intended to write the word “wall” but inadvertently typed in “walk”. My apologies.
@@larrysorenson4789 Thanks for that comment. (By the way, you can edit your comment and fix any mistakes.)
I think also lime mortar is a tad flexible and can cope with slight movement, as you get with every wall on the planet, unlike portland cement which will crack at the very mention of movement.
Moisture doesn't travel through the wall it convects off it both internally and externally. And in fact its very hard to remove water more than 4" into a wall. The lime crystal shape is such that water passes around it very easily thus drawing water from the stone into and then rapidly off the mortar through convection. So your mortar should be dense and lime rich as its differing thermal expansion rates that cause cracking and delamintation and if its not dense it will crumble as it does this. It can be harder but it definitely has to be flexible eg. earth mortar backing with a lime putty finish is fine even though the earth is very weak in comparison. The other thing to consider is the lime richer substrate will have the greatest pull on the water so its essential the layering is correct. Sorry to ruin your egg metaphor.
@@corindoyle it is important that we all share ideas and observations about everything and that includes specialized areas like the performance and properties of masonry and stone walls. I am an architect and owner of a firm that for over 40 years has specialized in the areas of historic preservation and building structural stabilization. I work closely with very specialized structural engineers and the engineers at the American Society for Testing of Materials. In addition to masonry, I am considered an expert in the area of adobe construction. An associate of mine is now the Architect for the Arch Diocese responsible for the preservation and stabilization of the famous adobe Mission at San Juan Capistrano, California, USA.
An important part of my work is the scientific testing of the materials used in each building that we address. Only after understanding what the specific materials are and how they are performing can we devise the appropriate corrective measures for that structure. The work is fascinating and every challenge is different and new.
Thank you for your comments and best wishes for a successful and beautiful end result.
Why do people not use compressed air to remove loose pointing, I wonder.
Mike Haduck would have said "no big deal" and been done by 10:30 on day 1.
Очень красивый дом !
That looks amazing, great work!
Flick the mortar on there with a rounded trowel, it's way, way faster and gets right into those holes.
the Gauging trowel..it also bonds much better when flicked on....
If you pressure wash the wall the night before, it'll take out all of the dust, put some moisture into the stone and the mortar will adhere better. At least, that's how we do it here in Normandy, leaving more stone exposed. Good job though!
Really great job! I learnt some new tricks... many thanks
Bloody hell, it really takes all kinds (in a good way !!) 😂
This might be the traditional style where you’re from but it’s hard to get my head round it. Either point the joints showing off the stone work, or render the wall completely. This is in between, why?
I like your square corners.
Does anyone know if you can expose a stone wall from under plaster in a farm house where the other side of the wall is to the outside elements? I've only seen stone e walls exposed on walls, where the other side of that wall is in another room indoors. Thank you.
Man, that is good work!
Just a quick question, did you add any additives to mortat ie waterproofer or uni- bond, or spray the wall after with silicone based waterproof?
I don't think you're meant to do that when working on stone with lime products are you? I think you use lime mortar to keep breathability considering it's a solid stone wall, whereas if you apply waterproofing chemicals you lose the breathability and trap moisture within.
Whereas if you're working on more modern builds (e.g. cavity walls) you can be a lot more flexible.
also don,t use wire brushes but hardish bristle to hammer the surface
This is neither pointing nor rendering, but some visual no-man's land half-way between. What do traditional buildings look like around there?
the stones looked so much prettier the way they were before
Miss, you must consider the thickness and strength.
@@alexroge6495 no they wouldnt. In all Europe there are thousands of Castles, walls, temples, houses, etc, etc, etc with hundreds and thousands of years with the stones visible. The vídeo autor did what he did to spare work.
What's it like to live in such a house? Especially in the winter. How do you heat it up and how much does it cost?
Are there any issues with humidity?
Humidity should not be a problem because he used a lime mortar
Whatto Carl, good to catch up on your videos, I got locked out of my account for some time lol. I was wondering how you will finish up the wall at ground level, will it be a thick layer of limecrete resembling interior skirting board or something different?
A brush would help a lot after you do your scraping.
Never use cement , only use nhl 3.5 , or lime putty to point with … if you can lime wash as well you add more protection ..
Jobs looks awesome by the way , just hope there is ZERO cement in mix as it will be completely compromised and hold water in building
In France, few craftmans know that cement is unappropriate for old stone houses. I dont' know if it's the same abroad.
Again a lovely video and content !! I have two questions: is it cement? or Cal ? And.. is it enough that mix for a external wall exposed to rain?
If you add cement the mortar won’t breathe at all !
Would a water jet have done the job of cleaning?
Before looks better!
good work, in every detail
Before: French house.
After: German house.
Oh dear what a shame, these types of stone buildings were often built directly onto the
ground with no foundation. The wall thickness varies between 20 and 36 inches with
a gap in the middle between the facing stones. This gap was filled with the loose
waste pieces from the stone. A mixture of dust to pieces the size of your hand. The
mortar used, in France is called tradifarge, a Chalk based mortar which never goes
hard. During the life of the building the wall settle and move and as it weathers
and moves the chalk based mortar allows the stone to move and settle and reset.
I completed a large Charente granite barn which was at risk of collapse. You should
never fill out the mortar gaps with fired clay broken pot. The tradifarge must be in one
layer otherwise pieces will break away as the wall moves. I used compressed air and
a jetting gun to spray the mortar mix on my wall in layers before each had a chance to dry.
Then using a wire brush remove the surplus to highlight each stone in profile. Took 8 weeks
to complete. Fair play to thischap who worked hard and had achieved a rendered finish but
with a little research and finding out from local tradesmen you could have achieved what the
french call a ‘hundred year finish’ this wall is not. But you have to admire anyone who
is prepared to roll up their sleeves and get on with it. Well done chap.
What is the mix of the tradifarge?
He is using hydraulic lime, as you can see from the bag in the video. Filling deeper pockets is not a bad idea. Lime shrinks too much if the volume is too high. I do it differently, but the work in this video is flawless.
BRAVO. Insane job.
Good job. I can see at the end of the video that you didn't apply mortar on the first row of stones at the very bottom. Why is that ?
Good work,guys!! Hi from Russia!!
Spasiba!
Fantastic work & video, but just one question:
Why did you not mortar in the most important part of the whole wall - the base / foundation?
Try brushing it out to just catch edge of stone would look better and I work on listed grade 1 and 2 am working on a castle at the moment you have lost all detail of stone
He would then have to remove all of the mortar from the rest of the building to match the new finish. I think he matched the existing finish quite well.
But what would the original builders have done though. It may be quaint to *us* to have the exposed stone, but concealing them as much as possible may have been the way these buildings were originally done (I don't know the particulars or history of the style, so someone else would have to answer that).