Plaster or Stucco on Masonry - Block, Brick, Stone - Page 2 of 3

Fort Laramie, Wyoming

March 31, 2008

Fort Laramie was founded in 1849 as a military outpost along the Oregon Trail. It served as a staging area for troops fighting Crazy Horse or Sitting Bull. The popular view of the fort, generated by series such as “The Adventures of Rin Tin Tin” from our old black and white televisions, is that of an enclosure surrounded by a wall. A fence, however, never enclosed Fort Laramie. The structures were made from a mixture of lime and sifted river sand. The National Park Service uses the same mixture today for repairs, restoration, preservation and maintenance. Visit the Fort Laramie website.

Visitor’s Complex – Roma National Historic Landmark District, Texas

December 20, 2007

Saint Astier® Natural hydraulic lime was used to successfully complete this interior and exterior restoration project (repointing, plastering, painting) of the visitor’s complex in the historical district. Special effort was made to restore the site as authentically as possible with true historic materials, such as the lime paint on the roof deck, as it originally appeared in the 1800s. View this project:www.cityofroma.net.

San Carlos Cathedral, Monterey, California

December 20, 2007

Built between 1770 and 1794, the San Carlos Cathedral is the oldest stone building in California, still serving the Catholic community of the Monterey Peninsula today.

The sandstone and mud mortar walls, originally covered with a lime plaster very similar to our NHL 2, sustained minimal damage from past earthquakes while the lime plaster basically remained intact. Nevertheless, deemed an “unreinforced masonry building,” the cathedral needed seismic retrofitting, and the original lime plaster needed to be removed in the process. Upon completion, simple sand and NHL 2 mixes were used for repointing and replastering, vital elements that guarantee the building’s integrity for centuries to come.

This restoration was achieved with the expertise of specialized engineers and architects in collaboration with the Getty Conservation Institute.

Visit the San Carlos Cathedral website for more information.

Mission San Juan Capistrano

August 20, 2007

Mission San Juan Capistrano was founded in 1776. After a long period of gradual decline and damages caused by earthquakes, restoration efforts began with the arrival of Father O’Sullivan in 1910. Alas, the use of improper modern materials such as Portland cement-based mortars, concrete and renders created new challenges until it had become evident that lime was the only appropriate and compatible material. The closing of the last Natural Hydraulic Lime producer in the United States, led engineers and contractors to discover the fundamental qualities of Saint Astier® Natural Hydraulic Limes. Since then they have been extensively used in renders, masonry and in structural work. More information on Mission San Juan Capistrano.