Transmineral

subsidiary of Saint-Astier®

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Iron Furnace – Lake Oswego, Oregon

The furnace was built by the Oregon Iron Company and began operations on August 24, 1867. After it was abandoned in 1885, the furnace’s masonry stack was left to endure the elements without any protection. Although the exterior of the 44-foot tall furnace is in relatively good condition, the interior stonework was seriously deteriorated. The work, done by Pioneer Waterproofing Company, consists of replacing the grout, repointing, as well as injection grouting with NHL mortars. Today, the stone furnace is the only surviving iron furnace west of the Rocky Mountains.

Ritz Carlton Hotel, San Francisco, California

Repointing. Inappropriate mortars were used on this landmark building, leaning to deterioration of the terra cotta blocks. Repointing with NHL mortars allows for elimination of water trapped inside the blocks.

Columbia State Historic Park, Columbia, California

An impeccably preserved California gold rush town, the town of Columbia was first established in 1850, the same year that St. Astier began producing the NHL that we know and use today. This same NHL was recently used for the repointing and brick setting restoration work on the main buildings. View more information on this project.

San Carlos Cathedral, Monterey, California

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.

About TransMineral

TransMineral, USA was established in 1997 by Michel Couvreux, an architect in France and the U.S. His familiarity with traditional “old world” building techniques and materials have been instrumental in their revitalization in the U.S. along with his stewardship of implanting Saint Astier® Natural Hydraulic Lime in the North American building sector.

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