Mortar for balustrading

[ehfer]

Any stonemasons out there? A client wants me to erect some antique (excellent condition) balustrading and steps, but the joint tolerance is only 5mm. It seems a bit tight for standard mortar - should I try silver sand or kiln sand, or lime mortar? Or is there something else? The stone looks like Portland.

[cookiewales]

hi you would use a lime mortar and they should have dowels to fix them these days would be stainless steel and epoxy hope this helps have rebuilt a fair few

[GB_Groundworks]

we built a new balustrades but made from reconstituted stone, we ask cookie said dowled and epoxied them with stainless steel then used a white lime mortar to fill the joints

[Tony McC]

James Ramsden from Stonecrete is a bit of a wizz at this sort of thing and he wrote a very helpful article which I published here

If his advice on joint mortar isn't quite what you need, if yuo give him a call or email, he'll be able to point you in the right direction.

[ehfer]

Many thanks for your advice, cw, GBG and Tony McC.