If You’re Painting/Coating Your Masonry Repairs, Don’t Worry About Color Matching the Mortar
In restoring the decorative entrance of the Cathedral of Immaculate Conception in Syracuse, NY, the contractor (the Arthur Vincent Company) made the early and forward-thinking decision to use a neutral-colored repair mortar and then a potassium silicate stain to achieve a uniform color. Planning ahead to not match the mortar, but instead match the stain, set the stage for a successful restoration.
Jahn M70 Repair Mortar was used to create a new surface of mortar.
For the most deteriorated areas of sandstone (as in the photo, left), the masonry restoration masons began by creating a new surface with our Jahn M70 Repair Mortar. Imagine a block of marble from which a sculptor begins to carve. In this case, the M70 Repair Mortar is the marble. The goal was to build up a new surface of mortar to serve as a three-dimensional canvas for each piece.
Jahn Mortars have an extended drying time that allows for carving of intricate ornamental features. Other mortars are polymer/glue-based and set rapidly, so they certainly wouldn’t allow for carving over several hours.
Both time and money were saved with the decision to select a neutral mortar. This left the restoration specialists free to focus their skills and talents on the most time-consuming process of installation — especially the decorative carving. After completing the carving, the entire facade was stained so that everything blended together.
The Arthur Vincent Company also consulted with Cathedral Stone to select the mortar stains, based on mock-ups performed on-site. Beyond the color matching, we also provided guidance in determining the proper ratios of the opaque Potassium Silicate Coating base and the transparent Liquid Silicate to create the various stain colors for different areas of the building.
Color matching is made possible by the foresighted selection of neutral mortar.
The final result is a color-match made in heaven.
You might say it was divine intervention that returned this 1874 cathedral to its original glory, but we’ll also give credit to the specifier for planning ahead and the contractor for their technical expertise.
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