Saint-Astier Natural Hydraulic Lime (NHL)
Item # : NHL2-55Inquire about bulk purchases.
Due to the nature of the material, sales of all building lime products are final.
Description
Saint-Astier Natural Hydraulic Lime (NHL) has been in production for over 150 years and is globally recognized for its unique characteristics due to the high degree of natural purity of the raw materials.
Natural Hydraulic Lime (NHL) is made from limestone containing trace amounts of other minerals, which enable a hydraulic set. They are supplied as dry powders, and when water is added, they begin to set through a chemical reaction known as hydration.
Like with many traditional building materials, NHL can be manipulated and mixed, so it can be used to make limewashes, mortars, renders, stuccos, plasters, grouts, and more depending on adjacent materials, substrates, the environment, and the desired outcome.
Strength Characteristics & Areas of Use
Natural Hydraulic Lime (NHL) is a versatile material that can used in different ways. It is produced in 3 standard grades based on compressive strength, NHL 2, NHL 3.5, and NHL 5, each with their own uses and advantages. Always make a test to ensure the desired outcome.
NHL 2 - Feebly hydraulic, used when elasticity, low strength or high vapor exchange are desirable. Use for finishes, plasters, mortars for weak stones, lime renders.
NHL 3.5 - Moderately hydraulic, recommended when moderate strength and better freeze-thaw resistance are required. Use for base coats, mortars for stone work, laying or repointing brick, stone and terra cotta units, even in extreme freeze-thaw climate cycles. Can be used to make scratch, brown and finish coats of exterior stucco.
NHL 5 - Eminently hydraulic, specified when strength and high freeze-thaw resistance are necessary. Use for slabs, mortars for hard stones, building or repairing wall head copings, pointing and parging the water table or foundation of a building and making lime concrete. Sea-bearing walls can be built and repaired with NHL 5 since it has only trace amounts of soluble salts.
Mixing & Coverage
Determining the right mixing ratios and material quantities for a particular project can depend on a number of variables. See the User Guides, Testing & Research, and Technical Documents below for more details.
Guidelines & Testing
Documents
Technical Data Sheets | Fiches techniques
Safety Data Sheets | Fiches de données de sécurité
Need Pre-mixed material?
Check out the Limeworks premixed Ecologic Mortar, based on Saint-Astier Natural Hydraulic Lime.