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I've been learning a little bit about limecrete

And I thought it'd be fun to try a project with it (small one) but I can't seem to find it as a product in North America. Most (all?) references to 'limecrete' that I can find appear to be out of either Britain or in some cases, Australia.

Is it a product that is manufactured in the US at all? If so, does it go under a different common name? Is it something I could make myself using lime-based mortar perhaps?

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  • Please follow this up with the results of your experiment. Poking around a little, you will need to be patient - they are talking about a week or more to get a floor hard enough to walk on. Lime-based mortar will not meet the definition, as that is a lime and portland cement product, and the "limecrete" folks are avoiding portland cement.
    – Ecnerwal
    Dec 31, 2013 at 18:05

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I seriously doubt you'll find "limecrete" as a ready made product, but the lime you want (which you can then mix aggregate into) is "Mason's Lime" - unless you are abnormally brave and silly and want to risk playing with quicklime, which is VERY nasty stuff. Type S or SA (air-entraining - makes small bubbles which help various properties of the product) are probably what you want, and will be able to find at any well-stocked masonry supply.

From the second link below:

Hydrated limes used in building applications are divided into four types, as described in ASTM Standard Specification C 207 (Hydrated Lime for Masonry Purposes): Type N – normal hydrated lime Type NA – normal air-entraining hydrated lime Type S – special hydrated lime Type SA – special air-entraining hydrated lime Types S and SA are differentiated from Types N and NA principally by the unhydrated oxide content and their water retention value. Type S must meet a water retention value of 85%, while Type N hydrate lime must have a water retention value of 75%. No distinction is made based on the nature and source of limestone. The maximum air content of cement-lime mortar made with Types NA and SA is 14%; with Types N or S lime, 7%.

Type s and sa mason's lime described.

National Lime Association

More about type S

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