On Thu, 10 Aug 2006 17:19:13 -0700, meow2222 wrote:


Environment
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....
Lime sets by reacting with CO2 in the air, and is manufactured by
reversing this reaction using heat. The chemical cycle of lime is thus
CO2 neutral.

Only in respect of the CO2 used in the reaction: if production takes heat
then that will probably involve CO2 release (unless there are solar lime
kilns? :-))

I undersdood cement production was particularly energy-intensive. Anyone
know how much (or at lease how it compares with lime)?

And what is cement anyway? I thought it was at least related to lime.

Workability
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Lime is slow setting, meaning a single batch can be used as long as you
like. If you need to store it until tomorrow, this can be done by
putting it in an airtight container. In centuries past all the lime
used in a house may have been made in a single mix, and buried on site.
It stayed there throughout the construction, being used as needed. Lime
only sets when exposed to air.

I remember finding a trough of mortar outside a building site on a sunday
evening. Assuming it had been left there some time I dipped my toe in it
to feel how hard it had set. It hadn't: it was soft and workable.
Presumably some sort of additive that made it keep for days? (I'm guessing
it was a cement mortar: this was in central London, not Briansville[1]

Lime is much fatter than cement, making it nicer/easier to work with,
and reducing waste snots.

What does fatter mean (in this context)?


Victorian properties with their original lime ceilings are still the
norm. They may be getting tatty but the fact that theyre usually still
there after 100-200 years says a lot. I dont have any hard data on life
expectancy of lime vs cement, but given this I expect lime may last
longer, and thus work out cheaper and less hassle in the long term.

Have there ever been cement ceilings? I thought the alternative to lime
plaster (and laths) was plasterboard.



Appearance
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Cement is a nice ugly heavy grey.

Nice ugly?!!




[1] Poundland? Poundbury? The new town/village on HRH's organic eco estate