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

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?

All power is solar power is it not? Or did God create fossil fuels out
of nothing?

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

But modern plants use residues that can otherwise be a niusance to get
rid of. (Old tyres for example.)

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?

An additive is put in the mixture so that tubs of it can be stored on
site. It is ideal in confined conditions and saves a labourer or two.
The problem is that the people who make it can sometimes send out a
poorly co-ordinated set of batches.

That and it might be crap. I wouldn't know.

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

What does fatter mean (in this context)?

It means spreadability. The stuff is splodgy. Wet sand is workable as
long as you keep it aereated that means continuallyt stirring it. When
it is fatty it can be left standing for ages.

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.

I know that plasterboard has been in use for 40 to 50 years or more.
Which about the same time finishing plaster was sold in bags the way it
is now. Prior to that ceilings were a bugger to do. And they had to be
done using reinforced mortar.

I imagine that cement mortar would set too quickly for the facilities
available in those days and of course - before. Cement or lime, the
process was a real bugger to do with all the laths nailed at 14 or 16
inch centres.