Choosing a Plaster Mortar for the Restoration of Cultural Heritage Sites

Authors

  • Valentina Ivanovna Loganina

    Department of Quality Management, Penza State University of Architecture and Civil Engineering, Penza 440028, Russia
  • Maria Vladimirovna Zaytseva

    Department of International Business, Plekhanov Russian University of Economics, Moscow 117997, Russia
  • Irina Vladimirovna Sergeeva

    Department of Building Materials Science, Moscow State University of Civil Engineering, Moscow 129337, Russia
  • Vladimir Trofimovich Erofeev

    Department of Building Materials Science, Moscow State University of Civil Engineering, Moscow 129337, Russia

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.30564/jbms.v8i3.13697
Received: 26 June 2026 | Revised: 21 July 2026 | Accepted: 6 August 2026 | Published Online: 9 September 2026

Abstract

This article is devoted to a comparative evaluation of mortar compositions intended for the restoration of historic buildings and cultural heritage sites. Eleven plaster mortar compositions were considered, as well as a pure lime-sand mortar and a cement-sand mortar. Tamasli Natural Hydraulic Lime 5 (NHL5) was used as the hydraulic lime. The hydraulic modulus of the lime was M = 2.69. Cement grade CEM I 42.5N was used to prepare the cement-sand mortar. The lime-sand mortar was made from slaked lime (fluff) with an activity of 74%. Highly active metakaolin VMK-45, diatomaceous earth NDP-D-230, and microsilica MK-85 were used as pozzolanic additives in the study. It was found that the addition of pozzolan additives to the formulation of lime mortar increases the compressive strength and adhesion of plaster mortar under air-dry curing conditions, which are 0.79–1.12 MPa and 0.57 MPa, respectively. It was found that the compressive strength of plaster mortars based on artificial hydraulic lime is 1.0 MPa, which meets the requirements of national and international standards (Deutsches Institut für Normung (German Institute for Standardization): DIN 18550). Cement mortars have a more uniform pore size distribution, lower porosity (28%), as well as higher compressive strength (5.3 MPa) and adhesion to the substrate (0.9 MPa). However, due to the lower vapor permeability of the plaster layer, there is a possibility of moisture accumulation at the interface with the wall of the object being restored. For reasons of compatibility with old walls being restored and considering the law of structural affinity, there is no need to achieve high strength values. We do not recommend using cement-based plaster for restoration.

Keywords:

Restoration Mortars; Lime; Pozzolanic Additives; Strength

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How to Cite

Loganina, V. I., Zaytseva, M. V., Sergeeva, I. V., & Erofeev, V. T. (2026). Choosing a Plaster Mortar for the Restoration of Cultural Heritage Sites. Journal of Building Material Science, 8(3), 229–240. https://doi.org/10.30564/jbms.v8i3.13697

Issue

Vol. 8, Iss. 3 (September 2026): In Progress

Article Type

Article

License

Copyright © 2026 Valentina Ivanovna Loganina, Maria Vladimirovna Zaytseva, Irina Vladimirovna Sergeeva, Vladimir Trofimovich Erofeev

Creative Commons License

This is an open access article under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International (CC BY-NC 4.0) License.

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