Ridges and rives des tuiles - cement used

[thunderhorse]

What mix do masons use when fixing down ridge tiles or the double row down a gable? Every time I see them the bags and mix seem to be different - plus there's a handful of something else (plasticiser?) going in.

Cheers

[Gyn_Paul]

It's probably whatever they have left over, I doubt if there's much science in it.

My builder, when he finished the big barn roof, left one little job to do which was to apply a fillet of mortar to go between the end of the new tiles, and the slightly higher adjoining house wall. This, he said, would have to be Renacal rather than sand-and-cement, to stop it cracking. But he couldn't do it that day (of course) because it was likely to rain and just wash it away. I don't have to tell you that that was Feb '07 and it's still not been done. In the meantime I've used that (and several other) sack(s) of Renacal in pointing jobs.

All this leads to the answer to your question..

I would use a mix of something like 6 sand to <2 Renacal, and perhaps 1/2 ordinary cement. The lime in Renacal will help it accomodate the expansion and contraction, and the bit of cement gives it strengh and helps it set quickly.

It should be good and sticky !

However, you should be prepared to get a different recipe from everyone who owns a betonnier !

paul

[Chancer]

Mortier bâtard is what they usually claim to use, but when no-one is looking?

To make 100 litres of mix (110 with chaux blanche)

35kg sac of baticem or chaux blanche

10 (French) buckets of 0/5 mm sand

20 - 25 litres of water

French bucket (seaux de macon) = 10 litres.