Although the terms mortar, cement and concrete can be used interchangeably, each of these materials performs a very different function in the construction industry and is therefore used for different applications. This article will discuss the types of mortar and specific applications of mortar used in the construction industry as compared to other materials.

 

What is mortar?

Mortar is a building material that consists of a binder material, aggregates and water. In terms of strength, mortar is considered less strong compared to concrete, which is a building material consisting of cement, sand and gravel. Therefore, mortar is often used as a bonding material for specific purposes, such as maintaining building structures or joining bricks together, rather than as a complete building material on its own. Mortars are used for a variety of different applications in the construction industry and have therefore proven particularly useful for civil engineering purposes.

 

Types of mortar

In order to choose the appropriate type of mortar for a given project, both the specific construction application and the binding material of interest must be considered.

 

The main types of mortars, each named according to the bonding material used, include cement, hydraulic and fat lime, gypsum, metering, surkhi, aerated cement and mud mortars.

 

For Self-leveling Mortar

 

Mortar is produced by mixing a binding material (cement or lime) with fine aggregate (sand, surki, etc) with water. For construction purpose, different types of mortar are used. Depending upon the materials used for mortar mixture preparation, the mortar could be classified as follows.

 

Cement Mortar

Lime Mortar

Surki Mortar

Gauged Mortar

Mud Mortar

 

Cement Mortar

Cement mortar is a type of mortar where cement is used as binding material and sand is used as fine aggregate. Depending upon the desired strength, the cement to the sand proportion of cement mortar varies from 1:2 to 1:6.

 

Lime Mortar

Lime mortar is a type of mortar where lime (fat lime or hydraulic lime) is used as binding material and sand is used as fine aggregate. The lime to the sand proportion of cement mortar is kept 1:2. The pyramids at Giza are plastered with lime mortar.

 

Gauged Mortar

Gauged mortar is a type of mortar where cement and lime both are used as binding material and sand is used as fine aggregate. Basically, it is a lime mortar where cement is added to gain higher strength. The process is known as gauging. The cement to the lime proportion varies from 1:6 to 1:9. Gauged mortar is economical than cement concrete and also possess higher strength than lime mortar.

For Self-leveling Mortar

Surki Mortar

Surki mortar is a type of mortar where lime is used as binding material and surki is used as fine aggregate. Surki mortar is economic.

 

Mud Mortar

Mud mortar is a type of mortar where mud is used as binding material and sawdust, rice husk or cow-dung is used as fine aggregate. Mud mortar is useful where lime or cement is not available.

 

The main typologies of each mortar have different properties that make them useful for certain projects. For example, cement mortars have a higher level of water resistance and water strength, while water-hardened lime water is particularly suitable for wet areas where water accumulates. Regardless of the type of mortar used, mortar preparation typically involves the addition of water to the binder material and fine aggregates to ultimately form a malleable paste.

 

Applications of Mortar

In addition to classifying mortar by its binding material, it can also be categorized by the specific application it is being used for. These applications include:

 

Bricklaying Mortar

Bricklaying mortar is most commonly used to bind bricks, stones and concrete blocks together for masonry projects. Bricklaying mortar can also be used as a bed to support these building materials from bearing an uneven weight distribution onto each other as the structure is being built.

 

Finishing Mortar

For construction projects that require plastering, as well as those looking to add a certain aesthetically pleasing appearance to the structure, finishing mortar is typically used. Finishing mortar, which will often utilize lime and/or cement as the binding material, is used to increase the strength and mobility of a structure, as well as improve its resistance against damaging environmental incidents like rain and wind.

 

Thinset Mortar

Thinset mortar can be used as a glue-like structure for projects that require ceramic or stone installation.