The quality of the natural limestone can also play a part in the degradation due to the possibility of the limestone being more brittle in some batches compared to others.Īs the natural limestone is not sent through a process to clear it of any debris like reconstituted limestone, twigs, rocks and other items can remain in the blocks and possibly cause problems if they’re in areas where fretting may be occurring.įirst we remove the lose areas of limestone that is already in the process of fretting and prepare for the build up process. Natural limestone is also vulnerable to rising damp and that can also cause it to fret. Weather and moisture eat away at the face of the natural limestone blocks, causing them to fret and crumble. While natural limestone has the most desirable finish of the two, it can start to degrade thanks to a variety of problems including exposure to the weather, moisture and the quality of the limestone itself.

The difference between the two is that reconstituted is limestone that is crushed, mixed with concrete and moulded to different forms whereas natural limestone blocks are as they are from the quarry and has not been changed.

While reconstituted limestone is nowadays considered a better building product, older homes were constructed using natural limestone blocks. Limestone blocks come in two forms natural and reconstituted.

Repair cracked limestone steps