I’ve been using natural cements and natural hydraulic limes in the traditional plastering craft for many years. However, I never had the opportunity to visit a quarry where the unique limestones used to produce them are mined.
On a recent visit to Spain and Portugal, I was invited to visit two such quarries, as well as the manufacturing facilities that included the kilns and other equipment used to convert the raw limestone into a lime plaster. The two quarries in Spain and Portugal had completely different geologies and the processes used to prepare the lime were quite different.