San Carlos Cathedral, Monterey, California (www.sancarloscathedral.net)

Built between 1770 and 1794, San Carlos Cathedral stands as the oldest stone building in California today, continuing to serve the Catholic community of the Monterey Peninsula. Built with sandstone and mud-mortar in its most ancient section, the walls were originally covered with a lime plaster, very similar to a NHL 2. Surprisingly enough, this structure sustained minimal damage from all the earthquakes for several centuries. The lime plaster weathered the elements without failure. Nevertheless, the Cathedral is an "unreinforced masonry building," in need of seismic retrofitting to bring the structure up to code, thus requiring removal of the original lime plaster in the retrofitting process. After achieving the structural reinforcing, simple mixes of NHL 2 and sand are used for repointing and replastering. Great care is being brought to this restoration done in collaboration with the Getty Conservation Institute.

Roma National Historic Landmark District,
Visitor's Complex, City of Roma, Texas

Saint-Astier Natural hydraulic lime was used to successfully complete this interior and exterior restoration project (repointing, plastering, painting) of the visitor's complex in the historical district (http://www.cityofroma.net/layout.html). Special effort was made to restore the site as authentically as possible with true historic materials, such as the lime paint on the roof deck, as it originally appeared in the 1800s.

Reconstruction and restoration of 19th century historical building heavily damaged during 1994 Northridge Earthquake. Stone setting, pointing and plastering with NHL.