BALKSTEN KRISTIN1, LINDHOLM MARTIN2, LANGE JOHANNA3

1 Ph D, Associate Professor, Uppsala University, Konstvetenskapliga institutionen: Kulturvård, kristin.balksten@konstvet.uu.se

2 Building Engineer and Curator, Lindholm Restaurering, martin@lindholm-restaurering.se

3 Building Curator, Lindholm Restaurering, johanna@lindholm-restaurering.se

In Gothenburg many stone buildings of brickwork were built during the neo-Romanesque and neo-Gothic period in the late 19th century. The masonry was solid with a wall of bricks often covered with facing bricks with a hard burned water repellent surface. At Örgryte new church the bricks were put in lime mortar but the surface of the joints was made with a thin cement mortar layer. Salt problems are known in this church since early 20th century and the subsequent need of maintenance have led to several extensive restorations with replacement of external facing bricks and internal lime plaster during the years. In each restoration more low permeable facing bricks and more low permeable cement mortars have been chosen, followed by new problems inside the wall as the water transport properties in the wall has changed. Whereas salts have caused problems mainly on the surface, the restoration materials have caused problems with frost and salt damages in bricks and lime mortars in the wall core behind them.

Keywords: brickwork, lime mortar, cement mortar, salt damage, deterioration, facing bricks, moisture transport