Stonemasonry

Bricks to use for repair of sandstone wall?

Anonymous user 01/03/2024 - 2.54 PM

Hi all, I am replacing the kitchen in my old 1830's house and upon removing the existing units, discovered that there is a large hole in the wall. From what I can tell, the walls are constructed of two layers of sandstone with rubble between. This is an external wall. The hole is around 600 mm x 500 mm x 400 mm (WxHxD). I have read that I should a lime mortar (as a cement mortar will result in water ingress into the sandstone). But I’m not sure if I must use sandstone bricks, which don’t seem to be readily available at a reasonable cost, or if I can use clay bricks? The internal wall will be plastered and the hole does not extend through the external sandstone layer. Any suggestions on how to repair this, I don’t want to leave it as it is, despite the hole having been there for a considerable length of time. Thanks in advance. AM