The Buena Vista Winery was established in 1857 with the stone wine cellars being completed in 1864. Constructed of a soft volcanic tuff stone laid in lime mortar, years of weather and deterioration had taken its toll on the masonry. As part of a comprehensive seismic retrofit performed in 2012 and 2013, the stone masonry was cleaned and repaired to accommodate the center-core-drilling technique used for the structural strengthening of the building.
Following a gentle cleaning of the stone, all deteriorated mortar joints were removed and replaced with an appropriate natural hydraulic lime mortar. This mortar was specifically designed by our masons to be compatible with the soft volcanic tuff while also meeting the standards required by the structural design.
In addition to the repointing of 100% of the building, all voids, cracks, and failing masonry were addressed during the project. Large voids were filled with natural hydraulic lime grout while large cracks at the interior were injected with an epoxy to match the center core material. All failing or missing stone masonry was repaired using in-kind stone material to