Specimens of aerial and hydraulic lime-based mortars to be used in restoration works were prepared, hardened and subjected to different environments to study their compositional changes during setting, hardening and exposure to environment. Outside exposure, weathering cycles in a climatic chamber, SO2-rich environment and indoor exposure (as control group) were selected to expose the mortars. XRD, FT-IR and TG-DTA analyses were performed at 7, 14, 21 and 28 days to determine the chemical and mineralogical composition, as well as the formation of the degradation products. Outside and SO2-chamber exposures and increasing the relative humidity allowed faster carbonation (enhancing CO2(g) dissolution) and hydration of hydraulic compounds. In SO2-chamber, sulfate attack appears as a surface phenomenon, giving: gypsum in aerial specimens and gypsum and syngenite in hydraulic specimens. (c) 2005 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.