Salvador's Historic Center holds one of the most important heritage sites in Brazil, of significant historical, artistic and cultural value. However, many buildings are deteriorated due to weather and / or lack of maintenance. Their restorative interventions should consider, a priori, the conservation of the coating mortars, using punctual reintegration. In this sense, the search for lime-based formulations compatible with the old support makes the analysis of the small aggregate indispensable, since this is one of the most representative materials of the mortar constituents, and its characteristics play an important role in the performance of the mortars coatings. In Brazil, studies on the influence of sand on mortars include cement-based or mixed compositions (cement and lime), which are not entirely suitable for use in old building cladding, as they can cause stiffness and stress to be borne on the support of introducing salts. In this context, this research aims to evaluate the influence of sand characteristics on the properties of restoration mortars. The work also sought to identify, among the main types of sand (river, quarry and deposit), which would be the most suitable for use in restorative mortars. For this, three steps were developed: a) bibliographic review; b) characterization of materials and mortars in the fresh and hardened state; c) comparative analysis of the results, based on the parameters recommended by literature. In addition, correlations were obtained between the properties and characteristics of the sands. The results allowed us to identify which mechanical properties of mortars are mainly influenced by fine particle size. The behavior to water obtained better correlations with the textural parameters of the sand. In general, it was found that river sand provided good suitability and compatibility for restoration mortars.