Limewashing

[Bill]

Years since I did any, forgotten the technique, anyone know? i.e., mixing, water first or lime first, proportions?
It’s hydraulic in powder I have, (maybe dosen’t matter in powder, it did in stones).
Btw, it’ the garage walls I’m doing.

[anon92567933]

This blog post may help.

Lime-washing

 About this time of year, I start to get rather more nervous than usual. My immediate concern is the prospect of lime-washing the wall of the house that takes the majority of the weather. One of the drawbacks of living in a house of straw bales is that you have to build up a protective but breathable skin of successive lime-washes. The idea being that over time the walls become as hard and as naturally impermeable as those brilliant white ones you see all over Greek islands.  Somewhere in the dustiest recesses of my brain, I seem to recall images of black-clad natives slopping the white stuff on with old brooms. It looked easy. Alas, the reality is rather more fraught. For a kick off, there has to be an ideal meteorological window of opportunity. From early September onwards, I scan the not-particularly-reliable internet météo, looking out for this rare but perfect window. Roughly five days without rain with a range of temperatures…

[graham]

How to Make Whitewash

[Bill]

The house I had that was limewashed, was in S Portugal Mandy, it was ‘cob’ basicly compacted earth and stones, needed to breath, limewashed inside and out, great deterrant to bugs too.

[Bill]

Thanks Graham

[Corona]

@Bill

Years since I did any, forgotten the technique, anyone know? i.e., mixing, water first or lime first, proportions?
It’s hydraulic in powder I have, (maybe dosen’t matter in powder, it did in stones).
Btw, it’ the garage walls I’m doing.

Limewash is traditionally made with lime putty and not hydraulic lime. Look for chaux aerienne and thin it down. more thin coats are best and pre wet the surface. Let it dry slowly, you may need to sheet it over to prevent rapid drying from too much heat or wind.