Limewashing

 

Limewashing or lime wash is essentially a lime based paint that was commonly used on many brick and particularly stone buildings until it became fashionable to uncover the stone. Many churches and cathedrals were once limewashed and for good reason. Lime wash acts as a poultice allowing moisture to move through your wall very effectively so that moisture is drawn out of the building fabric to a greater extent than if the stone or brick work was not painted at all. More recently modern masonry paints have been developed to seal the wall and prevent moisture getting in. These paints are good for buildings with cavity walls which have good damp courses and a ventilated wall cavity to remove any moisture. A solid wall however must be vapor permeable and a modern masonry paint will not allow the moisture to escape from the building. Lime wash is also a very low cost material and does not require much more time to apply. I use the same process for lime washing as was used centuries ago and this gives a thick coating that lasts for 5 to 10 years. Natural pigments such as earthy yellow, red and green can be added or you can stick with a brilliant lime white.