The appearance of limewashed lime render

[Zebra]

Hello. I would be very grateful if someone would help me, by posting a close up picture of what limewashed lime render actually looks like. The reason is this: I am having woodfibre external wall insulation installed next year, and have samples from all the major companies of their render finishes, of which some are more and some less rice-puddingy, some more and some less plasticy-looking. None of them look vastly different from the thousands of painted cement rendered houses round here. But I don't really know what the authentic external limewashed lime render would look like, and when I've visited towns full of historic buildings, I've not been really sure I can tell the difference.
Can anyone help?

 

[JoceAndChris]

http://www.earthenwitch.co.uk/2009/11/13/on-cob-and-various-other-bits-and-bobs/

 

[JoceAndChris]

http://www.jackinthegreenlime.co.uk/

http://www.woodlouseconservation.co.uk/we_love_lime.html

 

[JoceAndChris]

http://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/1502605


http://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/2501514

http://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/294009

http://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/2622635

The differences are subtle but I think it gives that authentic period property look.

 

[Nigel Watts]

Limewash isn't just for cottages and Tudor mansions. It's too early to post a photo, but I am soon to be limewashing the exterior stucco of my 1840 London townhouse. The style is classical and the original stucco would very probably have been given a limewash tinted with Copperas (ferric oxide) to achieve a bath stone colour. This is what I will be seeking to replicate.

A modern paint, such as the emulsions used on all my neighbours' houses, gives a very dead, flat, uniform colour and finish. That's fine if it's what you are looking for, but it comes nowhere close to imitating stone. I had previously painted my exterior in a stone-coloured modern emulsion and was never happy with it. The limewash should be less uniform and more interesting (as well as being breathable, which is quite another topic). For example, being porous, after it rains it will go dark where it is wet.

 

[JoceAndChris]

Well said, Nigel. it ages very differently too, eroding gently and discreetly as opposed to great cracks and peelings.

 

[Keithj]

I was going to post close-up pix of my interior and exterior limewash on lime render but discovered I don't have any.

Before I nip out with the camera - do you have all you want already?

 

[Flyfisher]

Is Gervase still lurking? Didn't he limewash his cottage about 4-5 years ago? It would be interesting to see how it has aged.
http://www.periodproperty.co.uk/ppuk_discovering_article_042.shtml

 

[JohnB]

Is this any help?
http://www.epfsolutions.org.uk/calonteifi/doku.php?id=sites:gillw

(The site may move at some time in the future, so if you read this in a few months time you may get redirected)

 

[Zebra]

Before I nip out with the camera - do you have all you want already?

Yes and no. Thanks all, for all those links. I suppose it's much as I supposed. The reason I wanted to know was to see whether any of the samples I've received of the lime-based renders that are supplied with external wall insulation look like traditional lime render. It would seem the answer is they don't.
View attachment 1
Sorry for the poor quality, those are the various samples I've got from the companies that supply render for external woodfibre insulation boards.
They don't look at all like the pictures in the links you've all been kind enough to post. Perhaps I'm asking too much. Why should these products look traditional? They're a new product. It'll be a very uniform finish, and won't look like a traditional limewashed house.
I suppose it doesn't make me change my mind about having external wall insulation. It'll certainly be better looking than the ugly cement render I've got at the moment, and it'll be warmer into the bargain.

This is the ugly cement render I have now.
No, thanks all, you've answered my question.

 

[JohnB]

There are a couple of new build houses near me that have a "limewash" effect finish. One is rendered block and looks slightly convincing, but the other (a timber framed bungalow) makes typical stone cladding on a terraced house look absolutely beautiful

.

 

[Zebra]

What is the limewash effect finish actally made of, do you know?

 

[Keithj]

Well, I was out with the camera anyway, so I took a couple:

This is the inside of the kitchen - the wall below the sole plate is lime over reclaimed brick, limewashed with about four coats (mist coat 50%, next coat 90%, last coats 100%).

The lime finish was quite rough - looked like sandpaper. Each coat of limewash made it more smooth, till the texture you see.

This is the outside (happens to be the same wall, but that hardly matters).
You will notice some darker patches - it had just started raining; the whole house turns from pale pink to medium plum colour when wet.

The outside lime render was much smoother, and has three coats of limewash.

 

[JohnB]

What is the limewash effect finish actally made of, do you know?

No idea, but I assume some sort of non lime material, so not suitable to be mentioned here!

 

[kevmiles1]

You can see more examples fo cottages, large houses, barns all limewashed etc at http://www.sublimerenovations.co.uk

 

[Zebra]

The lime finish was quite rough - looked like sandpaper. Each coat of limewash made it more smooth, till the texture you see.

That's interesting. So you can alter the texture by applying more limewash.... I suppose that's obvious when you think about it - the lime particles will cover and fill in between the sand particles.
The external wall insulation has two options for finish - you can have a top coat much like a lime render and then limewash it yourself (or use any suitable breathable external paint), or you can have a through-coloured top render finish, which means you never have to repaint it.
I must admit I'm tempted by the through-coloured top coat for two reasons - once I've finished all the work I've got to do to the house, I may not wish to have to limewash it again every three years, and also it would prevent future owners from painting over the top with weathershield or some such unsuitable paint.
There, I've answered my own question haven't I? If I want an authentic looking finish, then I'll have to go for the non-easy option! If I want the lazy option it won't look like the real thing!

 

[JoceAndChris]

You'll be doing your building a very good deed, whichever you choose. And it's only lime purists who will ever know the difference.

 

[Keithj]

I may have got this wrong, but I think the reason you have to keep limewashing is that the surface coat (outdoors) is "sacrificial". It gradually washes off through the effects of rain. Rain is sometimes acidic (not just the power station emissions effect: lightning generates oxides of nitrogen which then dissolve in the rain to form nitrous acid etc, which proceeds to eat away your limewash. That's the distinctive smell in the rain during a thunderstorm.

If you don't limewash, it's your lime render that will be eaten. I think.

I'm working on one coat of limewash a year, applied in batches of three.

 

[Zebra]

You'll be doing your building a very good deed, whichever you choose. And it's only lime purists who will ever know the difference.

Thank you for these kind words of encouragement!!

I'm working on one coat of limewash a year, applied in batches of three.

Phew! That's a lot of work!

 

[Keithj]

Three coats, applied once every three years (I hope!)