whitewash

[Mike Cummins]

Looking to buy some whitewash to coat a fence. Anybody have a good source? Thanks, mc

[ameijers]

Stolen from the first hit on Google:

WHITEWASH MATERIALS: Salt: Common Sodium Chloride Alum: Powdered, Common Potash Aluminum Molasses: Unsulfured, Light Brown/Clear Water: Potable Quick Lime if you want to "slack" it, or Non Caustic, Hydrated Lime if you don't want to "slack" it Optional: Type I or Type II Portland Cement MIX:

A. 12 pounds salt, 6 ounces alum, and 1 quart molasses dissolved in 1.5 gallons water.

B. 50 pounds (1 sack) quick lime, mix with 5 gallons hot water. Allow to stand for 24 hours. Mix Parts "A" & "B" for a brushable consistency.

NOTES: Use this formula at your own risk. White, non-staining, Type I or Type II Portland Cement can be substituted for up to ten percent of the lime material to produce a more durable coating. Ordinary lime, or quick lime, is caustic. To get the lime you want for whitewash you have to "slack" the quick lime with hot water at least overnight. The result of slacking is hydrated lime, or Ca(OH2). But if the slacking is not complete or thorough it can burn your skin. If you are worried about incomplete slacking, buy hydrated lime instead of quick lime. Regular garden lime, which is really ground limestone, is of no use.

Any good garden supply will have the ingredients.

There is a reason people seldom use whitewash any more- paint is cheap, and works a lot better.

aem sends....

[Mark and Gloria Hagwood]

My father once bought an antebellum house that had a second story added in the late 1800's. The entire house had been covered in stucco just after the turn of the century. It had never been whitewashed, and just the trim and windows had been painted. I do not know the source for the formula he used, but I assure you that when he was done, the house was the whitest one in town and the whitewash did not yellow over the years. When it began to show some streaking, after about 10-12 years, a new coat of whitewash held it for another 10-12 years.

Preparation: Make sure all stucco is tight. Wash with a pressure washer. If horribly dirty, brush on TSP solution, then wash with pressure washer.

Mix white Portland cement to a a thick brushing consistency and apply as a first coat.

For the top coat:

12 bananas, diced and then mashed. Include skins. Nowadays, a blender with a little water would work well for this.

4-5# table salt

10# paraffin, shaved or cut in to cubes less than 1/2"

50# unslaked lime. Do NOT us quicklime

6-7 gallons hot water

Mix banana mash, shaved paraffin, salt and lime in large tub or 30 gallon drum with head cut out.

Pour in the hot water slowly, stirring. Be prepared to step back when lime begins to hydrate and boil.

After boiling slows, keep stirring to obtain smooth mixture and thin with more water to a thick paint-like consistency. Cover with a tarp and let set for a couple weeks. After a few days, gently add a couple quarts of water to cover the top of the mixture. The water will float on the mixture. Do not stir.

Stir well before using. You can apply with a brush or large tip bore airless gun if you strain out any pieces of banana skin. The mixture will go on slightly yellowish, but will whiten within a few days. Rain will renew the whiteness.

Mark ameijers wrote:

[hallerb]

DONT whitewash something that was never whitewashed before!

Its nearly impossible to get paint or stain to stick to something that was previously whitewashed

[Mark and Gloria Hagwood]

Your advice is good, but a bit broad based. In the case of this house, my father wanted a traditional white wash coat that would never peel. He wanted a white stucco house and paint was not considered a good coating then for stucco.

Mark

[hallerb]

Your advice is good, but a bit broad based. In the case of this house, my father wanted a traditional white wash coat that would never peel. He wanted a white stucco house and paint was not considered a good coating then for stucco.

Mark

My comment was more for someone else since paint / stain today is cheap and works well

[miller_a]

Heh, I just love old family recipes like those. good luck!