Limewash and milk paint

[David]

I am seeking another finish for outdoor furniture and would like any experiences of using limewash or milk paint on exterior timbers. I am

using softwoods.

[Anna Kettle]

Limewash is great stuff sometimes put on old oak timber framed buildings eg Lavenham Guildhall. It is built up in thin coats and the colour intensifies as it sets.

Milk paint is called casein. No experience there

Anna

~~ Anna Kettle, Suffolk, England |""""| ~ Lime plaster repairs / ^^ \ // Freehand modelling in lime: overmantels, pargeting etc |____|

01359 230642

[bigcat]

I dont have much experience, but have used lime paint on concrete, and it worked very well. Made it meself, very easy. One coat gave a dense finish, and its still in A1 condition so far. And its stooopidly cheap.

Also I gather linseed based paints make the very best wood preservers.

Period property forum discussed various paints.

NT

[Grunff]

[bigcat]

Bag of ordinary hydrated lime, airtight bucket/lid. Mix lime with water to a paste in the bucket, put lid on and store for weeks. Take lid off, use. I put it on with a trowel, just smearing/wiping the finish flat as I went. I reckoned it would be quicker than brushing, and it puts a thick long lasting layer on. Lime ages by gradually shedding surface lime, so the thicker, the longer it lasts.

I was a bit surprised it worked so well.

NT

[Grunff]

How long do you have to age it (if at all)?

Can you brush/sponge it to get a uniform finish?

[bigcat]

surface

I'm told it should always be aged, I'm not sure but ISTR a couple of months, or something in that ballpark. Anna would probably know a lot more more about that aspect.

Brush, sponge, sure, thats the usual way, I just trowlled it on thick because the wall is not flat :) Its effectively plaster as much as paint.

g'luck

NT

[Anna Kettle]

if you can put it on with a trowel it is lime plaster, not limewash and as there is no aggregate in it will tend to craze.

For long term durability it is better to make up a creamy consistency, add pigment if you want, dampen the surface of the furniture with a sprayer and then work the limewash into the surface with a brush in several THIN coats, allowing one day between each coat for the limewash to set. Thats set, not dry. It will look like you are wasting your time by painting on dirty water, but the colour intensifies as it sets

Minimum one week. One month is better. Or buy a tub of lime putty instead which is the same thing but already aged and available from many Jewsons. Whichever you buy, it will be enough to limewash many many many sets of garden furniture

Build up uniformity in several thin coats. Limewash becomes much more intense in colour when it is wet and then returns to a pastel shade when it dries again

The pedant retreats into her hole

Anna ~~ Anna Kettle, Suffolk, England |""""| ~ Lime plaster repairs / ^^ \ // Freehand modelling in lime: overmantels, pargeting etc |____|

01359 230642

[Grunff]

Thanks for all the useful info (both of you!). One thing - I'm thinking of using this on a concrete block wall (external), not on furniture.

The idea is to close off the pores, make the wall smoother and prettier, without applying half an inch of sand/cement render. Is this a good idea/feasible/advisable? If so, same method as above? Different method?

[bigcat]

thinking

prettier,

method?

thats exactly what i was doing, and why I trowelled it. It filled the surface holes, trowelling didnt give a perfect finish, but yes much improved, and fairly quick. And I love the finish, much nicer than brilliant white. Its more a soft snowy white.

If it crazed, I've never noticed it. Lime plaster is prone to it, and is known for cracking and needing retrowelling, which can be done with no problem. But whatever may have happened on the tiny scale level, it looks much better anyway.

Lime is not entirely waterproof, but walls rendered with lime actually survive water and frost damage better than cement renders. Its a bit more complex than just keeping the rain off.

Some readers might not be aware the many uses of lime are attracting steadily increasing popularity again. Its remarkable how many things you can do with it, and how minimally priced it is. I estimated one could make around a quarter of a ton of lime paint for under a tenner.

NT

[Anna Kettle]

Limewash is supposed not to stick too well to concrete [1] so to get the limewash look with durability some PVA is added to the mix. A creamy mix will take many coats to get the wall noticeably smoother so maybe the first coat should be a thicker mix to bung up the holes a bit. It will look prettier immediately though IMHO that is not difficult with a concrete block wall

[1] bigcat seems to have achieved it so maybe you should be listening to him/her

In my earlier instructions I forgot to say that you should regularly use a stirring stick in your limewash tub as it tends to settle out

Anna

~~ Anna Kettle, Suffolk, England |""""| ~ Lime plaster repairs / ^^ \ // Freehand modelling in lime: overmantels, pargeting etc |____|

01359 230642

[Grunff]

Great, thank you both once again. I'll give this a try this summer. Should be fun.

[bigcat]

thinking

prettier,

What you say is true if you use it like a paint. I used the putty as is, no thinning, no sand added. I didnt try it but you could probably turn the bucket upside down, and if righted again quickly I expect nothing wuold have fallen out. Like this it just takes one wipe with the trowel, job complete. Its more gloop than paint.

NT

[Anna Kettle]

Just when I think I know all the ways to use lime, another one appears out of the woodwork. That'll give me something to talk about at the Plasterers Ball :)

Anna

~~ Anna Kettle, Suffolk, England |""""| ~ Lime plaster repairs / ^^ \ // Freehand modelling in lime: overmantels, pargeting etc |____|

01359 230642

[bigcat]

probably

appears

:) Sometimes I wonder if there's anything you cant do with lime. You can use it with eggs as well, for culinary purposes. Heard of that one?

Note to anyone that doesnt know how: dont try it! Until you know what 'it' is. Incorrect uses of lime can be quite dangerous.

And it was used in laundry... it deserves its own thread really.

NT

[Anna Kettle]

Quicklime is certainly dangerous but it is actually quite a rare beast. To get it you set fire to some limestone or chalk. I heard a story once about some kids playing in the local limekiln who decided to write their names on the wall of the kiln using the quicklime. They didn't get beyond the first letter

Whiter than white

Anna

~~ Anna Kettle, Suffolk, England |""""| ~ Lime plaster repairs / ^^ \ // Freehand modelling in lime: overmantels, pargeting etc |____|

01359 230642

[bigcat]

I gather lime putty is stil quite stongly alkaline, is that true?

NT

[Anna Kettle]

Yes I don't recommend sticking it in your eyes and I always keep eyewash in a convenient place. Some people say that it attacks your skin so wear gloves, goggles, protective clothing etc but I reckon that for sensible adults this is H&S twaddle. Gloves or barrier cream are sensible cos it dries the skin and cos if you mix it with sand your hands will get sandpapered until they toughen up

Anna

~~ Anna Kettle, Suffolk, England |""""| ~ Lime plaster repairs / ^^ \ // Freehand modelling in lime: overmantels, pargeting etc |____|

01359 230642

[bigcat]

thanks for the perspective. I plan to do more liming some day, and wasnt sure what to make of it, ie how cautiously to treat the putty.

NT