Greetings,
I wanted to whitewash a fence and an brick house (in lieu of [tuck/ re]pointing it). I am getting conflicting answers from Google.com on the following questions:
A) If I purchased bags of type S mason's hydrated lime some time ago, how long are they good for? (I purchased many bags to do a stucco job about two years ago and then sold the property before I got around to it). More specifically, how do I know if it has gone bad? B) If I place the hydrated lime into water to make whitewash, how many parts water should I add for how many parts lime (by volume)? C) Since the lime is already hydrated, how long must I let it soak in the water before I can use it? D) Can I use a roller / air spray gun or not? If not, please explain. E) How many coats will it take? F) Will it ever REQUIRE maintenance? G) How thick should I apply the wash? H) How long before whitewashing should I prewet?
My answers to these questions so far are: A) I can still use it, so long as it has not clumped (*another site said it goes bad quickly) B) 1 part lime, 5 parts water (*I mixed some up and this is very thin, another site said it should be about as thick as paint) C) It must soak for at least 2 hours (*another site said at least 24 hours) D) yes, I can use a roller or air sprayer (*another site said it must be applied with a brush and "worked in") E) two for the fence, three for the house (*another site said 2, another 5) F) no, there will NEVER be any maintenance required (unlike paint) but it will all eventually wash away in a decade or so (*another site said it will start to look bad after only 5 years) G) 122 ft^2 per gallon (*another site said 600 ft^2 per gallon) H) Prewet 10 minutes before is OK without dripping / standing water (*another site said 12 hours before)
Since no one seems to agree I have a low degree of confidence! I would either like a confirmation or for someone to shoot me down
Thanks, William