Applying Lime Mortar To Give a Particular Finish?!

[wolfpaw]

Hi

I'm starting to repoint/render the interior of the house. Now, for certain sections of the walls, I want a particular finish but I don't know how to achieve it. The walls are built of limestone, of varying shapes and sizes. What I want is a render that leaves the shapes of the stones visible beneath the lime. I don't want the actual surfaces of the stones to be visible re. repointing, but I want an undulating finish where you can see see slight bumps and curves where the stones are. Any ideas? Would having quite a wet mixture of lime/sand help? I was thinking of slapping it on by hand and then going over it with a soft nylon brush to get a smooth, but not flat, finish over the stones. I'm planning on using a limewash afterwards.

 

[DaveBrigg]

From my very limited experience, leaving the shapes of the stones visible beneath the lime is rather easier than trying to get a completely level finish. Once the stones are covered however, no-one will know if the contours reflect the wall or are just random lumps. The wall needs to be thoroughly wetted beforehand, but beware of making your mix too runny. As well as the danger of it slipping before it dries, it will also be more prone to cracking, having a larger volume of water to lose.

Not all old houses had undulating walls of course. A plasterer in the past would have probably tried to make the job look as good as possible, which means flattening out uneven walls.

 

[stuart45]

Going over it with a sponge will give you a smoother finish.

 

[biffvernon]

Slapping it on by hand may give the wall the desired finish but it may also give an undesirable finish to you hands. Lime is not exactly kind to the skin.

Have you considered plastering with mud? Some people pay good money for the pleasant effect that has on the skin. Then paint it with limewash. It will look the same and be cheaper.

 

[Penners]

I want an undulating finish

You need me to plaster for you. I specialise in undulations, lumps, holes, rough patches, cracks...

:roll:

 

[wolfpaw]

Well, spent the afternoon doing some wall and I'm happy with the results. I used thick rubber gauntlets to put it on with, spreading it on by hand, throwing it on in places and just generally getting a fairly even coating. Then I used a nylon brush over the surface to get a smooth-ish finish. After it's dried I will use a brush on it again to get rid of the small grains of sand that are on the surface. You can see the vague outline of stone beneath the lime but it's faint and almost exactly what I had in mind! Once it's dried I will take a photo and post it for your criticism :lol:

P.S I really didn't want pointed stone inside the house. The exterior is pointed limestone and there are parts of the interior that will be pointed but in my opinion it looks utterly boring if it's everywhere inside a house as well as being cold-looking in winter. Now I can put some nice lime washes on the inside. I'm thinking maybe a warm ochre for the entrance hall.

 

[middi]

If you want the outline of the stone to be visible just make good and repoint the stones then just lime wash them two,three or four times. ( or you can keep covering untill you are happy with the finish).