Lime render?

[razorpig]

Make up an air tight bucket from Hydrated lime and leave it to mature in the back of the garage.
That's what a I do. It's fairly cheap and you can buy it from local builders and avoid shipping.

Cheers,
Richard B.

Fantastic video Thanks Richard. I had no idea it was so simple to make. He mentions in the video that it shouldn't freeze. The only place I could store it is in the cellar, but with a small light well and an iron entrance gate it's partially open to the elements. If it did freeze is it ruined? Also, once made, does it keep indefinitely and does it have to be kept airtight at all times?

 

[razorpig]

Quick update on the wall - the diluted PVA and Touprelith F appears to have worked OK. It seems to have tied in the remaining original skim coat quite nicely - it was one of those situations where I could have kept tapping away until there was nothing left. Hopefully it'll last, and if not, next time maybe I'll have my own bucket of lime putty ready to go

 

[worms]

Fantastic video Thanks Richard. I had no idea it was so simple to make. He mentions in the video that it shouldn't freeze. The only place I could store it is in the cellar, but with a small light well and an iron entrance gate it's partially open to the elements. If it did freeze is it ruined? Also, once made, does it keep indefinitely and does it have to be kept airtight at all times?

Razorpig, I'm not sure how cold it is where you live, but my putty bin lives in the (detached, unheated) garage in the north of Scotland at 100m above sea level and I've had no issues with it surviving the winters. As long as the putty is covered by a layer of water, the bin doesn't need to be airtight. I can't swear by it keeping indefinitely, but I've never seen any evidence of it deteriorating and I have some that is several years old.

 

[RBailey]

Fantastic video Thanks Richard. I had no idea it was so simple to make. He mentions in the video that it shouldn't freeze. The only place I could store it is in the cellar, but with a small light well and an iron entrance gate it's partially open to the elements. If it did freeze is it ruined? Also, once made, does it keep indefinitely and does it have to be kept airtight at all times?

Yeap, I'd second Worms. It should be alright in the cellar natural ground temperature will probably keep it above freezing as well.

It gets better with age, from what I understand it will keep for a very long time. But sadly it never gets a chance to sit around unused here. (I had to add a second barrel to keep one in use and one maturing due to the pace of consumption

Cheers,
Richard B.

 

[worms]

It gets better with age...

Don't we all! But my recollection, from the published tests, is that the improvement-with-time for lime putty plateaus out at about 3 or 4 months, so there is little to be gained by maturing it beyond that.

 

[Zebra]

Two comments to add to this discussion... (oh, hello, everyone..)
1. Did the fizz test on some 300 year old mortar, just out of interest, and it came back negative, no fizz at all, so I'm not sure it's reliable, that test.
2. Had some lime putty that froze, and it became a bit lumpy afterwards but wasn't ruined, although I mainly used it for limewash and wouldn't risk it on anything critical...

 

[a twig]

The lesser spotted Zebra returns! am about to do a “Zebra style trench” in my current property (will make it 2 out of last 3) so very glad you are still about!

 

[Zebra]

Aww thanks twig........malcolm also has a similar trench. What do you think malcolm, shall we patent it, the "Zebcolm trench"?

 

[malcolm]

I got the idea from you. The fibreglass grating looks really good. Nobody has told me off for not investing in cast iron.

 

[LadyArowana]

Aww thanks twig........malcolm also has a similar trench. What do you think malcolm, shall we patent it, the "Zebcolm trench"?

Hello stripy friend, long time no see….. ( says she who was missing in action for ages ).

Yes post Brexit you should start referring to it as that

 

[Zebra]

And mine has kept children from falling in for, what, must be six or seven years now. So that's kept the church happy, who insisted on it being covered in the first place.

 

[steveb]

Aww thanks twig........malcolm also has a similar trench. What do you think malcolm, shall we patent it, the "Zebcolm trench"?

I think Malbra rolls off the tongue better

 

[malcolm]

I think Malbra rolls off the tongue better

But we'll not be able to sponsor McLaren or Ferrari Formula 1 cars if we choose that name. For me it's very much the Zebra Trench. Especially when you have a nice stripy grating to finish it off. I had been trying to work out a way of lowering all the exterior ground level by 18 inches but a trench beside the wall was a far better solution. It has worked very well and I'm very thankful for the idea.

Apologies to the opening poster for the off topic. We are just excited to see Zebra again. We ought to put a page up about ways to use lime that aren't too inconvenient. Hydrated lime is also good just mixed straight from the bag and I also use NHL 3.5 a lot outside. They are both readily available from most builders merchants (as is silver sand for plastering) and are better for the house than cement or gypsum products and also more forgiving to use. A 2.5:1 sand to lime mix is safe. Generally with lime a beginner can throw the trowel at the wall in frustration then come back the next day refreshed and finish the job. It's a lot easier to use than the modern stuff with a chemical set.

 

[Lacan07]

I got the idea from you. The fibreglass grating looks really good. Nobody has told me off for not investing in cast iron.

I'll need may need to dig some trenches soon, both external and internal. Is this the 'Zebcolm' trench being discussed? And where can I purchase those natty metal supports and grills, can someone link me the thread please? Cheers

 

[Lacan07]

Make up an air tight bucket from Hydrated lime and leave it to mature in the back of the garage.
That's what a I do. It's fairly cheap and you can buy it from local builders and avoid shipping.

Cheers,
Richard B.

Thanks for this video. I'd been thinking about making my own plaster, at least for base and float coat. I assume its a 3 sand to 1 putty mix.

Does anyone know roughly what kind of savings can be had against purchasing ready made? And does the lid to the bin have to be super airtight?

 

[Zebra]

Lacan07, I will post links and photos later. My supports are different to those.
Aww thanks malc, it's nice to be back, I didn't realise I'd missed you all so much. What was I thinking staying away for so long?.....

 

[paulc]

A 25Kg bag of hydrated lime is about £18 from the likes of B&Q (ouch)... A 20Kg tub of lime putty from Mike Wye, £16.80 plus shipping. I had purchased some tubs from a local builders merchant (Mike Wye brand) a couple of months back for around £13.

No, the tubs containing the putty do not need to be air tight. As long as there is a bit of water covering the lime, it will keep. So if you are stewing your own putty from hydrated lime, an 80l plastic bin would work as long as you check it regularly and top up the water when needed.

 

[worms]

A 25Kg bag of hydrated lime is about £18 from the likes of B&Q (ouch)... A 20Kg tub of lime putty from Mike Wye, £16.80 plus shipping. I had purchased some tubs from a local builders merchant (Mike Wye brand) a couple of months back for around £13.

...remembering, of course, that a 25kg bag of lime will make about 53kg putty. So using these figures (and ignoring the cost of a bin and the water), DIY putty works out at £0.34/kg and bought at £0.84/kg (plus delivery).

 

[malcolm]

I'll need may need to dig some trenches soon, both external and internal. Is this the 'Zebcolm' trench being discussed? And where can I purchase those natty metal supports and grills, can someone link me the thread please? Cheers

A search for Fibregrid on here should pull up the information about the grating. It is normally supplied in huge big sheets but Fibregrid will cut it to the width you need. Though it seems to have become green in colour now https://www.fibregrid.com/search-results/?ap-q=square mesh grating

I used a short retaining wall to mount one side of the grating and fabricated some stainless supports because I was worried about water settling on top of support built into the wall. I don't think that would have been much of a problem in hindsight. The galvanised part is a "21mm Top Hat U bracket" that can be found on Google. Zebra's supports were probably more sensible.

 

[Lacan07]

A search for Fibregrid on here should pull up the information about the grating. It is normally supplied in huge big sheets but Fibregrid will cut it to the width you need. Though it seems to have become green in colour now https://www.fibregrid.com/search-results/?ap-q=square mesh grating

I used a short retaining wall to mount one side of the grating and fabricated some stainless supports because I was worried about water settling on top of support built into the wall. I don't think that would have been much of a problem in hindsight. The galvanised part is a "21mm Top Hat U bracket" that can be found on Google. Zebra's supports were probably more sensible.

Thanks Malcolm