Limewash Colour Experiment

[Ian Bond]

I'm experimenting with colouring limewash, so thought I'd share the results, just in case anyone else is contemplating having a go, or can offer some hard-won advice.

This is an 'honest' experiment, in that I'll post the results of each coat (just 3), rather than waiting to see if it turns out alright!

I've already repaired the plaster (wobbly, not levelled with screeds) and applied 3 coats of basic limewash. All made up with lime putty and water 1:2, which is much cheaper than buying ready made stuff.

The intention is to get the colour to complement the stone of the fireplace, just a shade or two lighter. The pigment used was Raw Umber and Raw Sienna, which we mixed with water, then left to stand for a couple of days before mixing with limewash. We just used 150ml of the umber, 50ml of the sienna and made 12 litres of coloured limewash.

After the first colour coat, the effect is somewhat patchy, a bit like a cowshed... interesting anyway ...

It's freshly coated, so will lighten considerably as it dries. It is always a revelation each time you go in the room and see how the effect has changed.

The next coat will follow in a few days..

Ian

 

[Schoolmarm]

Is that a bedroom?

 

[Ian Bond]

Yes, it's the front bedroom Schoolmarm.

I've just had a quick look and the wash has dried a few shades lighter and is not quite as dramatically patchy.

I'm going to leave it until Thursday now before putting another coat on....

 

[Schoolmarm]

I am wondering if our fireplace in our bedroom is similar. I chipped some plaster off to the right hand side and found the bottom of a large slab.


Brill limewash pics, I have never seen it in stages.

 

[Ian Bond]

I'll put a few details on another thread, maybe of interest?

 

[Schoolmarm]

Yes please 8)

 

[Cloudscape]

The idea of coloured limewash interests me a lot. I've been wondering if, in future, one decided to change the colour, or go for white(ish) again, the colour would somehow bleed? I also wondered how reliably the colour could be mixed, if ever you needed to touch up. I suppose some variation could be pleasantly rustic (in keeping with my house).

 

[Ian Bond]

From what I've read, you'd need to mix up enough of each batch to complete a coat. I've made a record of the pigments I used, and ratios of each, but I bet it will be hard to get exactly the same shade again (or shades!).

Liz painted around 30 sq. yards of wall today, and used just over 5 pints (3 Ltrs) of limewash. I'd got the modern emulsion off and slapped on 3 coats of basic white limewash previously.

I think that if I was going for a dramatic colour change, I'd try to obliterate the first coat with several layers of white. Maybe not necessary for going to darker shades of similar colours, but I don't know to be honest.

It was a good deal easier to clean up after than emulsion, but I would be the first to admit that it is not going to be to everyones taste, to say the least.
Very rustic indeed at the moment!

 

[Gervase]

Matching a colour with a second mix is extremely hard, so it's best to make all the limewash you think you'll ever need in one colour at the same time.
I find that to get an even pigmentation it's best to mix the powdered pigment with water very thoroughly before adding it to the limewash and mixing that again very thoroughly - I tend to use a set of cup/half/cup, etc steel measures I got from John Lewis ages ago, and mix the pigment with water in a large jar with a well-fitting lid.
As for coats, a white base coat usually suffices, with two coloured coats on top - and the colour of the final, carbonated limewash will be hugely lighter than the colour of the wet stuff in the bucket. As mentioned above, the patchiness that can make you panic as the stuff dries will usually disappear after a few days when the wash has carbonated. Any subsequent damp may, however, give you a temporary darkening of the colour.

 

[Ian Bond]

Thanks Gervase - some reassuring advice there. I'm pleased to hear that you are treating the limewash pigments with due reverence - John Lewis measures I'm ashamed to say that I used a plastic jug!!!

I've got the pigment sloshing around forlornly at the bottom of 20 litre putty tubs at the moment. I think I need to find a few smaller jars!

The colour and extreme patchiness has toned down somewhat overnight. I quite like the effect, which is hopefully to make the work that I've done on and off for the last 10 years, look like I haven't actually done anything.

 

[Cloudscape]

It looks like you're going to end up with a nice pale colour.

But is there any precedent for stronger colours, or would this mean that you have to use so much pigment that the limewash is overly diluted?

 

[Gervase]

Farrow & Ball have some very dark colours in their limewash range, but they're not really authentic, to be honest (and they're horribly thick and awkward to apply, and should really be diluted 2:1, which F&B neglects to say). If you want darker shades you're probably better off with a distemper.

 

[Cloudscape]

Not so much darker, well maybe a bit, as more intense - like a yellow ochre, a mustard-y colour, a sage-y green, or a red-earth colour.

 

[Ian Bond]

How about this Cloudscape?

 

[Cloudscape]

I love it in the right context. I'm a big fan of colour.

 

[Ian Bond]

Faded a bit the next day - looking forward to chucking another coat on now!

 

[Cloudscape]

Can you add wet onto dry, or do you need to damp down the previous coats?

 

[Ian Bond]

So far I've always given the walls / ceiling a light spraying over about 15 minutes before limewashing.

With the basic white limewash, the water makes your first coat 'disappear' which is a bit disconcerting.

Water's important to aid carbonation, and prevent the background from sucking up the water from the limewash too quickly.

Just one thing to watch out for - don't overwet the walls around skirting etc, especially new stuff or it will warp, and joints will open.

 

[Ian Bond]

Just to add, in the arid, hot summer I might spray more water on the walls, and lightly spray again over the next couple of days as the limewash cures.

 

[Ian Bond]

The second coat has gone on now - despite thorough mixing and sieving, the finish is gritty. A bit too rustic - the original stuff is quite smooth.

Second coat whilst still wet:

Second coat after 2 days:

And here's a close up:

It looks OK in daylight, albeit patchy and gritty! It's not a precise match to the original finish, which had been protected under layers of wallpaper in other rooms. Not bad for the first go though, and it suits my rough-ish vernacular cottage. I don't think that it would be acceptable in a smoother building, unless it was in a cellar, scullery or some other low status room.

Hopefully I'll be able to improve on these results when I decorate the next room.

Thanks for reading, and I hope that you found this experiment of use. I'd be very interested to hear of anyone elses experiences with limewash, or even better see a picure or two.