Limewash in London

Limewash in London is real slaked lime thinned with water and brushed onto the wall. It is not paint. The lime soaks in, carbonates back to stone and leaves a soft, cloudy, matt surface. Zavoré sells genuine lime paint with tracked UK delivery, and our own team, who travel from Birmingham, will brush it on for you. Start with a sample board and judge it dry.

Solid brick walls and years of paint

Limewash belongs on mineral, absorbent surfaces, and London has plenty of them. Georgian and Victorian houses were built with solid brick walls, many finished in lime plaster. Lime is vapour open, so it lets those walls breathe, where a sealed modern paint holds moisture behind a film.

The London problem is that most of these walls have been painted many times. Lime needs something absorbent to grip, and it will not stick to vinyl silk, gloss or a sealed skim. It dusts off. A wall painted in the last twenty years usually needs stripping back or a mineral primer before limewash goes on. If you are unsure, wet a small patch and see whether it drinks the water or beads.

Limewash also does not cure damp. A basement or garden flat wall with rising damp needs the source dealt with first. Cold, damp rooms slow the drying, so we plan around that.

Outside and inside in London

Our limewash finishes suit these London surfaces.

• Bare lime plaster, old lime render and solid brick inside Georgian and Victorian houses.
• Exterior brick and render on rear and side elevations, where limewash weathers and renews rather than peeling.
• Hallways and stairwells that want texture rather than sheen.
• Bedrooms and snugs in earthy, muted colours.
• Big areas where flat paint would look dead.

It is the wrong answer on a kitchen splashback, in a shower or on any wall that gets handled daily, because it marks and is not washable. Anyone who wants a perfectly even colour should buy emulsion.

How a limewash job in London runs

We survey first, checking what is on the wall, damp, access and how the room is used. We say if the walls need stripping or priming. The sample board comes next, and you should judge it dry and in daylight, because limewash dries lighter than it looks wet and keeps shifting for a few weeks as it carbonates.

The palette runs to earths, ochres, umbers and soft greys, in the maker's own colour range. A whole house needs a wet edge kept across long walls, and London jobs are planned in blocks of days, with our team staying to put on each coat in turn. Two or three thin coats is normal. See the limewash installation page for more.

Doing it yourself

Limewash is the one finish we will happily tell you to do yourself. It is brushed, it is forgiving and a patchy first coat is fixed by a second. The shop sells lime paint and a mineral primer for walls that will not take lime alone. Lime is caustic while wet, so wear gloves and goggles. We would take on height, exteriors and a whole house, where a wet edge matters. Decorators can ask about a trade account.

More finishes in London

Lime suits the same houses as clay plaster in London, which has more body, and marmorino in London, which is harder wearing. For something with a shine see polished plaster in London. Where water runs, use tadelakt in London or microcement in London. More modern looks are concrete effect plaster in London and liquid metal in London. The wider picture is in decorative specialists in London and Venetian plastering in London.

Questions about limewash in London

Can I limewash a London Victorian terrace that has been painted for years?

Not directly over emulsion. Strip back to bare plaster or brick, or use a mineral primer first. Lime needs an absorbent surface to bond with, and it dusts off a vinyl or acrylic film.

Is limewash suitable for outside brick on a London house?

Yes. On brick or render outside it is excellent and self renewing, and it wants redoing every few years rather than being stripped. It needs to be applied in suitable weather, as cold damp conditions slow drying.

Will limewash fix a damp wall in a London basement or garden flat?

No. It lets a wall breathe but it does not cure damp. The cause of the damp must be dealt with first, then limewash can go on a sound surface.

Is limewash washable in a London family kitchen?

No. It is a soft mineral surface and it will mark. It repairs invisibly with another thin coat, but for a splashback or a bathroom we would suggest tadelakt or microcement.

Tell us what is on the wall and we will say whether it needs stripping first. Call 07592 929191 (Monday to Saturday, 9am to 6pm) or email sales@zavore.co.uk with photos, rough measurements and your postcode. You can also order a sample board and start from there.