An Informative Guide To Lime Rendering
Lime rendering for homes and businesses in Stourport, Kidderminster, Bewdley, and the wider Worcestershire areas.
If you're looking for a way to give your home a fresh new look or you need to replace your existing lime render, look no further than Redline Plastering.
Lime rendering is an ancient plastering technique, in fact, it is the oldest building technology still commonly used today. It was originally used extensively by the Romans and is found in nearly all buildings built before the early 1900s. Lime render is the first coat of lime "plaster or the like" applied to the external surfaces of traditionally-built stone or brick buildings. It allows the building to 'breathe' – as lime is porous, it allows for the collection and evaporation of moisture.
In this post, we'll take a closer look at lime rendering, including what it is, how it's done, and why you should consider it for your next home improvement project.
What is Lime Rendering?
Lime rendering is a type of plastering that uses lime instead of cement or gypsum. It's been used for thousands of years and is still popular today because of its many benefits. Lime is a natural material that is abundant and sustainable, making it an eco-friendly choice for your home. It is also breathable, allowing moisture to escape from your walls that can help to prevent damp and mould from forming. And because lime is flexible, it can move with your walls as they settle, helping to prevent cracks and other types of damage.
How is Lime Rendering Done?
Lime rendering is a skilled job that should be done by a professional lime renderer or plasterer. The process involves several steps, including:
Preparation - Before any rendering can be done, the walls need to be prepared. This involves removing any loose or damaged material and making sure the surface is clean and dry.
Base coat - The first layer of lime render is the base coat. This is made up of lime putty, sand, and water, and is applied to the wall in a thick layer.
Scratch coat - Once the base coat has dried, the scratch coat is applied. This is a thinner layer of lime render that is scored with a comb or trowel to create a rough surface that the next layer will stick to.
Finish coat - The final layer of lime render is the finish coat. This is the layer that gives your walls their final look, and can be smooth, textured, or patterned depending on your preference.
Decoration - Once the lime render has dried, you can decorate it however you like. Lime render can be painted, or left as is for a natural look.
Why Choose Lime Rendering?
Lime is still one of the very best building substances you can use today, it’s flexible, breathable, reduces condensation, is easy to work with, affordable and, as a bonus, it’s beautiful too!
Lime render offers a number of advantages over cement-based mixes for external rendering. It can accommodate subtle movements (without cracking) and can regulate humidity by actively managing moisture (hygroscopic). In contrast to sympathetic lime render, many traditional buildings are often incorrectly renovated using harder, relatively impermeable materials designed for modern constructions. The result can aggravate or be the direct cause of problems associated with damp.
Eco-Friendly - Lime is a natural material that is abundant and sustainable, making it an eco-friendly choice for your home. Lime not only absorbs potentially damaging carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, but the amount of energy required to produce it, is less than what is required for the production of cement and, as it can be produced on a small scale, there is less impact on the local area. As lime is a natural material, it doesn’t ‘leach’ damaging chemicals,
Breathable - Lime is breathable, allowing moisture to escape from your walls. This helps prevent damp and mould from forming, making your home healthier and more comfortable. When you use lime plaster or mortar for building, you won’t get condensation on the surface of walls. Lime also has disinfectant qualities, especially when it’s used as limewash, but the same is also true for lime mortars, plasters and renders. This means it will resist the build-up of moulds that can lead to breathing difficulties, creating a healthier living environment, and making lime plaster an ideal material for building particularly if you or members of your family have any respiratory problems such as asthma.
Flexible - Lime is flexible, which means it can move with your walls as they settle. This prevents cracks and other types of damage, making your walls more durable. As lime is a ‘flexible’ building material that gives a little when a building moves or shifts, it’s far more forgiving than more brittle materials like cement which may crack or deform even with just a very little ground movement or swell.
Beautiful - Lime rendering gives your walls a beautiful, textured look that can't be achieved with other types of plastering. And because lime is a natural material, it gives your home a warm, inviting feel. Lime is perfect for creating an unobtrusive finish that blends naturally into a locality in a way that is difficult with more contemporary products. This can be important when trying to meet local planning requirements or to create a look sympathetic to a local identity. Lime as a surface finish is aesthetically pleasing, with a more ‘natural’ look that comes from the double refraction of light through the calcite crystals that are present in it. This creates a softer texture than you get with ‘harder’ cement-based products, which can complement the appearance of either contemporary or traditional buildings.
Lime Renderers Near Me.
At Redline Plastering we carry out lime rendering work in all areas of Worcestershire, including, Stourport, Kidderminster, Bewdley, Wyre Forest, Hagley, Bromsgrove, Droitwich, Malvern and Shropshire. We are the highest-rated Stourport and Kidderminster Plasterers and are proud to provide a superior quality service, every day, at every location. For a free Lime Rendering Quote, contact us today and we’ll get straight back to you.
Lime rendering is a beautiful, eco-friendly, and durable way to give your home a fresh new look. Whether you're renovating an old property or just want to add some character to a new build, lime rendering is a great choice. Just remember to choose a professional lime renderer or plasterer
