For thousands of years, people have been using lime as a great binder in mortars, plasters, and paints. If you’re wondering if lime is for you, whether you’re renovating your own house, working on a new build or simply exploring options, here are my top 10 reasons why you should give lime a go. Lime provides such workability that you can include widely graded and sharp aggregates in the mix. 3. The white lime mixed with the white sand produces a warm, bright plaster that is both beautiful and durable. The fine particle size of lime (far smaller than the cement particle) is a reference to the root meaning of the word lime: ‘sticky material’. So, if you weren’t already thinking about using lime building materials for your next project, hopefully I’ve convinced you to think again! Lime is a porous and open textured material which helps to control the humitidy inside a building by absorbing and releasing moisture. It will repel water and keep the straw inside nice and dry. Designed to be breathable, flexible and sympathetic to traditional buildings, the plaster provides a permanent solution to damp and mould whilst improving insulation and reducing project times. Lime, however, is a material with a purpose. My goal is to educate others about this great planet, and the ways we can help to protect it. Modern buildings built with a damp proof course and barriers to rainwater penetration, and old buildings built prior to mid to late 19th century depending on the region of the country. Whilst initially there is a greater cost involved than if you were to use a cement render, the benefit of a dry house far outweighs this in the long run. But essentially, a house built with lime should be repaired with lime. Lime is the answer to many architects’ search for building materials sympathetic to traditional construction. Lime has been used as a building material for centuries thanks to its … 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 plaster is made by mixing the plaster material with water and sand. Why Use Lime? Lime delivers its hardness and its waterproofing qualities through a process called carbonation. Old plasters are generally made with lime and sand, with animal hair added as a binder to provide extra strength and reduce shrinking and cracking. What’s more, this workability also means that variously graded aggregate can be added to the lime mix to further improve performance and create different looks for your perfect finish! old buildings and new materials do not work very well together, Lime plaster sets up to a solid mass that is durable yet relatively flexible. No condensation – healthier for you and your home! This is why lime-based mixes are such a pleasure to use. For instance, cured lime plaster is calcium carbonate, chemically speaking; limestone, in other words. Lime plaster allows the building to breathe which greatly reduces the risk of trapped moisture and damage to the building fabric. Hydraulic lime plaster is not as hard as cement plaster. It wasn’t until the post-World War II housing boom that quick-setting cement started to eclipse lime in construction. The characteristics of hydrated lime provide unique benefits in masonry applications that distinguish cement-lime mortars from other masonry mortar materials. In recent years it has become more popular because it is more environmentally friendly than cement. 2. Using lime on the stairs creates a sense of European grandeur and can help stairwells to feel of a piece with the … Lime Plaster is a unique product that has been around for centuries. Rather than use multiple coats, as is the case with some other plastering methods, this process requires just one coat, making it a less fussy, more affordable finish for the Earth-conscious builder or consumer who doesn’t want to break the bank. 1. Breathability is the main reason why experts in conservation recommend the use of lime. Lime plaster is the best finish to use on earth walls because: 1. Thanks to their fine particle size, lime mixes are able to fill minute voids more deeply than other construction materials. This can be important when you are trying to meet local planning requirements, or to create a look sympathetic to a local identity. On the other hand, modern plasters (made from lime, cement, and sand) are improperly called lime plasters. Porous and open-textured materials such as lime plasters, help to stabilize the internal humidity of a building by absorbing and releasing moisture. That’s it – which means using lime plaster is significantly more environmentally friendly than some of the paints we use on our walls. Otterbein lime plasters not only offer sustainable benefits, but breathability and flexibility for the building. It’s flexible, breathable, reduces condensation, is easy to work with, is affordable and, as a bonus, it’s beautiful too! This produces a very mold-resistant plaster; Cement-based plaster is great for outdoor walls, and is made to endure weather conditions. Workability is the ability of a plaster or mortar to remain mouldable and smooth – even against the suction from porous building materials. The Use Of Lime Has Ecological Benefits Why use lime plastering on old buildings? Greenandgrowing.org is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com. And then left for air dry with the access to … Old buildings relied on the walls breathing and shedding moisture before damp became a problem. A great material to work with, lime mortars and plasters stay smooth and malleable, even against the suction from porous brick and block. Lime allows walls to breathe. Much of the plaster’s texture and color depends on the selection of aggregate. Lime also heals itself – while movement in cement-bound buildings tends to result in cracks, the same movement in buildings where lime is used produces many fine cracks. Because lime binds well with many things, recycled material such as glass can be easily incorporated into it, just as we’ve done at Lime Green with our Ultra range of insulating lime plasters and lime renders, which contain recycled glass beads. Traditional lath and plaster has fantastic soundproofing qualities because the lime plaster is a lot denser than modern gypsum plasterboard and plaster. Why Use Lime. Plaster Offers More Design Options. A thin layer of lime plaster on earth will not suffer serious cracks like cement stucco. An advantage of using lath and plaster is for plastering of unusual shapes like round walls or ceilings where using rigid drywall would make it difficult as it is not flexible enough for a tight curve, unlike the wooden laths. So before we learn some facts and tips about how to use it, let’s go through some of the basics of lime to give you a better understanding. Lime gives off a double refraction of light through calcite crystals, combining luster with soft texture. It seems that adding cement to lime reduces its breathability, elasticity, and durability. This means it can effectively act as a natural humidity control, taking out moisture from the air when there’s too much, and releasing it back when the air gets too dry, all of which makes for healthier and more pleasant living conditions. And that’s important because moisture – effectively water – is the enemy of natural materials like stone, timber and iron. Lime tends to be a negatively charged material that drives water away from itself in its final stage. This ‘workability’ helps greatly in ensuring that bonds are good, essential for good workmanship. That way, lime won’t come in contact with your skin through your clothing. 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. They can reduce site work times by a massive 75% to traditional application – A free PowerPoint PPT presentation (displayed as a Flash slide show) on PowerShow.com - id: 871bd5-Mjk0Z The Use Of Lime Has Ecological Benefits. They also develop a rich patina over time, which gives them a glowing translucent quality. This website uses cookies to ensure you get the best experience on our website. When you use lime plaster or mortar for building, you won’t get condensation on the surface of walls. The softness apparent in lime-based materials is a visual sign of their intrinsic workability, permeability, and soft binding properties. It is perfect for exterior plastering as it is highly durable. Concrete attracts water, which can lead to problems in straw bale walls over time. In other words air can pass through it in a way that doesn’t happen with a denser material like cement, or polymer-based renders and plasters. Not only is it workable, self-healing, and breathable, but it’s also an exceptional choice in terms of eco-friendly materials. 2. Lime has been an important component of mortars for over 2000 years. Otterbein lime plasters not only offer sustainable benefits, but breathability and flexibility for the building. Why Use Lime Plaster for Natural Building. 1. Lime plaster is well adopted traditional techniques that seem to be adopted since 7200BC /5000BC according to a record of archeological study. Lime surfaces and materials can actually become stronger over time through the formation of calcite crystals that form in lime-rich environments,. It shrinks and swells with heat in a similar way to earth. Lime is perfect for creating an unobtrusive finish that blends naturally into a locality in a way that is difficult with more contemporary products. The Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings promotes lime binders for repairs because they are vapor permeable, which allows buildings to breathe. 3. These enhance the performance of the finished work, as well as its aesthetic. As a lime plaster and insulation expert, I often come across the misconception that lime as a building material is somehow old-fashioned but, in actual fact, lime is one of the very best substances you can use today. Sometimes in high-status work it is gauged with gypsum. Why use lime plaster 1. In fact, we have found it intact in some chambers of the pyramids dating back to nearly 4,000 years. 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. There are many other reasons why you should opt for lime plaster, but its unique aesthetic is one of the most often cited. Good workability greatly increases good workmanship, resulting in full joints with good bonding to the other materials. Lime Plaster and Lime Render has excellent flexural strength and are best suited to historic timber-framed buildings as they work in harmony with the structure during the seasons. Therefore, it is of utmost importance to use full protective gear whenever working with lime – including eye protection, elbow-length rubber gloves, long sleeves, etc. It is also easy to repair lime plaster with a thin layer of plaster or limewash. your building is a solid brick building,built with lime mortar,as such it should if rendered be with lime render which will allow the building to breathe, the only reason English heritage insist on lime render is because it is the correct material for the age of the property which allows the building to breathe and stops internal dampness. When water penetrates these, it dissolves any ‘free’ lime it encounters, depositing it there as it evaporates. Why Lime Stucco is Better. Major benefits include: Flexural bond strength Cement and Type S Hydrated Lime mortars have been shown to have high levels of flexural bond strength. Only traditional lime plasters are low VOC (Volatile Organic Compounds). 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