Limewash

[UncleBob]

Hi I am a Floor Layer and sander and have recently been asked to Limewash
a friends parents. I have tried to talk them out of the idea however they
have spoken to an interior decorator that suggested it would compliment
the furniture and rest of the house. I wanted to see if I could speak to
anyone who has done a considerable amount of limewashing. I have practiced
on a small sample board and I think it has worked fine but cannot find a
picture of what the completed project is meant to look like. If you could
help would be fantastic.
Kind Regards

[mic-d]

two problems as I see it Bob.
One, there's a pretty clear red message that this should be somewhere else.
two, I reckon it'll be a problem trying to find a limewash that won't wash off when they have a shower.

Cheers
Michael

[BobL]

Limewash - IMHO Yuk! I reckon it just hides the beauty of real timber and on cheap timber it still looks like cheap timber.

[Ian Wells]

The genuine stuff is the cheapest, best, safest and is less likely to end up looking like some god-awful 'shabby chic' monstrosity.
I think it was originally a way of protecting against borer etc. its just a weak mix of lime putty (slaked lime) and water, very alkali, use gloves. you can add a tiny little infinitesimal amount of sienna or umber pigment if you like (artist pigment not cement colouring please).
You can also add a little methyl cellulose (wallpaper paste) to make it a little less runny.
Usual rules apply; less is more, thin coats etc.
Spraying it with a light mist of water a few times after its dried helps the lime to bond (its a crystal/mineral thinngy).
Lighten it up with a bit of steel wool (3m brilo pads are better)
Wax after with Ubeaut trad wax.
And most importantly let it develop a patina , it will scratch, wear and get a little grubby in the hard to reach bits. just wipe it clean with a soft cloth and re buff with a little more wax.
hope this helps
Ian

ps. this is probably not what they want, as most folks want a perpetually perfect finish and they'll hound you for the rest of your days about this mark or that spot etc, on second thoughts talk them out of it and 2 pack the lot

[Harry72]

Could you limewash it then put a waterbased satin finish over top?

[Ian Wells]

You could, though the high alkalinity of the lime might weaken the acrylic polymer, peeling is not a good look. You might try an isolating layer, shellac/casein etc. then coat it.
Always try some test panels first give them a month or so to cure and then see how they stand up to abrasion