Lime Plaster & Breathable Building Conservation
LIME PLASTER & BREATHABLE BUILDING CONSERVATION
PROJECT JOURNAL
Lime hemp plaster
Replastering bedroom walls with breathable lime plaster
Two external walls in this small bedroom were taken back to brick and replastered using lime plaster, with a breathable separation layer used to deal with an area of old soot contamination.
A vertical band of soot contamination remained on the masonry where an old flue had once been. Removing it manually would have taken a considerable amount of effort with no certainty that all of the contamination could be removed.
Instead, I fixed woodwool board over the affected area to create a breathable separation layer before plastering.
The walls were built up with two coats of lime hemp plaster. The first coat was left with a key before a second coat was applied and ruled to bring the walls back into shape.
Once firm enough, the second coat was compacted and floated, leaving a suitable surface for the final lime putty finish.
The finish was applied in two coats and sponge floated as it began to firm up, before a final light pass with a steel trowel to leave a smooth finish while retaining some of the natural movement in the surface.
The completed lime plaster, still drying.
