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Changed look of bare brick house with a 20Kg bag of hydrated lime from Bunnings!
We had to do work on the roof so did have that one professionally painted (Surfmist colour). We didn't have funds to render the house as would have been our preference. Painting directly on the brick veneer would have been bad for the brick and also still quite expensive.
So we decided to attempt the lime whitewash of Mediterranean tradition: lime wash protects the bricks and gives buildable coverage. It protects against mould and algae forming on the bricks. Best thing is, it's very cheap: $16 a bag for the whole house, plus tap water, a bucket, and outdoor paint brushes.
We mixed water and hydrated lime to the ratio of 4 cups lime to 2 litres of water in a bucket with a paddle, gives a consistency of milk or very runny paint. This consistency is great to do a first coat or two, but a thicker paste can be made and applied with a rag. We just painted this 'lime milk' with a masonry brush. It's transparent when wet but it dries opaque white. Limewash can be coloured with natural pigments, but we liked white enough. So far we have applied two coats. It returns slightly transparent when it rains or is humid so we may do another coat but we're overall very happy with the result.
Materials
1 x Bag of hydrated lime https://www.bunnings.com.au/dingo-20kg-hydrated-lime_p0760454
tap water
Tools
9L plastic bucket https://www.bunnings.com.au/icon-plastics-9l-round-heavy-duty-plastic-bucket_p4475126
paint brushes https://www.bunnings.com.au/monarch-100mm-fence-brush_p1667948 or for better results: https://www.bunnings.com.au/monarch-100mm-exterior-and-rough-surfaces-paint-brush_p0022586
rugs to clean up spills and runoffs before it dries.
Steps
Step 1
This is what our house looked like before lime washing:
Close up of the bricks we dealt with:
We mixed water and hydrated lime to the ratio of 4 cups lime to 2 litres of water in a bucket with a paddle, gives a consistency of milk or very runny paint. This consistency is great to do a first coat or two, but a thicker paste can be made and applied with a rag. We just painted this 'lime milk' with a masonry brush. It's transparent when wet but it dries opaque white. Limewash can be coloured with natural pigments, but we liked white enough.
Step 2
One coat limewash result after drying one day. Each coat should dry at least a week to see what colour depth is reached.
Step 3
Two coats same consistency. So far we have applied just the two coats.
It returns slightly transparent when it rains or is humid so we may do another thicker coat or render over it when we have funds, but we're overall very happy with the result.
Two coats - photo taken after a recent downpour hitting the front. Showing the look when wet.
Below photos taken same day where rain didn't hit.
Let me also extend a very warm welcome to the Bunnings Workshop community @Sbrodolina. We trust you'll get loads of help and inspiration for all your future projects from our wonderful members.
This project will surely help and inspire plenty of people. We often get enquiries from community members wanting ideas about how they can improve the street appeal of their brick homes. Great work.
We look forward to seeing what you tackle next.
Jason
