Lime plastering in Brighton and Hove

Why period homes need lime

Most of Brighton and Hove’s older houses were built with solid brick, flint or stone walls and finished inside with lime plaster. Those walls were designed to let moisture in and out, drying naturally through the surface. The Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings (SPAB) explains that lime lets old structures breathe and move gently, and that modern cement, gypsum plaster and plastic paints can seriously harm historic fabric.

When old walls are patched or replastered in gypsum, moisture that used to escape can become trapped, which can lead to damp patches, salts and blown plaster. It is a common problem in Victorian terraces, where well-meaning repairs over the years can leave a patchwork of materials that do not work together.

We offer sympathetic lime repairs and new lime finishes for period and listed properties, so the walls can keep doing what they were built to do.

What we do

• Lime repairs to cracked, blown or damaged plaster, blended into the original.
• Full replastering of rooms in lime, usually in a scratch coat, a floating coat and a fine finish coat.
• Lath and plaster ceilings, repaired in haired lime to match the original construction.
• Removing unsuitable gypsum or cement from old walls where it is causing damp problems, and replacing it with lime.
• Breathable finishes, with advice on limewash and clay paints for decorating afterwards.

How lime plastering works

Lime plastering is slower than gypsum, and it should be. Traditional internal lime plaster is built up in coats, each one finer than the last, and each needs time to firm up before the next goes on. A 2006 guide by Tim Ratcliffe in The Building Conservation Directory describes scratch and floating coats of no more than about 15mm each and a finishing coat of 2mm to 5mm, with one to two weeks or more between the early coats.

The plaster also needs looking after while it cures. Tŷ-Mawr, a lime manufacturer, advises keeping lime damp for at least seven days after application and avoiding lime work when temperatures are likely to drop below 5°C for long periods. We plan lime jobs around the weather and protect the work so it cures properly.