# Lime wash brick



## fjn (Aug 17, 2011)

This discussion prompted me to do a google search. There are numerous recipes posted. Most have salt as an ingredient,here is one of the many.


http://www.theprairiehomestead.com/2014/07/whitewash-recipe-barn-coop.html


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## JBM (Mar 31, 2011)

If I were to try to get a paint wearing off look on a building (not sure if thats what your looking to do) ive used the lime paint found at limeworks.us with good results and believe it would make a great wash.

http://www.limeworks.us/limepaintsmore.php


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## Tscarborough (Feb 25, 2006)

This is a differentiation between doing a lime wash on brick and a lime wash on wood I would assume. I am not sure of the chemistry of a wood lime wash, but for a brick one, there is no mechanism whereby table salt would assist or improve bond, stability, or any other function of the lime wash itself.


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## fjn (Aug 17, 2011)

Well,I did a google search on lime wash. There are numerous sites that pop up directing to 'Ask The Builder" AKA Tim Carter,his recipe for lime wash for masonry does in fact list salt as one of the ingredients.


For whatever reason,I can't post the connections to his site,one would have to do their own search.


Not wanting to take his word for it,I pulled out my trusty copy of Building With Lime by Wingate nad Holmes. Here is what they have to say on the topic.



SALTS: When limewashes are used in historic buildings,it is unthinkable to introduce chloride salts,even in very small quantities,which might cause harm to the fabric of the masonry.However,it is well known that the addition of sodium chloride (common salt) or calcium chloride (crude commercial grade)can greatly assist the performance of a limewash. The salts act in two ways:they increase the solubility of the lime and they provide wetting and drying cycles which benefit the carbonation. The increased solubility means that the calcium hydroxide penetrates further into the surface for a better bond. The hygrosopic action,attracting moisture from the air,prevents rapid drying. On an internal wall this hygrosopic action would cause dampness to appear whenever the conditions are humid,but externally the salts would gradually wash off.


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## Tscarborough (Feb 25, 2006)

I can't speak to it definitely, but intuitively, using calcium chloride or sodium chloride go against everything I think I know about masonry. Calcium is used as a convenience, but it is not used to improve anything but production.

I will see what I can find about sodium chloride in addition to what you have found.


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## dom-mas (Nov 26, 2011)

Interesting, never would have thought.


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## Tscarborough (Feb 25, 2006)

I could not find anything from the industry that recommended adding salt to lime mortars or plaster, just the normal cautions that soluble salts are always to be avoided.


Lime paint may be different, but for the purpose of giving brick a lime wash, do not add salt.


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## fjn (Aug 17, 2011)

Here is the recipe I mentioned yesterday by Ask the builder AKA Tim Carter.


www.askthe builder.com/ whitewash-recipe


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## dom-mas (Nov 26, 2011)

fjn said:


> Here is the recipe I mentioned yesterday by Ask the builder AKA Tim Carter.
> 
> 
> www.askthebuilder.com/whitewash-recipe


Maybe this will work
http://www.askthebuilder.com/whitewashing-brick/


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## Fundi (Jan 5, 2009)

I started using lime wash last year. I am a convert. For what it is worth-

Years ago it was used frequently and the mix had salt in it. I dont use salt as it does the job without it.

Tsar and the site above mixtures are much thicker than mine. 

I use 1 part lime 4 water. You need to mix with almost every brush. Put it on thin The first coat you think it hasn't done anything . then when as it dries it becomes whiter and whiter . And each layer becomes whiter and whiter. I try to keep it wet for a month and it dries hard. 

I might even whitewash bricks.

It you want it even harder you add............................ clay! clay and lime bond. Oh course that changes the pigmentation but I like the brown color i get. White whitewash can be blindingly bright.

I Whitewashed a roof and after 4 weeks of hard rains there is hardly any deterioration.

Some garden walls whitewashed.


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## Tscarborough (Feb 25, 2006)

We are still talking about 2 distinct things here. One is a lime wash to apply to a finished wall, the other is to coat individual bricks before use. As such they have different requirements, chief among them the need to maintain a bondable surface and durability.


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## fjn (Aug 17, 2011)

Tscarborough said:


> We are still talking about 2 distinct things here. One is a lime wash to apply to a finished wall, the other is to coat individual bricks before use. As such they have different requirements, chief among them the need to maintain a bondable surface and durability.





Very true. Are you saying when the bricks are coated prior to installation more than the face gets coated ? If so,I can easily see the need not to utilize salt.


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## fjn (Aug 17, 2011)

Just some trivia that may aid some of your customers wanting "that" look. I just bid a job yesterday that had a need to match an existing brick While the perfect match was no longer produced,Belden brick had a very close match.


Belden has several offerings that imitate the worn white wash look. Here is the one that was chosen

http://www.beldenbrick.com/onlinecatalog/brick-colors/white-bricks/27/frosted-whites


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## Tscarborough (Feb 25, 2006)

The brick are dipped into a slurry, so generally the whole brick is coated.


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## Gruntledlark (Jun 28, 2021)

fjn said:


> This discussion prompted me to do a google search. There are numerous recipes posted. Most have salt as an ingredient,here is one of the many.
> 
> 
> How to Whitewash Your Barn and Chicken Coop • The Prairie Homestead


This is NOT a good recipe. It doesn't carbonate.


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