Finishes / Limewash

Limewash

A mineral finish that breathes, moves with the light, and ages into a patina instead of peeling.

A bedroom with a hand-applied limewash feature wall

What it is

Limewash, in plain terms.

A breathable mineral finish with soft, cloudy depth that shifts as the light moves through the day. Built up in thin coats by hand, for feature walls and whole rooms.

Limewash ages into a patina rather than chipping off, so it looks better in year five than the day it went on.

Where it works

Where we put it.

Feature walls

The usual starting point: one wall in a bedroom, a hallway, or behind a bed.

Whole rooms

Applied throughout, it softens a room in a way flat emulsion cannot.

Ceilings

Carried over the ceiling so the room reads as one surface.

How it goes on

The sequence.

Most of the work happens before the finish does. This is the order every job runs in, and we walk you through your version of it at the visit.

  1. 01

    We look at the wall

    What is on it now, how sound it is, and how the light moves across it through the day.

  2. 02

    Samples in the room

    We bring the range so you choose the tone in the light it will live under, not off a screen.

  3. 03

    Preparation

    The surface is made good and primed. Limewash shows what is underneath, so this is not a step to rush.

  4. 04

    Thin coats, by hand

    Built up in layers with a brush, which is where the cloudy depth comes from.

  5. 05

    Cure and hand over

    It carries on developing after we leave, and we tell you how to look after it.

FAQ

Limewash, answered.

  • Will it rub off on clothes?

    Not once it has cured and been finished correctly. If the wall is somewhere that gets touched constantly, say so at the visit and we will talk through the options.

  • Can it go in a bathroom?

    It is breathable, which suits a humid room, but splash zones and shower enclosures are a microcement job rather than a limewash one.

  • How do I clean it?

    Dust it. Avoid detergents and scrubbing, which is true of any mineral finish.

  • Can you match a colour I have seen?

    Bring the reference to the visit. We get as close as the material allows and show you on a sample before anything goes on the wall.

Send us a photo of the room.

A photograph and a rough size is enough to start. We come and look properly, bring the samples, and follow up with the method and the price in writing.

The other finish

Microcement

Seamless hand-applied cement at 2 to 3mm, with no joints and no grout lines. For feature walls, floors, wet rooms and staircases.

Microcement in detail