This post is all about the limewash paint technique. Why you should try it and how to recreate this century-old style for your home.
It feels like the limewash paint technique has taken over all social media platforms, and for good reasons. This painting technique has the power to change the aesthetic of any room. Its beautiful uneven strokes give any space a raw, elegant vibe that looks good and is the best option for your health.
Limewashing is an ancient technique used for painting walls with natural materials. You can get it by mixing limestone with water (you can add pigments), forming a paste ready to apply on walls.
Unlike synthetic paints, limewashing walls has many benefits for our health. It doesn’t contain hard chemicals (VOC), is antiseptic, antifungal, odor-less, non-allergic, and fire retardant. As you can see the revival of this painting technique for walls is coming strong for good reasons. And whether you decide to try it for aesthetic or health purposes, limewashing will give you the best of both worlds.
Like the Hellenistic revival trend, the limewash paint trend has a deeper reason than aesthetics. The aftermath of the pandemic is that people want more organic-looking interiors and bring as much natural elements into their homes as possible.
You may think that its dreamy aesthetic is the reason why this paint is so popular now. But the truth is that is not the only reason why people love limewash. This ancient painting technique is non-toxic, making it extremly beneficial to your health and environment. Apart from that, limewashing walls is one of the best ways to give your home a new look on a budget. Painting your own walls is a viable option because this look doesn’t need a perfect stroke, so the more uneven the better!
Even though the ethereal limewashing walls are easy to achieve, they have a different process than when using standard paint. But don’t worry because it is nothing too complicated.
Limewash paint works best when it’s applied to bare walls. Because it gets absorbed into the walls, leaving a breathable surface. But if your wall is already painted, is made of plaster or drywall then you will have to apply a mineral base coat. These steps in essential to prevent ghosting.
The steps are simple. You will need 3-4 coats of paint. First, apply one coat of paint to the entire wall, let it dry completely, then proceed with the second coat, let it dry again, proceed with the third coat, and so on until you get the desired tone. Keep in mind that lime paint has a deep color when applied but it gets lighter when dried.
You won’t need too many products to get the look you want. That is another great feature of limewash paint! literally, with only 2 or 3 products you are all set.
Mineral base coat ( if aplicable)Lime paintBrush with long bristles (for interiors and soft surfaces). orBrush with short bristles ( for rought texture surface like brick)
There are many companies that sell these products. But I suggest you research companies that sell natural limewash paint. Otherwise, you will not get all the health benefits from it.
The Bauwerk company is an Australia-based company that supplies its paint all over Australia, the middle east, and Europe. And all their products are natural. Another company that provides natural limewash paint with different pigment options is kalklitir.
If you are asking yourself about sealers, don’t worry because they are not needed when using limewash. The reason is that using sealers would be counterproductive to the nature of limewash paint since it is intended to let your walls breathe.