Previous projects

This was a job in a medieval house in Cambridgeshire, where the home owner was keen to preserve the original character of the house by keeping the exposed beams and using traditional materials.  The render under the stairs was beyond repair, with large cracks and chunks missing, so it all needed knocking off and the old lath replacing.  

Once all the old render and lath had been removed we began by putting up new lath made of riven oak, which is stronger than sawn or pine lath, and doesn't shrink so minimises cracking. 

The next step was applying a scratch coat of lime plaster, followed by the top coat.  Both coats of plaster were a mix of lime and chalk.  This was the same mix we had used on the surrounding walls, and as there was no damp present we used non-hydraulic lime.          

This was a badly damaged flint wall, with some sections having to be held up with props for safety, with stainless steel wall ties inserted into the wall to hold it together.  Once all the loose material was removed it was time to start rebuilding,  Using a hotlime mortar, flint was replaced, the first patch using knapped flint and the second with natural rounded flint with galleting detail between each stone.  Galleting is the technique of inserting small pieces of stone known as spalls into the mortar to create patterns between the flint.

Hotlime is a mix of quicklime (limestone that has been heat treated to remove the carbon and water) and sand which is then "slaked" with water to start a chemical reaction which produces heat,  Slaking can produce temperatures of up to 250 degrees centigrade so care must be taken when mixing.  Once the lime mortar is in place it is protected by hanging damp hessian over the wall to protect the lime from the weather, as hot sun will cause it to dry too quickly and cause cracking, and rain can erode the surface of the mortar. 

This was a ceiling in an old cottage, with clay lump/cob walls and exposed beams.  The ceiling needed repairing so the lime plaster was knocked off, and any damaged or rotten lath replaced. 

Next the scratch coat of lime and chalk was applied to give the smooth top coat something to grip to, and once that was set the top coat was put on.

The clay lump walls also needed some patching around the fireplace as the render was loose, so we replaced it with a lime and chalk mix to keep the breathability of the original structure.

This job was in a house from the 16th century, which had been rendered with cement which had become loose in several areas. Once all the cement was removed the brick needed to be left exposed for a few weeks to dry out, before rebuilding the corner next to the patio door with red bricks. Then a harl coat of lime was applied to provide a better key for the scratch coat and control suction. The scratch and top coats were made of lime putty, fine sand and natural fibres (in this case goat hair), with a gap of a couple of weeks for the scratch to dry before applying the top coat. A final coat was then put on of heritage lime to give a smoother finish.