An original blend...

We recently finished putting the final coat of Lime Stucco on a great little addition in the Alexander & Bay area of Hamilton, Ontario. Our scope of work was to match the existing original Lime Stucco finish on the exterior of the building to a new addition to the home, using an appropriate code approved system.

Above are a couple of pictures of the original texture (left) and our finish (right). As you can see at the moment, our finish is a little sharper than the original, due to the layers of paint that have been applied over the years. For an even closer match we will formulate a limewash, whitewash or Potassium Silicate paint mix in the Spring that will mimic the original and thus give the desired finish.

That being said, there are many reasons why you should and should not use certain paints on finishes like these. One of the main concerns is the vapour exchange benefits of these traditional materials mentioned above. By this I mean the ability of the material to allow vapour/moisture to pass through from exterior to interior and vice versa. What this gives you is a system that will not trap moisture behind it like acrylic and cement based systems, it will rather allow any moisture inside the wall to pass freely to the exterior protecting the key components of your structure and preventing huge problems down the road. If you don't believe me, the next time you see wooden timber work uncovered that had original lath and lime plaster over the top, take a look at how dry the wood is...