Whitewash is an ancient wall covering in lieu of paint. The reason whitewash is not popular is the absence of a profit margin. With a bag of lime costing $20 and it will do a whole house, stores rather sell paint. It is a brilliant white colour, no gloss whatsoever and it looks wonderful over any surface, including rough walls with old paint underneath.
Whitewash
- 1 Bag of Hydrated Garden Lime
- PVA glue
- Water
- 2 buckets
- Whitewash brush
Fill a bucket with lime
Add water to the consistency of milk
Let sit. Best if for days or weeks, but hours at a minimum.
Pour one-day’s mix into a second bucket
Add PVA glue in a 30:1 ratio (say 1litre of lime/water and 30 ml of PVA glue). Mix.
B
est to use a whitewash brush if you can find one.
Brush on the wall. It will look like milk and you will wonder if you are doing it wrong.
Next morning when dry, it will be bright white, no gloss (if glossy, you put in too much glue). If it comes off on your fingers, add more glue for the next coat.
Three coats. Best to let dry overnight for each.
Unlike paint, whitewash is just recoated. None of the miserable preparation of paint. Spills on the floor clean up with a damp cloth.
Legal Stuff: Google “Hydrated Lime Safety Data Sheet“, inform yourself as to the hazards and handling according to recommendations. Wear protective gloves. Wear eye or face protection. Wear protective clothing. Avoid release to the environment. Do not breathe dust when mixing. Wash thoroughly after handling.