Lime whitewash that soaks into the wall instead of sitting on it.
Slaked lime brushed on in thin coats over sound, dampened plaster or brick, for walls that need to breathe rather than shine, sheds, compound walls, stairwells and older houses built with lime. We tell you first whether your wall will take it.
- Free site inspection
- Written, itemised quote
- 1-year workmanship warranty
- Same-day callback
At a glance
What's whitewash, and where does it still make sense?
Whitewash is slaked lime mixed with water and brushed on in thin coats. It soaks into plaster or brick and hardens as it takes up carbon dioxide from the air, so it lets moisture vapour out instead of trapping it. It suits sheds, compound walls, stairwells, basement parking and older lime-plastered houses. It isn't washable, and it won't bond over emulsion or enamel.
When this is the answer, and when it is not.
Sending you to the wrong service wastes your money and our time. This is how to tell.
This is likely right if
- Sheds, godowns, basement parking, stairwells and compound walls where a plain, even white is what's wanted and washability is not
- Older houses with lime or thick cement plaster where a plastic paint film has trapped moisture and blistered before
- Heritage, temple and mutt buildings where a matt, chalky lime finish is the correct look and a modern paint film would be wrong
- Walls that have only ever been whitewashed, where the old wash can be scraped back and the new coats go straight on
Something else comes first if
- The wall has emulsion, enamel or oil-bound distemper on it, lime can't soak into a paint film, so that coating has to come off to bare plaster first
- There's active seepage or a leak, lime wash lets moisture through rather than hiding it, so the stain returns until the source is traced and fixed
- You need a finish that can be wiped or scrubbed, a kitchen, a clinic, a corridor with constant hand contact, which is an emulsion job, not a lime one
What the service includes.
Substrate and coating check
We scratch and wet each wall to find out whether it is bare plaster, old lime wash or a paint film, and whether water soaks in or beads. Lime only bonds where it can soak in.
Protection and masking
Floors sheeted; grilles, meter boxes, switches and door frames masked. Lime is caustic and stains wood and metal, so masking is done properly rather than quickly.
Scraping back and washing down
Loose and built-up old wash scraped to a firm layer, walls brushed free of dust, soot and cobwebs, then washed down so the new lime has something to grip.
Repairs in mortar
Cracks and patches made good in lime or cement mortar rather than acrylic putty, because whitewash needs a surface with suction and putty gives it almost none.
Thin coats over a dampened wall
The wall is wetted, then slaked lime brushed on thin in cross strokes, each coat left to dry through before the next. Plain white, or with a touch of neel for a brighter white.
Written scope and handover
Coat count, what was scraped, what was repaired and what will dust are written into your quotation, and we walk the job with you in daylight once it has whitened.
Not included, or quoted separately
- Stripping emulsion, enamel or oil-bound distemper back to plaster, quoted separately as old paint removal
- Tracing and stopping seepage, and any waterproofing of the wall or the slab above it
- Replastering where plaster is hollow, cracked through or has fallen away
- Treatment of black fungal growth on walls, which has to be killed and cleaned before any lime goes on, quoted separately
- Clearing stored goods, vehicles or heavy items from sheds, godowns and parking areas before we start
The sequence.
Inspection and the water test
We measure the area and test each wall: a scratch to see what the old coating is, a splash of water to see whether it soaks in or beads. This decides whether whitewash is even the right job.
Sample patch, judged once dry
A patch on your own wall, left to dry through. Wet lime looks grey and thin and whitens as it carbonates, so we agree coverage and coat count on the dried patch, not the wet one.
Protect and strip back
Sheeting and masking, then old wash scraped to a firm layer, dust and cobwebs brushed off, walls washed. Cracks and patches repaired in mortar and left to cure before any lime goes on.
Wet the wall and lay the first coat
The wall is dampened so dry plaster doesn't pull the water out of the wash before it can bond, then a thin first coat is brushed on in one direction.
Build the coats
Further coats cross-hatched over the first, each one dried through. The count is what the quotation states, laying a thick coat to save a pass is exactly what crazes and flakes later, a thick coat shrinks as it dries, and only its face carbonates, so it hardens as a skin over soft lime underneath and lets go.
Daylight check and hand back
Once the final coat has whitened we walk the job with you, go back over thin patches, take down the masking and remove our debris.
What moves the price on this job.
We do not publish a rate, because it would change once someone measured your property. These are the variables that decide it.
- Measured wall and ceiling area, and whether a compound wall is being done on both faces
- How thick the old whitewash has built up and how much of it has to be scraped back
- Whether emulsion, distemper or enamel has to be stripped to bare plaster first
- Number of coats, which the wall's suction and the shade of white you want both push up
- Height and access, stairwells, double-height sheds, and scaffolding along long compound walls
- Whether the space stays in use and stored goods or vehicles have to be worked around
Whitewash Services — your questions.
Is whitewash the same as limewash?
Related, but not the same. Whitewash here is plain slaked lime in water, the traditional white finish for sheds, compound walls, stairwells and older lime-plastered houses. Limewash is lime putty and lime-fast pigment applied thin for a soft, mottled colour in living spaces. Same chemistry, different intent: whitewash is a plain working finish, limewash is a decorative one. If you want colour and depth on a feature wall, our limewash page is the one to read.
Will it rub off on clothes?
Some dusting is normal, more so early on, before the lime has fully carbonated, and much more if coats went on thick or over a wall that wasn't wetted first. Thin coats over dampened, sound plaster bind far better. It will never be as rub-resistant as emulsion, so in a corridor where shoulders brush the wall, expect marks and plan on a fresh coat when it looks tired.
Can you whitewash over my existing emulsion paint?
No. Lime bonds by soaking into a porous surface and becoming part of it. Emulsion is a plastic film with no suction, so the wash sits on top as a chalky skin and comes away under a hand. The emulsion has to be scraped or stripped back to plaster first, which we quote separately as old paint removal. On a wall that has only ever been whitewashed, the old wash is scraped back and the new goes straight on.
Why does it look patchy and grey when you finish for the day?
Wet lime wash is translucent and looks thin and streaky; it whitens as it dries and reacts with carbon dioxide in the air. We judge coverage in daylight after it has dried through, not when the brush comes off the wall. If thin patches remain after the final coat has whitened, we go back over them. Piling on a thick coat to hide streaks on the day is what causes crazing and flaking later: the thick layer shrinks as it dries and only its surface carbonates, so it sets as a hard skin over soft lime and lifts.
Can whitewash be done in the rainy season?
Outside, it is a gamble. Lime wash is water-soluble until it has carbonated, and a shower soon after application streaks or washes it off a compound wall. During Bengaluru's June to September rains and the October returning showers we plan exterior whitewash around dry spells and stop if the sky turns. Indoors the concern is the opposite, a hot, dry wall flash-drying the wash before it bonds, which is why the wall is wetted first.
Related services
- Traditional Limewash PaintingIf you want colour and a soft, mottled depth rather than plain white, this is the lime finish for living spaces.
- Old-Paint RemovalEmulsion, enamel or distemper on the wall has to come off to bare plaster before lime will bond.
- Dampness and Seepage TreatmentWhitewash shows seepage rather than hiding it, so the source has to be fixed before the wall is washed.
Let us look at your walls first.
Tell us about the property and we will set up a free colour and wall inspection. You get a written, itemised quotation afterwards, with no obligation to go ahead.
- We call you back the same day to get a picture of the property and the surfaces.
- We agree a time and come out for the free inspection.
- You get the written scope and itemised quotation.
- Nothing starts until you approve it.