~ How I Limewashed My House for Under $10.00 ~



How I limewashed my house for under $10.00. 

Follow along with me as I explain this
very very simple and inexpensive project!!!


When I purchased this house in November eight years ago I had the painter's paint the ugly orange red brick in the green you see in the above picture.  Little did I realize this now dark green house would be lost in the shade produced by the large oak and pecan trees in my yard.
Sorry I don't have a picture of the house when it was painted a solid green.  


This is how the house looks today.

Now I had just spent a pretty penny on having a professional painter to paint this house.  So I had to come up with a very inexpensive way to paint the house a lighter color and I needed to paint this house myself.  I wanted the brick to look like it had chippy paint that had weathered many years.


So I purchased a 50 pound bag of Hydrated Lime from Lowes for around $8.00.  
I  made a slurry out of the lime and water in a 5 gallon bucket.  The
slurry was about the consistency of lumpy pancake batter.  If you
want the mixture to be thicker and have a chippy look add less water.
Sorry I didn't measure just mixed my concoction.  I used about 2/3's
of the bag of lime for the whole project.

 
Now you're ready to start painting on the lime mixture.  Use a large 3"-4"
paint brush.  If you mixed a thin mixture and want a washed look
apply the mixture going with the grain of the brick.  If you made a thicker
mixture and want a chippy look apply the mixture in a criss cross fashion.
I practiced this technique with the thick mixture on the back of the house seen in the picture above.  After the mixture dried I sprayed the brick using a hose end sprayer to chip off
some of the lime mixture.


Not sure I liked the chippy look so I mixed in more water to the lime mixture and
applied it going with the grain of the brick.  I did not spritz with the hose.
I decided I liked this technique better and continued to paint the rest of the house.


Lime washing a house doesn't take a lot of skill or time because the mixture is thin,
 flows and sticks easily to the brick.  To allow the green paint to show through 
the wash I sanded off some of the thin lime wash with a dry SOS pad.  Yes I
used a SOS pad not steel wool.  Steel wool was to abrasive.


Lime washing the house allowed the house to be a bright background to
 the colorful plants in the yard.

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12 comments:

  1. Awesome job and I love the yard with all the plants and flowers!

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  2. I love this look! You did an amazing job! What did you use to apply the limewash onto the brick?

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  3. I love this look! You did an amazing job! What did you use to apply the limewash onto the brick?

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  4. Is this permanent or do you have to do it again?

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  5. Is this permanent or do you have to do it again?

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  6. Your house looks completely amazing, it's unbelievable that it cost you so little to do! Of course it's not just the limewash, as effective as that is, it's the whole feel and design of the place. You have put so much thought and care into it and it really shows. You must feel really proud of yourself!

    Richmond Gordon @ CertaPro Painters

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  7. I love the color and the house. I have never seen hydrated lime, is it a powder substance that comes in a bag? Also is this permanent?

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  8. Your house looks wonderful with the limewash!! I am finally going to do the same to my house this spring. Was wondering if you power washed your brick before you started and did you wet the brick down before you painted on the limewash???

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  9. Hello, your DIY works are awesome! Thank you for sharing the tips! It is very helpful and informative. Would love to see more updates from you.

    Precision Water Blaster

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  10. I am curious could you post/ email a picture of your house now. I would like to see how this finish holds up the weathering. Thank you.

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    Replies
    1. I also have the same question. Also, where are you located? Do you get snow/cold weather in the winter?

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