ᐅ Experience with Lime Plaster/Lime Finish – Staining Issues

Hello!

We are currently renovating a house built in the 1960s and need to decide how to finish the walls. Previously, there was wallpaper. The brick walls are probably covered with lime plaster (likely with cement added) and are quite rough in some areas. I can’t get a precise identification at the moment.

My question is for those who have lime plaster walls and may have painted them with silicate paint:
Does it get dirty very quickly? Our children are approaching school age, but we still don’t want to repaint every year...

Is there anything else we should watch out for or any tips?

Our construction supervisor recommended Berliner Glätte, but I believe that is gypsum-based...

Thanks!

I’ve already dealt with several properties with different types of plaster (or even paintable wall fleece) and have three kids.

1. When it comes to kid-related dirt, the type of plaster and paint doesn’t really matter.
2. White walls tend to look dirty faster than colored ones.
3. Latex paint is washable, but in my opinion, it’s a terrible choice.
4. How quickly walls get dirty depends on how dirty your kids are when they come into the house and how often they lean on the walls before washing their hands.

A bit of parenting, maybe repainting in a few years, and the problem goes away anyway. Don’t base your choice on plaster or paint type—that won’t make a difference.

Thank you! That’s not what I meant. I was just told about a single case where lime plaster was used, but after 3 months it all had to be removed because it got dirty too quickly for the residents (who didn’t have children). In Ukraine/Russia, it used to be common in rural areas to whitewash every year... but I’m not very familiar with that.

Would you recommend lime plaster? Are there any manufacturers you would suggest?

I would prefer to avoid anything with plastics, since otherwise we have tried to keep everything quite environmentally friendly (except for plastic windows, electrical wiring, and similar items...).

RumoAug schrieb:

I was only told about one case where lime plaster was used and had to be removed after 3 months because it became too dirty too quickly for the residents (without children).

Then it wasn’t the plaster’s fault, but the careless residents. If grease from cooking constantly splashes onto the kitchen, I wouldn’t buy a new kitchen either…

RumoAug schrieb:

Would you recommend lime plaster? Are there any manufacturers you would suggest?

I would recommend lime plaster just like gypsum, lime-cement, or clay plaster. It’s just plaster after all. Each has pros and cons (lime plaster isn’t as hard as lime-cement and you need suitable paints, but it is vapor-permeable and mold-resistant). The choice of manufacturer basically doesn’t matter (as long as it’s not the cheapest DIY store product).