8 Beautiful Things You Can Make with Lime

Lime is one of the most underused, yet versatile, enduring and elegant building materials out there. It's amazing stuff, and does almost everything Portland cement does but better. Yup, I said better.

Lime allows structures to breathe in a way Portland cement never can, significantly reducing the opportunities for damp in your building. It's softer and more malleable, and cures more slowly giving you time to work it beautifully before it sets. This softness is important in mortar work – especially in old buildings. Portland cement is too hard and non-porous, so it ultimately begins to 'eat away' at the stones. It's been banned by the English Heritage Society for this very reason. Lime is a fungicide and an insecticide, and in most places very inexpensive. Unless you're building a multi-story car park, lime is the way.

Lime generates roughly 25% of the carbon that Portland cement does in production,and then slowly reabsorbs that carbon as it cures. Seeing as Portland cement is currently the second largest emitter of CO2 into the atmosphere after fossil fuels, we could do with using a lot more lime and a lot less Portland.

Here are 8 gorgeous things you can make with lime:

Lime render in my kitchen.

1. Render
Lime creates beautiful, breathable renders. It’s so much more suited to this job than Portland cement as it allows the house to air properly, creating a very different, drier atmosphere within. It’s anti-mold properties are also a boon if you are in a damp climate. Because it takes longer to set, you have time to work it into something of beauty.

My lime mortar in my kitchen

​2. Mortar
If you have an old building, then lime mortar is a must really. Because it’s softer than the stone or brickwork, it doesn’t gradually eat away at them like Portland cement does.  

Lime wash on brick or stone work creates a super textured finish.

​3. Paint
I love lime paint (or lime wash) because it’s so absurdly easy to use. Most commercial paints come stuffed with chemicals, and create either an oily or plastic finish that doesn’t breathe. 

Flagstones grouted using lime in my kitchen.

4. Grout
Yes, you can use lime to grout tiles or flagstones (see above).
​
5. Flooring
You can create limecrete from lime, which is durable and works perfectly well as a flooring. In ancient houses it’s the floor material of choice because once again, it doesn’t mess about with the self-airing characteristics of old buildings and allow damp to rise.

Sophie Hunter’s beautiful limecrete sill.

6. Sills and Worktops
With limecrete you can form beautiful sills, worktops, or steps. Lime takes longer to cure than Portland cement (about three weeks for adequate solidification) but is perfectly durable, and continues to harden over time.

Sophie Hunter’s worktop.

7. Bubble Houses
You can mix lime, sand, and straw (or hemp) and make all kinds of structures with it. Have a look at this gorgeous bubble house in France by Kerterre (the video is in French).

8. The Taj Mahal
Okay I’m kidding, kind of. The Taj Mahal was rendered in a special kind of lime plaster called ‘araish’. It’s made by mixing burned clay with slaked lime, jaggery, and fenugreek seeds. It's held up pretty well, as you can see:)

Taj Mahal photo by David Castor.

Want to know how to use this stuff?
If you want to explore the Amazing World of Lime further, and learn how to use the white wonder, I have a popular course on it. It includes videos, slideshow lectures, and PDFs, and is completely downloadable.

Look at the course contents

I always update and add sections to my courses over time. Once you’ve enrolled in the course you’ll have access to all future updates.

The course includes:

• Which kind of lime you should use for which job and in which climate
• How to slake quicklime
• How to mix and apply lime render
• How to apply lime mortar and some tricks for a clean finish
• How to deal with mortar guns when using lime
• How to mix limecrete 
• How to make a limecrete floor
• How to use limecrete with tiles
• How to create lime paint or lime wash with and without colours

Buy the Course

Health and Safety
Lime is natural and non toxic, but it is caustic, so you need to wear the right protective gear when using it. Here's the full health and safety guide for lime.

Do you enjoy The Mud Home?
If you find these articles inspiring or useful please consider joining us on Patreon. Your support pays for the running of this website, my virtual help, and my sustenance. A big thank you to all The Mud Sustainers, and everyone chipping in and keeping these posts and articles coming.

Join us on Patreon