Whitewash mix?

The Shtig

Anyone know the correct mixture for whitewash?

I've got a bag of lime but not sure how many parts of lime and water i mix. Do i need to add anything else to it?

Cheers,

AckwelFoley

Making Whitewash

Step 2

Start by making a creamy paste from 5 pounds of calcium hydroxide (also called hydrated lime) with about 2 gallons of water and let it sit over night. (This water and lime mixture will combine and form what is known as 'slaked lime' - which is the basis of house plaster).

Step 2

At the same time, make a salt-water solution by mixing 5 pounds of salt with 2 gallons of water.

Step 3

After setting up overnight, pour off any excess water from the lime and water mixture then add salt water to achieve a 'pancake batter' like consistency.

Step 4

Mix the two solutions slowly and add the salt water to the slaked lime. You can always make the mixture thinner by adding more water, but you can't thicken it by adding more calcium hydroxide.

Step 5

Test your mixture by applying it to a piece of paper that can be dried quickly. If it's too thick it will dry looking coarse and granular.

Step 6

Color your whitewash (if you want), by adding pigments that aren't affected by lime. A light yellow color comes from adding yellow ochre, and iron oxides can produce reddish or brownish tones




from ehow.com

The Shtig

Cheers for the reply Snyper

I was going to try that method but a local man said I could use white cement + lime + water. Sounds like a easier mix since it doesn't require having to leave it overnight.

Have plenty of salt to do me a while though! :P