The Lime Green Plaster Blog

Limestone Plaster Arch

Authenticlime — Fri, 02 Apr 2010 23:40:18 +0000

We can create the durability and look of cut limestone with substantial weight and cost savings. Utilizing a proprietary decorative crushed limestone plaster. The limestone coating can be placed on vertical or horizontal surfaces in-situ, and finished to your specifications by our trained plaster artisans. We have full control over color, texture, finish (distressed, polished, honed, sandstone,tumbled, travertine effects etc.) to any customers specifications, creating virtually any architectural elements desired

The mixture is sprayed or troweled over any type of interior and exterior substrates (i.e., drywall, brick, tile, concrete, brown coat, foam) We then work the stone plaster by hand to achieve the desired pattern and texture.

Here’s the final look, completely done by hand, 2 days from conception to completion.

This particular project we were asked to create a tumbled and aged limestone effect, here’s a sampling of some of the processes involved ,the final outcome is completely in the hands of the skilled artisan plasterer.

First we confirmed the profile required with the Architect and designers , and constructed a template to suit there needs. The template is mounted to the horse and we then proceeded with the layout and finally the formation of the arch molding itself.

A snippet of lime plaster History:
Since Roman times, lime putty mortars and plasters have been used widely for internal ( today, venetian plaster and marmorino’s are still being made from this same lime putty )and external plastering and stonework. For external rendering and stucco, greater compressive and tensile strengths were achieved by adding various forms of pozzolans to lime based mortars.. burnt clay, volcanic ash, ( tuff ) brick dust, all such additives react with lime putty’s to form cementitous “mortars”

Limestone containing clay were also burnt to produce hydraulic limes (NHL) these set by reaction with water and by carbonisation of the lime.

Hydraulic Limestone Veneers

Using hydraulic lime in the above project we saved the owners time, which equates to money

Using hydraulic lime in the above project we saved the owners time, which equates to money …and we all like saving money …right?

Producing details in-situ such as the archway described on this Vancouver plaster project… is versatile, adaptable and flexible! Giving the Architect,the Designer and the homeowner design freedom,with both color and texture, with large pieces or building facades there is a further cost savings on engineering and construction costs associated with weight.

Compare this to having the architectural detail cast in cement or concrete,making molds, trucking and other logistics…or having the detail carved,which is the smarter alternative? Id say hiring a knowledgeable plaster and stucco contractor is the right move.

Pozzolanic Hydraulic Lime

Authenticlime — Fri, 02 Apr 2010 23:40:18 +0000

A type of lime that has been used in construction since ancient Roman times is now covered by an ASTM International standard. ASTM International Committee C07 on Lime has approved ASTM C1707, Specification for Pozzolanic Hydraulic Lime for Structural Purposes. The new standard is under the jurisdiction of Subcommittee C07.02 on Specifications and Guidelines.

Read more here ASTM International Standards

Greening of Mortars with Pozzolans

Quote from ASTM.org

“Growing interest in sustainable building has created a strong interest in fly ash and other coal combustion products (CCPs). Emergence of agencies like the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) and the Coal Combustion Products Partnership (C2P2) of the USEPA has accelerated this trend. Their primary goal is sustainable development, focusing on environmental and social concerns. More than 30% of the 100 million tons of coal combustion products produced in the U.S. annually are being beneficially used in such things as manufactured stone, ceramic tile, shingles, concrete, aerated cellular concrete blocks, concrete blocks, stuccos, and mortars. The use of CCPs positively impacts the environment. Specifiers, contractors, and industry need to recognize that environmental stewardship today affects our children tomorrow. The features and benefits recognized in pozzolanic mortars reach beyond the technical, environmental, social, and sustainable aspects of this mortar. They signal future generations to track, improve, and develop mortars beyond any of our current technology”

Natural Hydraulic Lime (NHL) is seeing a worldwide comeback

Hydraulicity & Properties

Hydraulicity is the property of a binder to harden in contact with water.

Hydraulicity is produced by burning a limestone containing silica, alumina and iron oxides which above certain temperatures combine, totally or partially, with the Calcium Oxide. The resulting silicates, aluminates and ferrites give hydraulic properties to the product. Today as in the past, natural building limes are obtained by burning and slaking limestone and the more or less hydraulic character of the finished product is directly related to the percentage of calcium silicates, aluminates and ferrites formed during burning. The composition of the Earth crust shows the predominance of silica and its presence is almost inevitable in all limestone deposits.

Read the rest of the article here ST. Astier Lime mortars

Cement Stucco’s are Evil !

There I said it….but until the majority of home buyers and builders realize the benefits of hydraulic lime base coats and finishes we will be stuck with cement and acrylic stucco in North America…where time is money friends!

Evidence shows that lime has always been and will remain a practical, sustainable, healthier and greener alternative to cement, worthy of far more widespread use across the building industry.

Until the time the consumers realize these benefits, the ST. Astier NHL will remain relatively expensive,and cement will continue to be used as base coats for exterior stucco’s,which is a shame

Authentic Plaster FX from Vancouver BC. is working hard, exposing local builders to Natural hydraulic lime stucco’s, and venetian plaster finish coats such as Intonachino and Tadelakt. Discerning homeowners, architects and the exterior envelope engineers will look closely at the beauty and functionality of Hydraulic Lime plaster exteriors.

Authentic Intonachino Exterior Lime Plaster

Authenticlime — Fri, 02 Apr 2010 23:40:17 +0000

Pools done and the landscaping is finished ! a private residence in Vancouver BC. was completed with Intonachino Italian lime stucco and Tadelakt lime based plaster columns, on the exterior of this Langley BC home. A Authentic lime plaster exterior with a heavy Spanish architectural influence, the Intonachino lime plaster glows…you should see this place in the golden hour…what a sight!! More shots to come as I have time.

North American Interior Designer Discovers Tadelakt Lime

Authenticlime — Fri, 02 Apr 2010 23:40:16 +0000

Up beat Vancouver interior designers are always looking for cool plaster wall finishes, Looks like San Francisco Bay area designer Kit Golson is very upbeat,checkout the use of Tadelakt lime on her design blog Chic Provence .

More pictures Kit ! the red and gold back splash is a stunning example of Tadelakt Lime Plaster.

“I had never seen anything like it before, and rarely have since I had stumbled upon one of the oldest and most treasured plaster finishes in the world. The art of tadelakt is 4,000 years old, and comes from Morocco.

The tadelakt process is deceptively simple. A natural powder paste is applied to the surface, then polished with a smooth stone. This is repeated seven times. Finally, the surface is sealed by rubbing with a black olive oil soap”

Read the rest of the blog here  Chic Provence

Intonachino Lime exterior

Authenticlime — Fri, 02 Apr 2010 23:40:15 +0000

An extremely versatile lime plaster finish, usable for interior and exterior applications. Intonachino lime plaster literally glows,yet is a matte lime plaster wall finish. Authentic Plaster FX has completed several interior and exterior Intonachino projects in the Vancouver BC. area.

Tadelakt ….the “Red City”

Authenticlime — Fri, 02 Apr 2010 23:40:14 +0000

A fellow Tadelakt lover recently wrote to me with some of her experiences during a visit to Marrakesh,where she participated in real world application of true Moroccan Tadelakt….here is an excerpt from that email.

“What I really loved about Marrakech is that Tadelakt is everywhere in the red city, indeed I would say it is the red city because of the Tadelakt and all the beautiful pigment you can mix into it. In some of the very old palaces (Bahia and others) you can still see Tadelakt on the walkways and in the pools hundreds of years after, so it clearly withstood the test of time. Maalem Majid said that they add marble powder to the mix for the swimming pools. He even worked on the villa for Yves Saint Laurent who also owned the Majorelle Garden right next to it with all the walk and waterways made from Tadelakt. He was very humble and taught us a lot, you could tell he himself works mainly by knowing and feeling the material and he had a lot of patience (a thing that I lack) but he could also be really fast when needed without stressing (which would happen to me). When working on a wall you really have to do the whole thing at once, starting from the bottom up and once you are done with the whole thing it is time for the next step, no time to kill with mint tea and Moroccan delights there. But since I was able to do it in 45 degrees heat in Marrakech I hope I can do it in the Okanagan (Indian) summer”

Nicole is planning a Tadelakt workshop in the very near future on her home in Western Canada’s BC interior , I plan to attend and help her put this together,no times or dates as of yet …interested?? just let me know here.

Here are some shots of Tadelakt from the “Red City” of Marrakech

Exterior Tadelakt

Authenticlime — Fri, 02 Apr 2010 23:40:10 +0000

A sneak peak of an exterior Tadelakt plaster finish, before we are fully complete, had to leave the project for awhile due to the weather…close to finished here are a few of photo’s….tough tough job …not for the faint of heart

Interior Tadelakt of the Villas of L’Amandier

Authenticlime — Fri, 02 Apr 2010 23:40:09 +0000

Check out this web blog about the Villas at L’Amandier in Marrakech there are plenty of photos with Tadelakt lime plaster either being applied,or already finished in the background. Personally I find it interesting to see the Tadelakt being applied in its native setting,all of the interior walls are finished with Tadelakt lime,and then protected using “savon noir” (black olive soap) Apparently there are more photos on the way, as some of the Villa’s have been completed ….if your looking for ideas for your interior, you like Moroccan architecture,or you want to buy a villa in Marrakech! …check out this blog!

Mikaela Fenton-Jones sent me this email of her personal account of Tadelakt lime plaster in Marrakech, and included updated shots of the interior of the Villa’s.

Thank’s Mikaela!

The lucky new buyers of these villa’s should give Maryam a shout from My Marrakech Lifestyle and interior design Blog, for some inspiration in furnishing there newly acquired abode

“The Moroccan art of Tadelakt plaster is one of those building traditions that has thankfully survived the test of time and is not, as so many other traditional trades and skilled practices are, dying out with a reduction in the knowledge pool. It is alive and kicking in Morocco. Now, I am by no means an expert in tadelakt, but I love that fact that it is ubiquitous here in Marrakech; it’s historical ‘ birthplace’ . I also love the fact that it transcends the luxury décor/functional divide and is just as widely used in public hammams (steamy bath houses) as the most trendy of boutique hotels The beautiful rounded edges and curves achieved on showers and bathubs, allow for the most indulgent of designs and the natural pigments used produce a wide variety of colours. See for example a couple of the bathrooms at the fabulously bohemiem Riad El Fenn in Marrakech”

“We are in the process of building an exclusive villa community, L’Amandier, in the foothills of the Atlas Mountains . Our British architect set out to blend a contemporary design with the traditional Moroccan materials and he chose Tadelakt for all the interior walls. He was absolutely right, because in my opinion, Tadelakt gives an overall impression of depth and warmth. It seems to both reflect and absorb the light and gives the feeling that the walls have somehow organically grown into the design of the house”

Assuming it is skillfully applied, Tadelakt is durable (although be careful of corners; rounded edges advised), waterproof, and stunningly beautiful…

The Lime Plaster Company

Authenticlime — Fri, 02 Apr 2010 23:40:07 +0000

Heads east …Ben Scott, talented owner of the lime plaster company has left Vancouver for greener pastures, and landed in Georgetown Ontario. Good luck Ben and keep in touch! At least keep your blog updated so we can all see what you are doing

Interior Vancouver Tadelakt Wall Finish

Authenticlime — Fri, 02 Apr 2010 23:40:06 +0000

So after 3 months of collaboration with Francois Naudi of Mainland exteriors,a week ago today the largest Tadelakt project ever to be tendered in Vancouver was secured …phase 1 will be a whopping 25,000 + square feet of Stucco Italiano’s Tadelakt lime plaster .Watch this blog for video and photo updates of this exclusive residence receiving the wall finishing treatment of Tadelakt .

Now the real reason for this boring blog post…..We will be offering 3-5 positions of real hands on, on site Tadelakt training ,this will comprise finishing of actual wall surfaces, you will learn the process of installing Tadelakt lime plaster,you will learn tricks of the trade in running a decorative plastering crew. Add to this, we will teach you the concepts behind the estimating side of the venetian plaster business, you will complete a portfolio of 8 finished Tadelakt samples to show your clients.

"Tadelakt Training Course"

This on-site Tadelakt class will encompass 3 1/2 days of intense job site training

This on-site Tadelakt class will encompass 3 1/2 days of intense job site training,with the last half day being a discussion hosted by Aaron Cohen of Stucco Italiano inc. from Seattle, the focus of the discussion will be on real-life installation situations and color theory, helping you to progress beyond the sample board and into the successful completion of the most challenging Tadelakt projects.

You will then be well on your way with your new business venture, installing Stucco Italiano Tadelakt lime plaster.

This Tadelakt application course is open to all levels of plastering skill including the DIY’ER… for more information please use my contact page for email, or leave a comment below to be contacted with details.