Frequently Asked Questions

We manufacture our paints by utilising a simple elemental cycle of earth, fire, water and air.
Our paints work differently, we make them with clay, minerals and beautiful natural pigments. Limewash is a thin layer of limestone that dries on your wall by taking in carbon dioxide from the air, just as plants do.
Our limewash paint has zero V.O.C* and is made from natural renewable resources, with a PH level of 14 it is free from biocides, formaldehydes, and preservatives with natural antibacterial qualities. Our paints are suitable for a high-humidity environment.
Limewash is not film-forming and therefore not prone to blistering or peeling, even in high-humidity environments such as bathrooms. BAUWERK Limewash paint is made from natural materials which is different from a conventional low or zero V.O.C.* You can even paint and sleep in the room on the same day.

*V.O.C Volatile Organic Compounds are solvents used in coatings, paints, and inks., they become gasses that are emitted into the room.

BAUWERK colours are made using natural pigments, sourced from all over the world, to create a range of colours that celebrate the innate and natural beauty of pigments. We do not use tinting machines or industrial processes to create our colours rather we draw on our years of experience and eye for colour creation. Our colours are especially inspired by what we see in nature, as everything we need to understand about colour can be found there.
Millions of micro-crystals are formed when our paint cures, creating a unique luminosity and depth of colour. Limewash paints have been used for centuries to preserve our built environment. Especially interesting to understand for exterior application, that they will not alter the permeability of your wall surface – moisture can freely escape and your walls will keep ‘breathing’. Not all limewash paints are created equal, we are passionate about what we make, and we believe what we leave out of our limewash is important as what we put in.

You can expect a similar life expectancy to that of other quality brand paints provided that the paint is applied in the manner recommended by BAUWERK. The pigments used in BAUWERK Limewash paints are mineral based, colourfast and UV* stable.

If you are painting natural surfaces such as render or brick our paints are wonderfully durable as they are absorbed into the wall. If you are painting our paints on already painted or sealed walls, they are not as scrubbable as other paints. Because our paints are made from natural materials, they are not made to be indestructible, it is part of the beautiful natural qualities of the paint. However, they are perfectly durable enough and have been used in thousands of homes all over the world.

We work with nature to make paints that are good for the environment including your home environment, many standard paints have a toxic mix of chemicals such as biocides, plastics and heavy metals to make them function as paints that stick to your wall, and make it possible to scrub them. With natural antibacterial qualities, our paints are suitable for a high-humidity environment. We have specially developed our BAUWERK Prep Coat as a bridge coat between standard paint and primers to make limewash more durable, and easy to apply. If your walls need a refresh, simply whoosh on another coat of limewash, it's quick and easy, and it can be repainted anytime. Each coat makes it more durable and best of all more beautiful, every coat just enhances what is there.

BAUWERK Limewash paints are perfect for all masonry surfaces, like render, bricks, mud brick, and strawbale that’s where it works best as it is absorbed into the wall leaving a breathable surface that is protected by the natural properties of the paint. However, it’s also okay if your walls are already painted or are made of gyprock/drywall / plasterboard or plaster.

If your wall is already painted or is made of gyprock/drywall/plasterboard or plaster:
It is very important that your walls are correctly primed, as Limewash and Prep Coat will not mask what is on your wall, for example, inconsistent materials like the join lines where plasterboards meet, or any fillers or patches that are on the wall– to ensure that no ghosting of these inconsistencies comes through to your final finish.
Step 1. First apply 2 coats of a good quality water-based drywall/plasterboard/gyprock primer, to ensure an even absorbency across the wall surface.
Step 2. Apply 1 coat of our Bauwerk Prep Coat by roller, specially formulated to make limewashing easier and more durable on previously painted walls.
Step 3. Apply Limewash by brush 2-3 coats, however, you like it best. We find 2 coats is usually enough.

We have specially developed our Prep Coat as a bridge coat between standard paint and primers to make limewash more durable, and easy to apply. Bauwerk Prep Coat is not a primer. It is important to understand that Bauwerk Limewash and Prep Coat have no capacity to mask what is on your wall, it allows all the history and the materials of the wall to come through.

Natural walls, such as unpainted render, brick, stone, masonry, mud brick & limewash.
Do not require any undercoat or primer. Limewash can be applied directly to the wall.

Previously painted render, brick, stone, masonry, mud brick.
Carry out any surface repair and remove all dust and loose particles. No undercoat is required. Sand well if previous paint has any gloss level. Previously painted masonry internal walls with inconsistent wall finish or gloss finish–you can apply 1 coat of Bauwerk Prep Coat to create a more uniform finish.

Made from minerals, our limewash is naturally antibacterial, making it great for use by those with allergies.

Limewash is completely non-inflammable, making it a great choice in fire affected areas, and for use in and around chimneys and fireplaces.

Yes, provided that the old paint coat is stable and not flaking, and is free of dirt, dust, grease and soluble salts. If there are different substrates in your wall ie. different materials – you may see a slight variation in the colour or ghosting. Gloss or semi-gloss walls should be sandpapered – interior walls then should be undercoated with BAUWERK Prep Coat.

Our paints are suitable for a high humidity environment. The paint is not film-forming and therefore not prone to blistering or peeling, even in high humidity environments such as bathrooms. Our paint is also naturally anti-bacterial and will resist mould. The paint can be used on all wall and ceiling areas, except for the inside area of a shower or the immediate area adjacent to a bath. We would also recommend that you use a splash back behind the sink and toilet areas, as lime paint is absorbent and can become stained by toothpaste.
BAUWERK Limewash Paint is not a water-proofing material, it is water resistant.
You can use our paint over conventional paints or new plasterboard, once the walls have been prepared to be equally absorbent (a water-based sealer, for instance). It is then followed with one coat of our Limewash Prep-Coat (which can be rolled on) and finished by two applications of BAUWERK Lime Paint.

In a kitchen, you can use BAUWERK Paint anywhere, except where it may come in contact with fat/oil/grease (behind the stove, for instance), as this may discolour the paint. For that reason, we do not recommend using it on the kitchen cabinets either. A sheet of glass behind the stove is a very unobtrusive way to protect that area and still allow in time for easy re-decoration. A sealer will always introduce more chemicals into the home, plus will require a lot more prep-work when the time comes to re-paint.

BAUWERK Paints need no stripping when redecorating an existing coat of BAUWERK Limewash Paint. It is a simple matter of applying 1 or 2 coats as a refresher or to change colours. In fact it is one of the easiest ways to give your house a makeover and with each application, your walls become healthier and more beautiful. It is possible to paint over our Limewash paint with conventional paints – check the paint manufacturer's instructions.

If you wish to repaint your wall anytime using a different colour, you can apply the new colour directly onto the previous coat, unless you have patched or repaired it (see preparation section). If you are painting a very light colour over a dark colour this may take more coats to cover. You have the choice of painting more coats of limewash to cover the darker paint or use Bauwerk Prep Coat to return to white.

We don’t recommend BAUWERK Limewash for architectural wood such as doors and trims but it can be used on ply and pine wall panelling.

We don't recommend to use lime wash paint in small confined places where you come into frequent contact with the walls (for instance in a camper van or a confined space in a boat).

There may be instances where a sealant is necessary or you just prefer to seal the finish in a confined space. In such a case please choose a water based sealer that dries completely flat/invisible. We would recommend to do a small test area first, some sealers can make the paint appear a touch darker or lighter than without a sealer.

We recommend the use of a Bauwerk Limewash Brush.

It is completely natural for lime paints to look much darker when in solution. As the paint dries, you will find that the paint will become much lighter and will dry to the desired colour. We always recommend the use of sample pots for an accurate colour representation on your particular surface and light conditions.

Our paints are thinner it makes them easier to apply, they are not made out of plastics like conventional paints, ours work best thin, as they are absorbed into the wall.

This is due to overpainting, i.e. applying the paint too thickly, our paint must be applied by spreading the paint as far as it will go without overworking it, if the paint is not applied in this manner, the lime part of the paint sits on the surface and appears as white patches.
* UV stable – Ultra Violet rays from the sun, these are what causes paints to fade, because our paints are coloured with natural pigments they are not affected by the sun and are fully tested in the extreme temperatures of Australia.

Powdering usually occurs when paint is too thickly applied. The best results are being achieved by thin applications rather than thick coats. BAUWERK Limewash Paints cure by taking carbon dioxide from the air, a truly wonderful and natural occurring process. The thin coats allows the right amount of curing, if the paint is too thick, then the paint cannot cure correctly and it leaves white patches and makes it powdery to the touch. This can be easily fixed by waiting 24 hours then applying another thin coat, we have helpful videos on our YouTube Channel BAUWERK Colour.

Once you have finished a wall, don't be tempted to try and patch any sections or areas you feel you missed, get it with the next full coat to avoid patching. If you have done that, you will need to re limewash the wall. The only time you can patch is if you are using one fo our whites as they are fully patchable and are great to touch up.

When storing leftover paint, the paint should be stored in an airtight container. We do not recommend that you adjust the consistency of BAUWERK Paint in any way. If your paint is still easily stirred and has a film of water on the top once you reopen it should be fine to use, send us a quick pic to get advice anytime.

Colour variations on an additional surface can have different causes:

The type of surface you painted has a different texture or absorbency.
You're extra surface is exposed to a different light level. Lime wash paints do react very dynamically to chan ging light conditions.
Another cause can also be the application. The more brush strokes are applied the lighter some colours can become.
Lastly, a different batch may also have some colour variation, after all it is a natural paint made entirely from natural materials. Although we follow the same recipes each time, there is to same degree a variation in colour possible. This may be eliminated by mixing two batches together and by ensuring that the paint is regular stirred whilst being applied.

We only use powder pigments, never any industrial tints or colourants.
We source our pigments from various places from around the globe.

Most come from Australia, Italy, France, the UK and the US, some also from Malta or Belgium.

Almost all pigments are of natural origin and are the same as those used by the cosmetics industry (ie lipsticks or eye shadows).
All of the above supplier do adhere to all relevant EU / US / UK / AU safety standards. 
The US supplied pigments are man made pigments, produced by blending, heating and grinding certain amounts of different minerals.

We don’t offer colours that can only be produced with pigments we believe are harmful to humans. For instance we don’t offer a fire engine red or canary yellows as indeed, they can only be made with Cadmium pigments, which we don’t want to handle ourselves.

Apart from that we also use natural clays as a thickener and as a colouring agent itself.

Some of our colours do contain a small percentage of Titanium Dioxide, which is classified as a heavy metal containing pigment. However, we can provide a list of colours that are TiO2 free.