Exterior Garden Wall Surface Guide

Maintaining your limewashed external garden wall is straightforward. You can opt for spot repairs or apply a fresh coat across the entire surface. There's no need to remove previous layers of limewash paint.

If your walls have flaking or bubbling paint (oil or water-based), you have two options. You can strip it back or remove easily removable parts and accept that you may need to touch up areas where old paint comes off for the next few seasons.

Please note: Horizontal surfaces may receive more weather exposure and therefore may require more frequent touchups. Efflorescence, soluble salts, or other substances like tannins, may seep out of the walls. Limewash paint does not conceal these substances and they may be visible through your paint finish. The need for maintenance coats depends on the wall construction quality and exposure to heavy rain and prolonged humidity.

Limewash over raw absorbent walls: 7–10 m² (75–107 ft²) per litre, per coat.


Note: Recommendations for coverage are to be used as a guide only; variation in quantity needed will depend on the porosity of the surface to be painted. We always recommend the use of Sample Pots for an accurate colour representation and consumption for your particular surface and light conditions.

When it comes to watering, whether you're dealing with freestanding garden walls or garden beds that retain soil, it's essential to consider how you water the plants nearby. Hand watering offers the most control and reduces the risk of overwatering and water spraying against the wall.

However, in many cases, sprinkler systems are used for watering. It's important to install them correctly to avoid spraying directly onto painted surfaces. Sometimes, it's best to position sprinklers close to the wall and redirect the spray away, toward the garden bed. Alternatively, you can opt for a watering system that drips water directly onto the ground next to the plants.

Garden wall surfaces can be relatively easy and quickly painted with limewash paint using a professional Limewash Block Brush. For the first coat, take care to cover the entire surface thoroughly. With subsequent coats, you can work more quickly—any small areas missed will already have been coated during the previous application.

• Where possible, protect nearby plants by covering them or gently bending them away from the wall surface.
• For garden walls with creeper plants, you can limewash directly over the branches and stems. The best time to do this is winter, when foliage has dropped.
• Limewash can also be applied to the stems of trees, and is sometimes done intentionally to protect young plants from excess heat and sun exposure.
  

Limewashing garden walls is a straightforward DIY project and does not require specialist training. Just follow the basic limewash application tips such as:

• Make sure the weather is going to be clear for three days after application. We recommend the ideal temperature for painting to be 8 – 30°C (46°F – 86°F). Do not paint if surface and/or air temperature fall below 5°C (41°F) during application or curing.
• Stir the paint regularly during use.
• Spread the paint out evenly—don’t overload your brush.
• Trust the process: limewash looks translucent when wet, but the opacity develops as it dries.
  
  

This depends on your local climate, but a few key points apply everywhere:

• Choose a period of stable, clear weather for at least three days after application.
• The ideal temperature range is 8–30°C (46–86°F).
• Do not paint if the surface or air temperature drops below 5°C (41°F) during application or curing.
• For garden walls with creeper plants, the easiest time to limewash directly over branches and stems is winter, once the foliage has dropped.