[deepinthewoods]

im trying to work out if the house im working on has been clad in lime render or just a bad cement mix, if anyone on here has any knowledge id be more than grateful of some help!

[lachlanandmarcus]

I reckon the easiest way to tell is to wait until it rains. A lime render will go very dark compared with its dry colour when it rains, whereas a cement render will just go a bit darker. Also a lime render will normally look a bit more uneven on the surface, as it follows the lumps and bumps of the stone underneath.

Also the edges and corners with lime render are usually a bit softer and blunter, not so sharp.

Here is our place just after it was lime harled last year, the bottom right patch had just been done and was still wet, the rest was still drying too.

and this one shows the 'soft' corners

[deepinthewoods]

thanks thats very useful. im 90% sure its a bad cement render but someone told the owner (i suspect the estate agent) that it was lime render. which makes this more of a diplomatic dillema!!

[lachlanandmarcus]

Ooh I can imagine, esp if the landlord paid for lime....costs a lot more to do that!

Any stonemason would be able to tell them straight off, or they can see for themselves, if we get some rain, although it might not be the answer they would like....:-)))

[deepinthewoods]

this is the problem, 2 stonemasons and me, have so far been unable to confirm which. its looking like i need to send a sample off to be analysed. the render has been done in a style called polperro ripple. but its fake imho.

[deepinthewoods]

and it is fake. ive uncovered a cornish cob wall underneath, with shot cement render on top, which is now coming off. looks like im going to get my opportunity to learn how to lime render after all, another string to my restoration bow! alls well that ends well.

[lachlanandmarcus]

Excellent result!! And if its anything like our place, just looking at the properly done wall will give you a warm glow of pleasure every single day you look at it. Good job!

[deepinthewoods]

all the fake cement is off now, and ive surgically raked it out and have done the base coat of lime render, its now starting to look something like it and is, so far, going well. thanks for the pics, ill put one up of the finished job.