Aldershot property owners come to us when a modern finish has failed. Cement render and gypsum plaster trap moisture inside clay tile-hung and timber frame, and in the drier but wind-driven weather of the South East coast and Downs that shows up as damp patches, salt blooming and rotting timbers. We put it right with breathable lime across Hampshire.
Exposure matters as much as material. Aldershot sits in the drier but wind-driven weather of the South East coast and Downs, which means external work has to shed water and then dry out again quickly. That is exactly what a correctly built lime render does, and exactly what a sealed cement skin prevents.
Around Aldershot you will find timber-framed hall houses alongside later flint-and-brick cottages. Both were built with lime, and both suffer when a modern impermeable finish is applied over the top — the moisture has to go somewhere, and it goes into the masonry and the timbers.
Softness is the point. Traditional Hampshire walling of clay tile-hung and timber frame is weaker than modern cement, so a hard mortar concentrates stress and moisture into the masonry face. Lime is deliberately the weaker material, and that is what makes it correct for Aldershot's older homes.
Every Aldershot job begins with diagnosis: identifying where moisture is entering before any plaster goes on. We then remove failed material, prepare the clay tile-hung and timber frame, and build the lime up in coats, allowing each one to cure before the next.
Because timber frame, flint and soft brick dominate the pre-1850 stock, Aldershot throws up a particular set of problems. These are representative examples of how we resolve them in lime.
oast house conversion — An oast house conversion being brought back into use outside Aldershot. Because timber frame, flint and soft brick dominate the pre-1850 stock, we plastered internally in lime over a breathable insulating background and left the external stonework repointed rather than sealed.
tile-hung Wealden farmhouse — Eroding masonry faces on a tile-hung Wealden farmhouse in Aldershot caused by hard cement pointing. We raked out by hand to the correct depth and repointed in a soft lime mortar matched to the original aggregate and colour of the soft red brick.
timber-framed hall house — Cracked and cement-patched panels on a timber-framed hall house in Hampshire. Failed infill was cut out, laths and staves renewed where rotten, and the panels made good in haired lime so the frame can move without splitting the finish.
Yes. We regularly work on listed and conservation-area properties across Hampshire and can supply mix specifications and sample panels for Aldershot conservation officers where consent is required.
Where damp is caused by trapped moisture in a solid wall — very common in older Aldershot properties — replacing cement or gypsum with lime allows the wall to dry out. We always identify the source of moisture during the survey before recommending work.
External lime work is best carried out between spring and early autumn so it can carbonate before the first frosts. Internal lime plastering in Aldershot can be done year-round with adequate heating and ventilation.
It depends on the wall and its exposure. For most Hampshire work we use hot-mixed lime or NHL 2 with hair reinforcement for lath and frame, stepping up to a more hydraulic lime only where exposure or the substrate genuinely demands it.
Yes — stripping failed cement render and replacing it with a breathable lime render is one of the most common jobs we carry out in Aldershot. It is usually the fastest way to resolve persistent damp in a solid-wall building.
Our lime plastering, render and pointing teams also cover these towns and cities close to Aldershot in Hampshire and the wider South East England area.
Browse all areas we cover across the UK
Get a lime plastering quote in Aldershot