Traditional lime plastering in Banbury and across Oxfordshire. Working on Georgian townhouses and other solid-wall property, we specify hot-mixed lime, lime putty and natural hydraulic lime to suit each individual wall rather than applying one standard mix to everything.
Many properties in and around Banbury sit within conservation areas or carry listed status, so finishes must match the original construction. We work regularly with Oxfordshire conservation officers and typically specify hot-mixed lime or NHL 2 with hair reinforcement for lath and frame.
Banbury and the villages around it retain a good deal of clay tile-hung and timber frame. Where that material is soft — as most traditional Oxfordshire walling is — the mortar and plaster must always be softer than the masonry, so it wears sacrificially instead of eroding the stone or brick face.
Softness is the point. Traditional Oxfordshire 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 Banbury's older homes.
Once the survey is agreed, we protect the site, strip back the failed finish, and apply lime in successive coats with proper curing between each. In the drier but wind-driven weather of the South East coast and Downs we control drying with damp hessian or sheeting so the work carbonates evenly rather than cracking.
The jobs below are typical of the work we carry out on Banbury property — the building types and problems vary, but the answer is always breathable lime rather than cement.
tile-hung Wealden farmhouse — Weather-facing walls of a tile-hung Wealden farmhouse taking the full force of the drier but wind-driven weather of the South East coast and Downs. We specified hot-mixed lime or NHL 2 with hair reinforcement for lath and frame, built the render up in generous coats and protected the work while it carbonated to avoid shrinkage cracking.
timber-framed hall house — Cracked and cement-patched panels on a timber-framed hall house in Oxfordshire. 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.
flint-and-brick cottage — A flint-and-brick cottage being brought back into use outside Banbury. 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.
Every property is different, so we do not publish fixed prices. Cost depends on the substrate, the number of coats, access and whether failed cement has to be removed first. We survey the property in Banbury and provide a written, no-obligation quote.
Yes, but it must be finished with a breathable product such as limewash, clay paint or mineral silicate paint. We advise on suitable finishes for each Banbury project so breathability is not lost at the final coat.
External lime work is best carried out between spring and early autumn so it can carbonate before the first frosts. Internal lime plastering in Banbury can be done year-round with adequate heating and ventilation.
Where damp is caused by trapped moisture in a solid wall — very common in older Banbury 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.
We do. Banbury is one of our core areas and we travel throughout Oxfordshire and the surrounding parts of South East England for lime plastering, lime render, lime pointing and heritage repair.
Our lime plastering, render and pointing teams also cover these towns and cities close to Banbury in Oxfordshire and the wider South East England area.
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