Our lime plasterers cover Bury St Edmunds and the surrounding East of England area, working exclusively in traditional lime. From timber-framed and pargetted cottages in the older parts of Bury St Edmunds to farm buildings out in Suffolk, we survey the substrate first and then build the correct coats in lime.
Many properties in and around Bury St Edmunds sit within conservation areas or carry listed status, so finishes must match the original construction. We work regularly with Suffolk conservation officers and typically specify lime putty with local pit sand, often finished with traditional pargetting.
Most of our Bury St Edmunds work involves soft red brick. In Suffolk that usually means timber-framed and pargetted cottages and flint churches and barns, where original lime plaster survives on lath internally and lime render or pointing protects the wall outside.
Softness is the point. Traditional Suffolk walling of soft red brick 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 Bury St Edmunds's older homes.
We start with a free survey at the property in Bury St Edmunds, opening up a small area where necessary to see the substrate. From there we specify the mix — usually lime putty with local pit sand, often finished with traditional pargetting — and issue a written quote covering preparation, coats, curing time and finish.
From timber-framed and pargetted cottages to later solid-wall housing, here is the sort of lime plastering, render and pointing work we deliver in and around Bury St Edmunds.
pargetted timber-framed house — Sagging original ceilings in a pargetted timber-framed house near the centre of Bury St Edmunds. Sound laths were retained and re-keyed, missing sections re-lathed in riven timber, and the ceiling made good with haired lime plaster to match the surviving profile.
flint barn conversion — Eroding masonry faces on a flint barn conversion in Bury St Edmunds 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 clay lump and cob.
Georgian merchant's house — A Georgian merchant's house in Bury St Edmunds where hard cement render had trapped moisture against clay lump and cob. We stripped the render back to bare wall, allowed the masonry to dry, then rebuilt the finish in three coats of lime and limewashed it.
We do. Lime repointing is a large part of our Bury St Edmunds workload — raking out hard cement pointing and replacing it with a softer, sacrificial lime mortar that protects the masonry face instead of eroding it.
We do. Bury St Edmunds is one of our core areas and we travel throughout Suffolk and the surrounding parts of East of England for lime plastering, lime render, lime pointing and heritage repair.
Lime cures slowly by carbonation. Allow roughly a week per coat as a guide, and longer in the dry, cold easterly exposure of the eastern counties. We protect the work and control drying so the finish cures evenly rather than cracking or dusting.
It depends on the wall and its exposure. For most Suffolk work we use lime putty with local pit sand, often finished with traditional pargetting, stepping up to a more hydraulic lime only where exposure or the substrate genuinely demands it.
Send us the details of your Bury St Edmunds property through the contact form and we will arrange a free survey. You will receive a written specification and quote with no obligation to proceed.
Our lime plastering, render and pointing teams also cover these towns and cities close to Bury St Edmunds in Suffolk and the wider East of England area.
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