Our lime plasterers cover Canterbury and the surrounding South East England area, working exclusively in traditional lime. From timber-framed hall houses in the older parts of Canterbury to farm buildings out in Kent, we survey the substrate first and then build the correct coats in lime.
Many properties in and around Canterbury sit within conservation areas or carry listed status, so finishes must match the original construction. We work regularly with Kent conservation officers and typically specify hot-mixed lime or NHL 2 with hair reinforcement for lath and frame.
Most of our Canterbury work involves flint and knapped flintwork. In Kent that usually means timber-framed hall houses and Georgian townhouses, where original lime plaster survives on lath internally and lime render or pointing protects the wall outside.
Lime is flexible, breathable and self-healing. On Canterbury properties built from flint and knapped flintwork, it moves with the building instead of cracking away from it, and it protects the masonry rather than the other way round.
We start with a free survey at the property in Canterbury, opening up a small area where necessary to see the substrate. From there we specify the mix — usually hot-mixed lime or NHL 2 with hair reinforcement for lath and frame — and issue a written quote covering preparation, coats, curing time and finish.
From timber-framed hall houses to later solid-wall housing, here is the sort of lime plastering, render and pointing work we deliver in and around Canterbury.
Regency seafront villa — A Regency seafront villa being brought back into use outside Canterbury. 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 — A commercial tile-hung Wealden farmhouse on a Canterbury high street within a conservation area. Decayed render and mouldings were reinstated in lime, run in situ to the original profiles, and finished to match neighbouring frontages.
Georgian townhouse — A Georgian townhouse in Canterbury where hard cement render had trapped moisture against soft red brick. 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.
Every property is different, so we do not publish fixed prices.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 Canterbury and provide a written, no-obligation quote.
Yes — stripping failed cement render and replacing it with a breathable lime render is one of the most common jobs we carry out in Canterbury. It is usually the fastest way to resolve persistent damp in a solid-wall building.
Lime cures slowly by carbonation. Allow roughly a week per coat as a guide, and longer in the drier but wind-driven weather of the South East coast and Downs. We protect the work and control drying so the finish cures evenly rather than cracking or dusting.
We do. Canterbury is one of our core areas and we travel throughout Kent and the surrounding parts of South East England for lime plastering, lime render, lime pointing and heritage repair.
External lime work is best carried out between spring and early autumn so it can carbonate before the first frosts. Internal lime plastering in Canterbury can be done year-round with adequate heating and ventilation.
Our lime plastering, render and pointing teams also cover these towns and cities close to Canterbury in Kent and the wider South East England area.
Browse all areas we cover across the UK
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