Looking for lime plastering in Derry? We are traditional lime specialists covering County Londonderry and the rest of Northern Ireland. Our work here ranges from rubble-stone farmhouses to listed buildings and conservation-area homes, and every mix is chosen for the local sandstone we find behind the existing finish.
Exposure matters as much as material. Derry sits in persistently wet, mild Atlantic weather, 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.
The older parts of Derry are dominated by rubble-stone farmhouses, Victorian brick terraces, Georgian market-town houses. These are solid-wall constructions — there is no cavity, no damp-proof membrane and no vapour barrier — so the wall relies on evaporation through the plaster and render to stay dry.
Softness is the point. Traditional County Londonderry walling of local sandstone 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 Derry's older homes.
You get a single point of contact from survey to final coat. We agree the specification for your Derry property in writing, prepare and apply the lime in the correct build-up, and advise on breathable decoration once the work has cured.
Every Derry property is surveyed individually, but these examples show the kind of County Londonderry buildings and use-cases we are called to most often.
rubble-stone farmhouse — Eroding masonry faces on a rubble-stone farmhouse in Derry 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 basalt and whinstone rubble.
basalt-walled outbuilding — Weather-facing walls of a basalt-walled outbuilding taking the full force of persistently wet, mild Atlantic weather. We specified hot-mixed lime with local aggregate, wet-dashed or limewashed externally, built the render up in generous coats and protected the work while it carbonated to avoid shrinkage cracking.
Georgian market-town house — Blown gypsum plaster and tide marks on the ground floor of a Georgian market-town house in County Londonderry. We hacked off the gypsum, applied a haired lime base coat and a lime putty finish, and specified clay paint so the wall could keep drying.
It depends on the wall and its exposure. For most County Londonderry work we use hot-mixed lime with local aggregate, wet-dashed or limewashed externally, 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 Derry. It is usually the fastest way to resolve persistent damp in a solid-wall building.
External lime work is best carried out between spring and early autumn so it can carbonate before the first frosts. Internal lime plastering in Derry 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 Derry 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.
Yes. We regularly work on listed and conservation-area properties across County Londonderry and can supply mix specifications and sample panels for Derry conservation officers where consent is required.
Our lime plastering, render and pointing teams also cover these towns and cities close to Derry in County Londonderry and the wider Northern Ireland area.
Browse all areas we cover across the UK
Get a lime plastering quote in Derry