Lime Plastering is a specialist lime plastering contractor working throughout Exeter and the wider Devon area. As one of the larger towns in Devon, Exeter has a large stock of pre-1919 property built from granite and killas rubble — walls that were designed to breathe. We restore them using traditional lime plaster, lime render and lime mortar, never cement or gypsum.
Sympathetic repair in Exeter means matching what is already there — the aggregate colour, the coat thickness, the texture of the original float finish. We take samples from the existing granite and killas rubble before mixing so new work sits alongside old rather than standing out.
Exeter and the villages around it retain a good deal of granite and killas rubble. Where that material is soft — as most traditional Devon 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.
Lime is flexible, breathable and self-healing. On Exeter properties built from granite and killas rubble, it moves with the building instead of cracking away from it, and it protects the masonry rather than the other way round.
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 wet, wind-driven rain typical of the South West 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 Exeter property — the building types and problems vary, but the answer is always breathable lime rather than cement.
granite farmhouse — Cracked and cement-patched panels on a granite farmhouse in Devon. 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.
stone-built chapel conversion — Sagging original ceilings in a stone-built chapel conversion near the centre of Exeter. 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.
cob and thatch cottage — Blown gypsum plaster and tide marks on the ground floor of a cob and thatch cottage in Devon. 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.
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 Exeter project so breathability is not lost at the final coat.
Lime cures slowly by carbonation. Allow roughly a week per coat as a guide, and longer in the wet, wind-driven rain typical of the South West. We protect the work and control drying so the finish cures evenly rather than cracking or dusting.
Yes. We regularly work on listed and conservation-area properties across Devon and can supply mix specifications and sample panels for Exeter conservation officers where consent is required.
Where damp is caused by trapped moisture in a solid wall — very common in older Exeter 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. Exeter is one of our core areas and we travel throughout Devon and the surrounding parts of South West 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 Exeter in Devon and the wider South West England area.
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