We provide conservation-grade lime plastering across Ramsgate, Kent. Whether you are repairing damp internal walls in a clay tile-hung and timber frame property, stripping failed cement render, or repointing stonework, our craftsmen work only in lime — the material Ramsgate's period buildings were originally constructed with.
Exposure matters as much as material. Ramsgate sits in the drier but wind-driven weather of the South East coast and Downs, 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.
Around Ramsgate you will find timber-framed hall houses alongside later flint-and-brick cottages. Both were built with lime, and both suffer when a modern impermeable finish is applied over the top — the moisture has to go somewhere, and it goes into the masonry and the timbers.
Solid-wall buildings in Ramsgate were designed to absorb and release moisture. Lime keeps that cycle working; cement seals it in. That single difference explains why so many Kent homes develop damp after a modern refurbishment.
Every Ramsgate job begins with diagnosis: identifying where moisture is entering before any plaster goes on. We then remove failed material, prepare the clay tile-hung and timber frame, and build the lime up in coats, allowing each one to cure before the next.
Because timber frame, flint and soft brick dominate the pre-1850 stock, Ramsgate throws up a particular set of problems. These are representative examples of how we resolve them in lime.
timber-framed hall house — Salt-contaminated plaster around a reopened fireplace in a timber-framed hall house in Ramsgate. We removed the affected plaster, applied a salt-tolerant lime build-up and finished flush with the surrounding original work.
oast house conversion — A commercial oast house conversion on a Ramsgate 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 — Eroding masonry faces on a Georgian townhouse in Ramsgate 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 soft red brick.
Yes — stripping failed cement render and replacing it with a breathable lime render is one of the most common jobs we carry out in Ramsgate. It is usually the fastest way to resolve persistent damp in a solid-wall building.
It depends on the wall and its exposure. For most Kent work we use hot-mixed lime or NHL 2 with hair reinforcement for lath and frame, stepping up to a more hydraulic lime only where exposure or the substrate genuinely demands it.
Yes. We regularly work on listed and conservation-area properties across Kent and can supply mix specifications and sample panels for Ramsgate conservation officers where consent is required.
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.
Where damp is caused by trapped moisture in a solid wall — very common in older Ramsgate 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.
Our lime plastering, render and pointing teams also cover these towns and cities close to Ramsgate in Kent and the wider South East England area.
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