Decorative finishes

Limewash is lime, water and pigment, brushed on in several thin coats over porous mineral surfaces such as lime plaster, lime render, stone and brick. It sets by slowly taking up carbon dioxide from the air, dries much lighter than it looks when wet, and gives a soft, cloudy, matt surface that varies across a wall. It can leave a slight chalky bloom, and it will not bond to modern paints or non-porous surfaces. Some modern paints imitate the look and can go over emulsion with a suitable primer; they are a different material, and we will be clear about which you are getting.

Colourwashing lays a thin, translucent coat over a solid base colour so the base glows through unevenly. Tinted glazes stay workable for longer than paint, which allows them to be dragged, stippled or combed, and the same materials underlie traditional graining and marbling. Done well, these finishes are quiet rather than showy.

Metallic paints reflect light directionally, so brush or roller direction, laps and any defect in the wall show more than with ordinary paint; preparation is exacting and application follows a planned pattern. Gilding with metal leaf is slower, specialist work, usually confined to mouldings, lettering or small features, and imitation leaf needs sealing to stop it tarnishing.

Every decorative scheme begins with sample boards, made with the actual materials and seen in the room’s own light. The finished wall will vary within the range the samples show; that is the nature of handmade work. For surfaces that should be flat and even rather than expressive, see premium surface finishing; for limewash in older houses, see period properties.