From Damp Disaster to Breathing Beauty — A Full Lime Restoration.
“This project was a textbook case of what goes wrong when traditional buildings are smothered by modern materials. The room was suffering badly: overwhelming humidity, mould growth, and that telltale musty smell that comes from decades of moisture being trapped behind the wrong materials. Over the years, various “fixes” had been thrown at the problem — bitumen paint, tanking systems, cement renders, gypsum plaster — all of which only made things worse. Instead of allowing the walls to breathe, these treatments sealed them up, locking moisture inside the fabric of the building.
Once we stripped everything back, the real structure could finally breathe again — and what we found was worth it. Beneath the layers, we uncovered beautiful large stone walls bonded with lime aggregate mortar, along with a section made from extremely porous bricks. These materials were never designed to be sealed up. They rely on natural vapour movement — pulling moisture in and out — to stay dry and healthy.”
Our Process for this project
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Because of the mix of materials — dense stone next to thirsty bricks — the biggest challenge was balancing how the wall absorbed moisture. The porous bricks were pulling in water rapidly, while the stone was much slower to react. To deal with this, I applied a base coat of NHL2 (Natural Hydraulic Lime 2). It's a gentle, breathable lime that sets slowly, which makes it ideal for controlling suction differences across a wall. It creates a stable, forgiving base that evens out contrasts and prevents issues like rapid drying or cracking.
Controlling Suction with NHL2
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With the base coat cured, I applied two coats of Limecote, a fine finishing lime plaster made by Best of Lime. It’s breathable, durable, and ideal for heritage buildings. Limecote doesn’t try to hide the character of the wall — it brings it out. The surface has a soft, natural look that complements the materials beneath. It responds beautifully to the light in the room, and rather than looking flat and modern, it has a sense of depth and life.
Finishing with Limecote
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This simple two-part system — NHL2 followed by Limecote — is exactly what a room like this needs: It lets the wall breathe naturally, helping to draw out trapped moisture It avoids trapping condensation or humidity, which is what caused the mould and smell in the first place It respects the original materials, allowing them to do what they were designed to do The result is a room that feels clean, dry, and alive again. There’s no damp smell, no sweating walls, and no plastic feel — just a solid, breathable surface that works with the building, not against it.
Why This System Works