Over three decades or so, building owners, managers and maintenance teams have become increasingly aware of the benefits of using traditional materials for the maintenance of older buildings and from time to time we like to update our knowledge. With this in mind, our team recently attended a Lime Training Day at Cornish Lime headquarters in Bodmin.
The day started indoors with an introduction to lime products and their uses. We then went into the lab for hands on demonstrations of various lime products, their properties and uses.
It is fascinating seeing the heat generated when quick lime is slaked in water and understanding how these materials might have been handled and stored in the past.
Later we had the opportunity to try our hand at pointing a natural stone wall and also applying various types of render finishes.
Pointing a prepared stone wall was satisfying but is always very time consuming!
As surveyors, we have for many years been advising that older buildings are best suited to the use of traditional materials and techniques as these materials allow a building to breathe and can help prevent build-up of dampness and related defects that otherwise occur. We all found it interesting to get hands-on experience and see examples of the beautiful finishes that can be achieved in the right hands.
Lime is a specialist product that can be blended to suit a wide range of uses. However, it is essential that specialist advice is always obtained to avoid costly mistakes. Cornish Lime are able to provide assistance when supplying materials both to contractors or individuals and also via their excellent training days, www.cornishlime.co.uk, Telephone 01208 79779.
