Liming Stone for White Washed Finish

The liming technique is a wood finishing process using limestone, liming (calcium carbonate), or Ca CO3. The uses of liming stone in the wood finishing have been known since a long time ago, when the traditional finishings such as varnish, wax, and oil were popular. Now that the modern finishing material has been available, there are many finishing materials that can be used to replace the liming effect. The liming stone effect can be imitated by using the glaze or latex paint with some modification. But liming stone can still be used in combination with NC or acrylic finish to make a special effect finish. The limestone is used to make the wash or antique effect, while the acrylic or NC coating and stain are used to me color and the film layer. The white lime stone is used to fill the pores and grains to produce the contrast effect between the wood and the grain. And the NC clear coating is used to give finish protection film.

white wash finish

The finishing process with liming stone

 wire brush

• Wire brushing.

To produce the contrast effect of limestone, you need the wood with open, large, and big grains and pores. The oak or mindi are the suitable wood. To enhance and accentuate the wood grain and pores, then you need to open and enlarge the wood grains and pores. You can brush the surface pores of wood with a wire brush to open the wood pores and grains. Brush the wood with the direct along with the wood grain to the entire wood surface and make sure all pores and grain are open.
Make sure all the pores and the fiber are already open, and then do scuff sanding on the wood surface to smoother the surface.

• Stain application.

The stain application is used to make the wood color more even and equal. Use the sap stain to sap the light wood and equalizer stain to cover the annoying colors. You can also apply a body stain to the entire surface if you want to adjust the wood color. You can get to our previous articles: how to match color in the wood finishing.

• Wash coat application.

Wash coat is a thin sealer coat. The wash coat is used to coat the stain to give protection; the stain is not erased when the application of limestone. Apply the coating with a wash coat by spraying evenly on the surface. Wait until the wash coat is dry, and then do scuff sanding to smooth the surface.

• Application of lime paste.

The liming paste is used to fill the wood grains and pores to produce the contrast effect between wood color and the white liming inside the grain and pores. Liming stone is a white powder. In the application, the white liming powder should be diluted in the water to make white paste. You will need to add some binder to unify the lime powder. You can use latex paint as a binder for the limestone powder. Mix approximately 1 part limestone with 1 part latex paint. The ratio between the lime stone and a latex paint will affect the finishing effect obtained. The more limestone powder, the more powder effect will be obtained. The more latex paint you make, the more solid the mixture and the more solid the result will be. The type and brand of latex paint will also affect the results of the finishing effect obtained. Do some mixing trials until you find the effect you want. You can also add colored latex paint if you want some colored dust effect.
Brush the liming powder to the wood surface; make sure it fills in the pores, grain, and gap or crevices. Wait until the liming powder is dry, and then wipe and sand the surface with scotch brite. Clean the liming powder on the surface and leave the liming powder inside the pores and fibers.  Then you can see the contrast effect from the wood color on the outside and the white effects inside the pores and grain. Make some highlights at the white liming powder to enhance the contrast effect.  

lime wash finish panel

• Application of top coat.

The finishing with the limestone is usually used to make a more natural appearance finish. Since that, the thick film layer is not suitable. You better avoid using sealer since the sealer tends to produce a thick film layer.

A thin top coat can be used to layer the contrast effect resulted by the liming powder. Thin the top coat and spray to the liming finish. Let the top coat dry and feel the surface; if the surface is smooth, then the finishing process is finished. But if the surface is rough, then you may need to recoat the finish. Scuff sand the top coat, respray the top coat, and let it dry for several hours. If the surface is still rough, then you can sand the finish with very fine sandpaper (1000 grade). Paste wax can be applied on the finish to get a smooth feel surface.