Lime plaster is type of plaster composed of hydrated lime, sand and water. Lime plaster is similar to Lime mortar, the main difference is the based on use rather than composition. Traditional lime plaster contains also horse hair to reinforce plaster.
It is sold as 'bagged' powder or hydrated lime; or is available as lime putty. Lime putty is generally considered to be more suitable for pure lime application.
Non-hydraulic lime is the most commonly used and known lime, also called (high) calcium lime or air lime, as it sets only by reaction with CO2 in the air and will not set until dry. This causes limitations in construction use as the lime can remain soft for months or years. Non-hydraulic lime can only set through carbonatation (re-absorption of CO2).
Hydraulic lime and hydrated lime must not be confused. Hydrated lime is merely a form in which lime can be supplied (as opposed to quicklime or lime putty); while 'hydraulic' refers to its ability to set under water, or in wet conditions.
Read more about Lime Plaster: Safety Issues, Historical Use in The Arts, Historical Uses in Building
Famous quotes containing the words lime and/or plaster:
“In our large cities, the population is godless, materialized,—no bond, no fellow-feeling, no enthusiasm. These are not men, but hungers, thirsts, fevers, and appetites walking. How is it people manage to live on,—so aimless as they are? After their peppercorn aims are gained, it seems as if the lime in their bones alone held them together, and not any worthy purpose.”
—Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803–1882)
“The shadow of the Venetian blind on the painted wall,
Shadows of the snake-plant and cacti, the plaster animals,
Focus the tragic melancholy of the bright stare
Into nowhere, a hole like the black holes in space.”
—John Ashbery (b. 1927)