how to apply olivetti lime paint

Lime paint [link to product] is quite different from standard paints and results depend on how you apply it. You can produce a weathered-wall look by changing the direction of the brush so that it goes up and down. On textured walls, you can skip areas so the white of the wall comes through. Some people apply two coats and others use five or more. Just remember that everything you do to one wall, you will have to do to every wall if you want a consistent look.

We suggest you first practice working with the material using the basic directions provided below. Learn what you can and cannot control, then attempt personal variations and techniques.

A few special tools and the right preparation products make a big difference. See lime paint accessories for details.

Here's how to be successful whether you are a novice or a professional applicator.

Assess the surface

Determine whether your walls are flat or textured. Matte finishes can be created on all surface, but textured surfaces cannot be polished or “burnished” unless you first skim-coat your walls with joint compound to make them smooth.

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Select the type of finish

Lime paint dries naturally with a matte finish that looks like velvet. Polishing warms the color, adds sheen, accentuates any texture on the wall and makes brush movements more visible. Control the amount of sheen by changing the amount of pressure you apply. Burnishing also makes the color appear mottled.

You can also create a mottled look by applying a slightly lighter shade on the second or third coats. Applicators usually do this to achieve mottling when walls have too much texture for polishing. For a very mottled effect, vary the tones and burnish the walls.

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Gather Materials

  • Low-tack masking tape
  • Tarp
  • Gloves
  • Goggles
  • Brushes
  • Polishing tools
  • Topping mix, drywall mud or spackle
  • Primer
  • Pigments
  • Lime paint
  • Material to prepare samples. Use ½-inch drywall (or scraps of any thickness) topped with joint compound to simulate newly skim-coated walls. Tape drywall edges so grit doesn’t get into the paint. To simulate flat walls coated with primer paint, use particleboard painted with primer.
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Prepare the surface

To show colors and textures accurately, sample boards must have the same underlying treatments as the walls. To save time, prepare samples in tandem with the walls.

In new construction, minimize the workload by making decisions early and paying close attention to a few details:

  1. Install drywall with screws, not nails, and cover seams with mesh tape. Use enough passes of topping to cover the drywall. The trade refers to this as “levels.” If you skimp, you will see nail holes and seams between panels when you polish the lime paint.
  2. Walls should be perfectly sanded. Or, for a more old-world look, lightly sand where the trowel has skipped. Always sand out ridge marks and be sure the texture is consistent around the room. Do not use coarse sandpaper; it cuts lines in the topping surface.
  3. Vacuum walls.
  4. Mask off trim with low-tack tape. (Be sure the trim paint is fully dried.) Use a putty knife to press down the edge of the tape next to the wall so that paint won’t seep underneath. Cover furnishings and protect the floor.
  5. Prime the walls with water-based primer, such as our Safecoat New Wallboard Primecoat HPV [link to product]. (Use Safecoat Transitional Primer [link to product] over old oil-based paint.) In new construction, most primer is sprayed on. This is ideal for lime paint, because it avoids roller marks that could become more noticeable when the walls are polished. If you must roll on your primer, use a roller with ¼-inch nap and avoid leaving roller marks. Whether spraying or rolling, make sure not to miss areas, as lime paint will appear darker on unprimed surfaces.

On existing smooth walls, ideal for any desired lime paint finish:

  1. Mask off trim with low-tack tape. See tips above.
  2. Fill any holes and sand smooth.
  3. Scrape the walls with a metal blade to knock off any raised particles that you don’t otherwise notice.
  4. Lightly sand the walls with a fine sanding pad to lessen any nap and to break in the pad for the polishing process.
  5. Prime the walls with water-based primer, such as our Safecoat New Wallboard Primecoat HPV [link to product], using a roller with ¼-inch nap. Avoid leaving roller marks. Primer is not needed over flat paint that has not been patched.

On textured walls where you want to achieve a polished finish:

  1. Mask off trim with low-tack tape. Provide a small gap so that the edge of the tape won’t be covered when you skim-coat the wall. Press down on the edge of the tape with a putty knife so paint can’t seep underneath.
  2. Prime the walls with our Safecoat New Wallboard Primecoat HPV [link to product].
  3. Skim-coat the walls with drywall compound to create as smooth a surface as possible.
  4. Run a metal blade over the walls to knock off any ridges.
  5. With a fine sanding sponge, sand the walls smooth. Or, for a more Old World look, just lightly sand edges where the trowel skipped. Depending on the type of drywall compound you use, you may be able to wet-sand to minimize dust.
  6. Vacuum walls and you're ready for lime paint. You don’t need to prime because the surface is evenly porous.

On textured walls that you merely want to paint, creating a matte finish:

  1. Mask trim with low-tack tape and press edges down with a putty knife.
  2. Fill any holes and sand smooth.
  3. Prime with the proper roller nap for the texture of your walls. Really work the primer into the nooks and crannies. Pay attention to detail because lime paint will dry darker on any spots you miss.
  4. Textured walls require a minimum of three coats of lime paint. Work the first coat in very well. The second and third coat will go on much faster.
  5. You will use more lime paint on porous and heavy textured surfaces, and you must wait longer between coats to allow the thicker deposits in the crevices to dry.

Why do we recommend priming? It ensures consistent suction and color. Lime paint does not mask oils or other chemicals that may be lingering on walls. It's quicker and easier to prime, guaranteeing perfection, rather than take a gamble on the history of the wall.

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Make samples and determine the colors

Now the fun begins. You get to decide what color or colors you want. Because you mix them yourself, using natural pigments, you determine how deep or pastel to go. The basic procedure:

  1. In a plastic container large enough to hold your full batch, place equal amounts of pigment and water. Stir thoroughly. Work out all lumps and keep mixing until you are sure there are no dry particles. This step, which is critical for achieving an even color, may take several minutes.

    Be sure to wear gloves when mixing pigment and paint, and wear a respirator [/learn/topics/RespiratorsThatWork.html] that works while mixing dry pigments so you won’t inhale the dust.
  2. Pour a measured amount of lime paint into the colorant and stir well.

    Work out the look you want with a small batch, then do the math for the quantity you need for your entire project and then re-test with paint mixed to that formula. You can use a hair dryer to speed drying between coats.

    Test all finishes on your sample boards, not your walls. Be sure to take notes as you prepare the boards so that you can replicate the look you want on your walls. If you vary the tones of second or third coats, be sure to label the step when each color was used.
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Calculate how much paint to tint

One gallon of our basic lime paint usually covers 250 to 300 square feet with one coat. At least two coats are needed over newly skim-coated walls. Previously painted surfaces usually require three coats. To calculate how much paint you need, multiply the length and width of each wall section and add the totals. Divide by 500 (for two coats) or 900 (three coats) and you'll have the total gallons needed. We recommend adding extra for touchups, etc.

The deepest colors result from using the maximum amount of pigment we recommend: 1 part of pigment for each 9 parts of paint, measured by volume. (Use a measuring cup.) Often, far less pigment results in a desired color.

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Paint

If more than one person is painting, make sure all people use the same techniques or assign one person to do the first coat and another to do the second coat, etc. Different techniques will result in different appearances.

Apply the lime paint using a lime brush for large areas and a round, pointed brush for corners and tight spots. Working across the wall, apply the paint with a crosshatched method. For better control, cup your hand around the bristle head instead of holding it by the handle. Really work the brush into the wall at first and then lighten up on the pressure and feather out your brush strokes before you proceed to your next section. Move steadily across the wall and do not stop until you get to a corner.

Complete the first coat on the entire room. The color lightens as the paint dries. When it is completely dry, add the next coat. If your color is at or near the maximum amount of pigment (a ratio of 1 part pigment to 9 parts paint), wait overnight.

Apply the next coats less generously than the first. For the second coat, use more of a dry-brush technique. Slightly dip the ends of the bristles into your mixture and unload the brush on the inner side of the bucket. Again work the brush into the wall with a crosshatched method and feather brush marks out as you go.

On the last coat, you can stay with the same color for a more subtle look or pour a little untinted lime paint into your recipe to make a variation on a shade. Varying the shade will give you more mottling. You can omit the third coat but walls will not look as lush. The second and third coats dry much faster because you are applying a finer layer.

At this point, you have a matte finish. If this is the look you want, you can stop. Or you can polish the paint. And, whether or not you polish, you can add a sealer to make the surface more washable and water-resistant.

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Polish

Polishing only works if the surface is flat and finishes are dry.

If you can scrape paint off with a blade, it won’t be left on your wall! The more coats of paint on the wall, the deeper the color and the greater the mottling you can achieve.

  • For a subtle sheen, buff the finish with a clean towel or T-shirt. Use circular motions.
  • For more sheen, begin with an extra-fine sanding pad that has been broken in. Apply medium pressure as you polish across the wall in circular motions. You may also use finishing-grade steel wool (0000) but remember to change the pad every so often. The color of the paint will warm up as you go. Check at an angle to ensure that you have polished consistently and evenly. Finish with a pass of a clean, dry towel. At this point, you have a semi-gloss sheen.
  • To increase the sheen to high gloss, polish the finishes with a stainless steel burnishing trowel and then polish the wall again with a clean towel. If you have floated the walls in preparation for your paint, you can easily achieve a glass-like finish. If not, exercise caution while applying pressure to the trowel.
  • The burnishing trowel is never held flat to the wall. Hold the trowel at a 30-degree angle from the wall, with the right side of the blade next to the wall. Move that edge along the wall in one direction while you apply even pressure to the handle. You can use both hands on the handle for more pressure. Move from right to left, if you are right handed. When you get to a corner, turn the trowel counter clockwise to an upside-down position so you can still use the right side of the blade.

Use synthetic steel wool (the finest available) to polish areas that are too small for the trowel to fit.

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Seal

Our Olivetti Sealer Concentrate may slightly change the appearance of the paint. Prepare a test sample to be sure you like the effect. Evaluate the look once the sealer has fully dried.

Apply after paint has dried overnight or longer. Mask off any areas not to be sealed. Mix 1 part concentrate to 2 parts water. With a clean lime brush, work steadily across an area approximately 4 feet by 4 feet. Rub the area with a clean T-shirt, using circular motions. Then move on to the next section. Work quickly so dry edges don’t develop.

Apply as many coats as you wish, but no fewer than two. Be sure the previous coat is fully dry before you apply the next one. If the surface feels sticky, it hasn’t dried enough.

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