Written by: Kathryn O'Shea-Evans

Click here to view the Original Article

When designer Sarah Weichel first embarked on a full gut renovation of her very first house in 2018, learning how to limewash wall was not on her radar. The first house makeover was an expensive disaster. “Long story short, we hired a ‘man with a van,’ which I now understand is industry speak for ‘bad contractor,’” says the founder and principal of Swike Design in Los Angeles. After spending all her savings on renovating the house (and then renovating it again!), she ran out of money to make improvements to the guest-house bathroom. But what to do when you have “very limited skills?”

Eager to wrangle this high-traffic space, where “the walls and baseboards [were] painted a cold and flat white, which [had] picked up scuffs and dirt over time,” she opted to try her hand at limewash paint, known for its richness and depth. “With an acrylic paint, you’re aiming for precision,” Weichel continues. “With this material, the intention of the product is to create movement and texture on walls, so even a novice can’t mess it up with the freehand application.”

Her DIY inspiration came from the frustration of seeing a ton of newly built and remodeled homes with “a lot of white drywall everywhere that’s kind of void of any architectural integrity or detail,” Weichel says. The idea behind using limewash paint is to make your home read more like a 17th-century Italian villa. “It creates just a really worn and weathered and patinaed moment of visual interest,” she says. “And I think it’s especially appealing when moving into something that’s been recently renovated, because those homes tend to feel a bit more modern and cold.”

Not only does limewash paint add charm galore, but it isn’t hard to do. “It sounds more difficult than it is—it’s really like adult finger painting,” Weichel says with a laugh. She used Portola Paints Lime Wash, and found it easy to use. “I could not be less of a DIY’er,” she says. “Picking up the paintbrush and trying to do it myself did feel overwhelming at first, but the beauty of the product is that the more movement that exists within it, the more beautiful the results. It’s almost impossible to mess up.”

To select a hue for the guest bathroom, Weichel carefully eyed the existing white oak vanity and travertine floor. “I went with a more neutral, tonal limewash to speak to the organic modern, scandi elements in the space,” she says. No wonder this tactic is all over Instagram right now. “It’s a way to add movement, texture, richness, and depth to the space,” she says. Here, a step-by-step guide on how to limewash walls in a day. 

To limewash paint your walls, you’ll need:

• Primer (Weichel used Portola Limeproof Undercoat Primer)

• 9-inch roller brush for primer 

• 4-inch roller, for more precise areas 

• 4-inch stain brush, for limewash 

• Painters tape 

• Plastic tarp

• Paint tray, for primer 

• Limewash paint

Step 1: Prep the space

Before applying primer, clean walls thoroughly. Then, be sure to “apply painters tape to areas that call for precision and protection,” Weichel says. “I am painting the ceiling and baseboards, but am taping around the light fixtures, vanity, and shower.” Don’t forget to lay down a tarp to protect the floors. Weichel recommends leaving half the tape edge exposed on the baseboards so you can tuck the plastic tarp underneath. And be sure to take down electrical outlet switch plates until the paint job is complete and dry. “It seems annoying now but it’s quicker than removing paint drips later,” she adds.

Step 2: Prime the walls

To ensure the roller brushes don’t have any irksome excess lint that trails into paint, Weichel relies on this pro hack. “Something that I have seen a lot of paint guys do in the past is wrap painter’s tape around the roller brush so that you can remove any debris before applying paint to the wall,” she says. Then apply the primer as you would when prepping for a regular paint job. Let dry. 

Step 3: Apply the first coat

Stir the limewash paint to make sure its pigment is consistent throughout. Dip ¼- to ½-inch of the stain brush directly into the container of paint. “When applying limewash, it is very important that you keep a wet edge because it helps keep the color consistent,” Weichel says. “As the materials start to dry it will lighten and the connection point will be more visible in the end.” For that reason, she recommends that if you want to learn how to limewash walls, start with lighter pigments as darker colors are less forgiving. When you apply the paint, hold the brush at the ‘neck,’ or the metal banding, not the handle. Then use a firm stroke and move material around as far as it will spread.

The product looks much darker when wet. “The movement in your brush strokes are more obvious before it dries—don’t panic!” she says. “It looks like you’ve made a huge mistake, but give it an hour and come back to it.”

While the first coat dries, Weichel suggests wrapping the brush, or roller, in plastic wrap to keep from drying out.

Step 4: Apply the second coat

Take time to watch paint dry…and you’ll be happier with the results. Wait at least two hours, then apply another coat. You’ll be able to tell if it’s dry because the color will lighten significantly. At this point, you’ll be able to see how the organic strokes come through and how much more movement you’d like to add. “It’s all just part of the process,” Weichel notes.