That’s right, I’m talking about whitewash. Who would think that slaked lime and chalk could make such a lovely paint for walls, ceilings, floors, exteriors, and furniture? And while whitewash can look delicate, it’s actually quite durable due to the fact that it cures through a reaction with carbon dioxide in the atmosphere to form calcium carbonate in the form of calcite – a reaction known as carbonatation. And if that’s not enough to sell you on whitewash, it’s also mildly anti-bacterial and anti-microbial! (Er, though authentic, traditional whitewash will rub off on clothing, so I recommend using a more modern version of the stuff.) Isn’t it pretty?

(Images via: 1,3,4,5,6)

This entry was posted on Monday, April 19th, 2010 at 5:03 am by Christa Terry and is filed under Interiors, Paint and painting. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.