Started the second coat and have discovered a new level of hard work. I am amazed (again) at the stamina and fortitude of people before telly and cars came along and ruined everything. Here's the method I am using:
3 buckets of sharp sand in the mixer, which needs to be tilted forward a bit so the mix doesn't get stuck to the back of the drum.
Add a bucket of lime and stand back so you don't breathe in the clouds of dust and get a lung full of mischief.
Add 8 litres of water - not "about 8 litres" or render falls off.
Wait until it is all mixed nicely, then stand over the mixer with a handful of hair and tease it in strand by strand. NO CLUMPS or the render will fail. This is a 20 minute job.
Turn off mixer and wait one hour.
Turn on mixer and add just enough water to get a paste. This amount is different every day because lime and life is fickle. Too much water, render falls off. Too little water, render falls off. Wall too wet, render falls off. Wall too dry, render falls off. Air damper than yesterday? Less water needed. Air drier? Bit more water needed. Sand a bit drier than yesterday? A bucket of dry sand has up to 30% more sand in than a bucket with slightly damp sand in it. This means you need more lime. Too much sand, render falls off. Too little, render falls off. Well, not really but you get the idea.
It is a bugger. 4 metres squared done in 6 hours of crying, sweating, cursing and praying.
This is the proper way to do it and it'll get faster when I get my hand in a bit more. Everything worthwhile's hard to begin with.
The Segrada Familiar is cement and the Romans used cement. It just depends upon your application - so says He Who Should Be Obeyed But Very Rarely Is.
ReplyDeleteHair shirt Benn? Oh no you've mixed it in with the lime render, ha, ha.
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