Lime putty improves over time
and we guarantee ageing and sustainability
There is wine and wine, as there is lime and lime
Oh yes, the same relationship between a common table wine and, making illustrious examples, a Barolo or Brunello di Montalcino, there is also between lime and aged lime putty.
And just like the best wines we offer a DOC lime, “denomination of controlled origin”.
But what is aged lime putty? It is the slaking product of the quicklime with addition of water that creates the so-called “lime milk”, which is then transferred to pits for subsequent maturation, ranging from months to several years.
The material, which must always remain covered by a layer of water, over time undergoes important transformations, at the microscopic level, which determine an improvement in the performance characteristics of the material. The aged lime putty shows faster carbonation times, higher yield, high plasticity and exceptional workability.
The product looks like a paste that, to go back to the “enogastronomical” comparisons, recalls a homemade whipped cream, a tasty mascarpone, a very white yogurt. In this way a high quality product is obtained, which offers various advantages in the formulation of mortars, plasters, marmorino, paintings suitable for restoration and green building.
The ageing of lime
The ancient practice, already mentioned by Pliny the Elder and Vitruvius, to age the lime in ditches dug into the ground remained for centuries a procedure that ensured the user a binder for the building and for the decorative arts with exceptional characteristics. Some months of maturing were recommended for use in masonry mortars, at least 1 year for plastering, up to 6 years for stuccos, wall paintings and frescoes. The lime putty, produced with traditional methods, has been the most important binder in use from Antiquity to the Pre-Industrial Age. In the twentieth century, powdered hydrated lime, a product with significantly inferior performance compared to aged lime putty, has become the standard product for building, both because it is easier to obtain and because of lower marketing costs.
Today the lime putty, especially the aged one, after years of oblivion, returns to impose itself in restoration and green building as a material with exceptional performance characteristics and durability.
OUR TAILORED ADVICE
Working with lime today raises many questions. Whatever the area in which you operate, we are ready to give you answers. All very concrete. We transfer technology and knowledge to designers, artisans and businesses. With a new approach … that of tailored lime.
