Information on Building Limes
Why Use Lime?
1. Lime Allows Buildings To Breathe
In the search by architects and conservators for building materials sympathetic to traditional construction, lime was found to be one of the most important. One of the reasons lime binders are promoted by the Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings for repairs is because they are vapour permeable and allow buildings to breathe. This reduces the risk of trapped moisture and consequent damage to the building fabric.
What is Lime?
Lime has been used as the principal binder for mortars and plasters for the past 10,000 years. The earliest surviving example dates from around 8000 BC in a floor in Turkey. It was only the introduction of cement in the middle of the 19th century, which led to the decline in the use of lime, culminating in its virtual disappearance by the mid 20th century. Emerging evidence in the 1970s of the damage caused to historic buildings by the use of cement mortars and modern plasters has led to a revival in the use of lime over the past 20 years, not only for conservation but also for new build, see Why Use Lime.
There are two principal types of lime
About us
Who are the Building Limes Forum
The Building Limes Forum was established to encourage expertise and understanding in the use of building limes. BLF was established in the UK in 1992, The Irish regional in 1999, and formally Constituted as the Building Limes Forum Ireland in 2005. is affiliated with BLF UK. It is a voluntary organisation with no commercial ties, the majority being actively concerned with the repair of historic buildings and some in new build. The Building Limes Forum Ireland is based in Ireland, for members in both Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland.
