Lime
plasters have a history that spans thousands of years. The fact that lime
plasters, renders, stuccos, and washes have lasted to this day gives
building lime a track record that is unmatched today. Because lime
cures over a long period of time it is an ideal medium for long term
repairs. That being said, maintenance is not to be forgotten. On exteriors
the outer most layer must be considered a sacrificial layer. That would mean
regular lime washes or treatment with limewater.
In an interior
repair context, the important factor is material and building systems
compatibility. This makes a bigger difference the more extreme or aggressive
the environment. If the interior of the building has large range of humidity
or temperature swings the compatibility issue becomes more critical.
In-kind
replacements are considered the appropriate method of repair, the repair
should be softer than the historic fabric so any loss that occurs, occurs
from the repair not in the original fabric.
Building
lime, specifically limestone burned in a kiln to form quicklime, CaO, then hydrated to form
Ca(OH)2, or lime putty and then allowed to cure by
exposure to (atmospheric) CO2 to form CaCO3. This is
used to fabricate lime plasters, mortars, and washes.
Historically
lime was used to plaster floors at least as early as 9,000B.C. It was used
in Imperial Rome, 13thCentury
England, 11th
Century Mayan Cities, Japan, Germany, Colonial America and I'm sure other
places I have not mentioned.