Brick wall near Aurora, IL being scrubbed back to bare red brick

Taking a lime finish back off brick

Aurora Limewash: Limewash Removal in Aurora

Easy in the first week, harder after that, and never as hard as getting paint off.

Aurora and ten towns within 20 miles
Written price before work starts
Licensed, insured local contractors
Historic district rules covered

Aurora Limewash arranges limewash removal for brick and stone around Aurora through local masonry and painting contractors. Some owners change their minds about a colour, some inherit a limewash they do not want, and some have a wash that went on too heavy. How hard it is to take off depends almost entirely on how long it has been on the wall.

Inside its first 5 to 7 days, limewash comes off with water and household vinegar for very little; leave it until it cures and removal is priced like stripping, about $2 to $4 a square foot.

$2 to $4 a square foot once cured

In the first 5 to 7 days, Romabio says its Classico limewash can be removed with a pressure washer or household vinegar, so a fresh mistake costs little to undo. After it cures, removal is priced like paint stripping, which a Chicago-suburb limewash applicator lists at $2 to $4 a square foot. A national cost guide gives $1.50 to $9.50 a square foot for removing exterior coatings from brick.

Get a price: (630) 528-2808

Signs a limewash should come off rather than be adjusted

The colour is wrong for the house, not just a little too strong
The wash went on much heavier than intended and hides the brick entirely
It was applied over paint or sealer and is flaking off
You are selling to a buyer who wants the original brick

The first week is the window

Lime hardens by slowly reacting with carbon dioxide in the air, so for its first days on the wall it is still soft. Romabio rates its Classico limewash as reversible for 5 to 7 days after application. If a test patch or a first wall looks wrong, that is the time to say so, while it can still be washed back with water and a brush.

Adjusting instead of removing

A limewash that is a little too white can often be softened rather than removed: the wall is wetted and the wash is worked back with a brush or a light rinse until more brick shows. Too light is easier still, since another coat can go on. Full removal is for the cases where the colour or the bond is wrong.

Not sure what your brick will take? Describe the house, the brick and the look you want, and get a straight answer on coats, prep and a typical price.

Call (630) 528-2808

Cured limewash

Once cured, limewash is part of the brick surface. It is still breathable and mineral, so it comes off more easily than paint, but it takes scrubbing with masonry cleaners and low-pressure rinsing, sometimes in rounds. Abrasive blasting is as harmful to brick here as it is when removing paint.

Limewash that is failing

A limewash that peels in sheets almost always went onto paint or sealer, where it could not soak in. That kind is the easiest to remove, because it was never bonded. The underlying coating is the real problem, covered on the paint removal page. In historic districts in Batavia and elsewhere, a return to bare brick is still an exterior change, so ask the city before a large removal.

Questions people ask

How much does limewash removal cost?

Very little in the first 5 to 7 days. After it cures, it is priced like stripping, about $2 to $4 a square foot.

What are the signs limewash should be removed rather than adjusted?

The colour is wrong for the house, it hides the brick entirely, or it is flaking off paint or sealer.

How long do I have to wash off limewash I do not like?

Romabio says its Classico limewash is reversible for 5 to 7 days after application.

Is limewash easier to remove than paint?

Yes. It is a breathable mineral finish, not a plastic film, though cured limewash still takes scrubbing.

Can limewash be made lighter without removing it?

Often. Wetting the wall and working the wash back with a brush or a light rinse lets more brick show.

Often done together

Limewash touch-up

The advantage of limewash: when it wears, you add to it rather than strip it.
Brick paint removal

Limewash cannot bond to paint, so on painted brick the job starts here.
Exterior brick limewash

A breathable lime finish over the whole brick exterior, from a faint wash to near-solid white.

Talk it through before anyone opens a bucket

Say what the brick is, whether it has ever been painted or sealed, and how much of it shows from the street. You will hear what the job usually involves, what it tends to cost, and whether your town needs a sign-off first.