needed,a whitewash recipe

greenspun.com : LUSENET : Countryside : One Thread

I was supposed to do this last week and forgot but a friend is in need of a recipe for white wash to put on trees. My grandmother used it long ago but I never knew the contents. This person is having problems with bugs on his trees and would like to give this a try.

-- jim phillips (jhphillips@ccrtc.com), July 29, 2001

Answers

Any white latex paint mixed with water will work just as good. usually 1 part paint mixed with 1 to 1 1/2 parts water.

-- TomK (Mich.) (tjk@cac.net), July 29, 2001.

Go down to the "Older Messages" section below these current threads, go into the "Construction" category, do a search (use the "Ctrl" and "F" (for find) keys together, enter the word you want to search for (in this case white)), search and keep searching (find next) until you've reached the end.

Most of what you find will be threads saying "do a search in the older messages". However, there's a lot of recipes for whitewash as well.

-- Don Armstrong (darmst@yahoo.com.au), July 30, 2001.


Go o Recipes

I have several other recipes for whitewash but I'm not at home, will try to find and post them tomorrow.

-- Sojourner (notime4@summer.spam), July 30, 2001.


from fiascofarm.com web site: White wash is very inexpensive to make and is fairly harmless to goats. Goldie, our big LaMancha doe, not known for her brains, actually likes to drink it (though we try not to let her) and many of the goats lick it off the walls. We have never had a goat get sick from white wash, so we don't worry about it. The goats will also wear the wash off when they rub on it, so be prepared to recoat every year or so. But remember, it's not paint, and it's only a barn, so you can really just slop it on.

To make your own white wash, you need lime. There are two kinds of lime you can buy so be sure you get the right kind: hydrated lime, which is pure white. It is also called slake lime, builder's lime, or mason's lime (the old timers at our feed store incorrectly call it “burnt lime”- DO NOT use burnt lime). Hydrated lime is also very caustic, so the bag will have a warning on it. The other kind of lime is light gray and is the kind we use to spread on our barn floor. It is called “ag lime”, “garden lime”, “barn lime” or dolomite. Do not spread hydrated lime on your barn floor. Why do we spread lime on our barn floor? It provides that antibacterial quality, dries out, “sweetens” the floor , and Larry says it makes it easier to clean.

Please, remember that when handling hydrated lime and preparing the white wash not to breathe the dust from the lime and to wear gloves. I learned the hard way about the gloves (I hate wearing gloves). The lime will ravage bare hands. If you do get the wash on your hands it's a good idea to rub your hands with vinegar; the acid in the vinegar counter acts the alkaline in the lime. Larry says a little Bag Balm later helps too. Barn lime on the other hand is not as caustic and you can handle it with your bare hands without worry.

White Wash

Mix in a large bucket, a five gallon paint bucket is ideal:

3 large coffee cans of hydrated lime 1 pound or 1 small coffee can of salt 2 gallons of water When you mix this together, mix a little lime/salt, then a little water, then a little lime, etc. It you just dump it all together it's like stirring boat anchor. You should let the mixture sit over night, but we usually just use it right away and have had no problems. The white wash should be fairly watery, remember it's a wash, not a paint. Give it a stir once and a while as you use it.

To use the white wash, just get a big brush and slop it on. Don't worry about getting it on your clothes, it washes out very easily. It may seem like it's not covering very well as you paint it on, especially on new pine 2x4s, but it will whiten up considerably when it's completely dry, be patient.

In no time at all, you'll have a brighter and fresher environment for you and your goats.

-- bj pepper (pepper.pepper@excite.com), July 31, 2001.


 Ask Annie/renovating
 Whitewash Recipes
 Fias Co Farm/Recipes- whitewash
 - The Virtual Paintstore -
 Re: Whitewash Recipe Needed
 Recipe Page
 F -6705, The Hobby Greenhouse
 http://metalab.unc.edu/intergarden/rural-skill s/rural-skills/homemade/whitewash-making
 PPLH Virtual Tower Tour - Lots To Do
 SB: Whitewash Formulae
 InfoFile Search Results

-- Sojourner (notime4@summer.spam), July 31, 2001.


A note about using salt in white wash - its supposed to make the whitewash last longer, but if you used any metal in your building, it will accelerate the rusting process. Like, say - a tin roof, hardware cloth, nails ...

Just a thought.

-- Sojourner (notime4@summer.spam), July 31, 2001.


Moderation questions? read the FAQ