fidobsa

I started a thread on this subject in 2012 and wanted to add a new post but sadly my thread has been closed so I will have to start a new one. Since I moved to Hungary I have discovered that a lot of the paint you can buy for internal walls is not vinyl emulsion and is not washable. I have also found that this type of paint has been used extensively in the past so the existing finish is often also not washable. Such paint was routinely used in UK in the days before modern emulsion paints came on the market and my parents were familiar with the different preparation methods employed at that time. Sadly they are no longer with us so I am unable to ask their advice.

I have now found a useful article on this subject which may be of help to expats whe are re-decorating properties in Hungary:

The Problem with "Distemper" | Patrick Baty – Historical paint consultant

Peter_in_Hungary

The standard interior wall paint in Hungary is a water based emulsion, and yes it is not particularly washable. You can also get a lime based version. Both types will allow walls to breath i.e. will not trap damp in the wall as water vapour can pass through the paint. The lime based version is a bit better for this than the standard type. Tubes of colour paste can be got to mix in for those bored with white.

A lot of the adobe built houses still use an annual / biannual lime wash as the decoration and there are various methods of colouring this if needed

The UK type vinyl emulsion should not be used on the majority on Hungarian houses as it puts a plastic waterproof coat on the wall that whilst washable will trap any moisture in the wall with no way of escape.

John Gilbert

Hi Peter,
Do you know any trade names for the lime based white emulsion please?
I am due to do some painting this winter.
If not, please can you advise on the Hungarian words to look out for?
Regards John

fidobsa

Limewash is mészfestés in Hungarian and you normally buy it in powder form which you mix with water:

Lime paint - Supercalco - Hydrated LimeSupercalco Carmeuse

Peter_in_Hungary

The paint is called
Fresco

and is described as
Bleteri = internal
Mesz = lime
Festék =paint

and can be found in OBI (at least)

Peter_in_Hungary

Most of the 'natives' use lime paste or putty for painting. It is found in the builders merchants (tuzep) and is otherwise used for mixing with sand and cement as a plasticiser when mixing up mortar or render

Most people add a (small) amount of cooking oil or cement to the lime wash as it helps stop the wash dusting off when dry.

wolfi

We've used this lime based finishing too - but only in the garage, the cellar and my workroom. Don't know if it's a good idea in your bedroom or living room.
There we had put up a wallpaper based on glass fibre which is more robust than standard wallpaper re movements, rips etc in the walls of the old house.

fidobsa

Interesting, I use the powdered stuff in mortar and have not seen the putty version in our builders merchants. I have never used it for painting but certainly there are umpteen coats of limewash in the building I use as a tool shed. Slabs of it about a quarter inch thick fall off the walls from time to time!

wolfi

Same here! But oly in especially wet parts - without a real foundation water seeps up from the ground, at least that's how it seems to me.

fidobsa

Yes, I had to underpin one wall of the same building when putting a concrete floor in the next section which is the main barn. No damp course, no foundations and built on sand! At first I was using ordinary mortar for re-pointing the brickwork but it is too rigid and cracks after a year or so, hence the need for substituting some of the cement with lime.

John Gilbert

Many thanks

BEVS

Threads with no new posts during a twelve month period will close automatically

I can open the thread and then merge it with this one if you wish fidobsa.

Let me know.

fidobsa

Thanks BEVS but sometimes merged threads can be a bit confusing. Why are threads closed automatically? It seems like an unhelpful system.

BEVS

A thread only auto closes if the last post becomes a year old. I suppose the thread is then considered dormant or finished as no-one has contributed for a year.

Any closed thread like that can be re-opened upon request.