• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
Average But Inspired logo - DIY and craft

Average But Inspired

Craft a home you love. DIY and craft tutorials.

  • About
    • Contact Me
    • Disclosures
    • Privacy Policy and Copyright Policy
  • DIY
    • Furniture
  • Crafts
    • Dollar Store Crafts
    • Seasonal
      • Patriotic & Summer
      • Valentine’s Day
      • Easter & Spring
      • Fall & Halloween
      • Christmas & Winter
  • Home Decor
    • Organization
  • Shop
  • Home

DIY Limewash Stone Exterior Makeover

July 1, 2020 by Bre 24 Comments

Earlier this year I totally transformed my 1970s orange rock fireplace with limewash.  Because that project went so well, I decided to try my hand at a DIY limewash stone exterior makeover of the same 1970s orange rock on the outside of our house, too! (This orange rock musta’ been on sale in 1977!) 

You will not believe how easy it is to do a DIY limewash exterior stone makeover! Change the color of your rock or stone with this environmentally-friendly product. It's totally DIY friendly! This blogger limewashed her exterior stone facade in one day.

This limewashed stone project was the first part of our outdoor overhaul (which you can see here!), and was an absolutely PERFECT DIY project that significantly updated my home’s exterior!  Limewashing is definitely the easiest way to change the color of a home’s stone facade or rock facade.

What Supplies Do You Need to Limewash Exterior Stone?

This post contains affiliate links.  To read my full disclosure policy, please click here.

Listed here are all of the supplies I needed to limewash my exterior stone column.  Some of the items I needed may not be required for your job – especially if your stone or rock is low to the ground.  I have noted those items with an asterisk (*) in the list.  The rest of the items are actually quite inexpensive, so this job can be done on a budget.

  • Romabio Classico Limewash (I used two of the one quart containers of the Riposo Beige color to complete my large stone column) (**Limewash comes in many colors.  Make sure to choose a shade that coordinates with your home’s paint colors, roof color, etc.)
  • Masonry brush
  • 3″ Chip brushes
  • Water spray bottle
  • Paint stir sticks
  • Mixing bucket
  • Hose with spray attachment
  • Terry shop towels
  • Drop cloth or tarp
  • *Scaffolding (we rented it from a local rental company for around $180 for a week) or ladder
  • *Extension pole
  • *Lockjaw Tool Holder

How Do You Limewash Stone Outside?

Limewashing exterior surfaces is actually easier than limewashing interior surfaces because you don’t have to be as careful to protect surrounding surfaces (limewash is all natural so it doesn’t harm plants!), and you don’t really have to clean the surface the way you do inside.

Now that you know that, let me show you how it’s done!

Mixing Limewash

Begin by mixing the limewash for the first section of your project.  I mixed one quart at a time to keep the limewash “liquidy” the entire time I was using it. 

Romabio limewash is perfect for DIY limewashing of exterior stone.

I emptied the one quart container of limewash into my mixing bucket, and thinned it with three cups of water.  When mixing your limewash, check to see what dilution ratio you’d like.  The product contains instructions for how much water to add.  I diluted this batch of limewash more than the limewash I mixed for my fireplace makeover, because I wanted to let a little more of the rock show through. 

Limewash mixes with water before application.

I made sure to stir until all the lumps and clumps at the bottom had dissolved.  Once everything’s mixed, it’s time to get to work.

For me, that meant climbing the scaffolding.  I was scared to do this!  When my husband could sense my fear and said (in a nice and caring way) that he didn’t think I was going to be able to do this, I got the jolt I needed and climbed right up.  Once I was up there, I was fine (see – I’m smiling!).

Bre from Average But Inspired limewashed her exterior rock column in one day! Learn how to change the color of your home's rock facade with limewash.

Wetting the Stone or Rock

To start the actual limewashing of the stone, I sprayed a small section of the rock with the garden hose.  As Romabio (the manufacturer) recommends, I worked from top (left to right), on down.

To limewash exterior stone, you must wet the rock first.

Within each section, I used my water spray bottle to re-dampen stones prior to applying limewash, where necessary.  I found that as I got to the end of a section I’d sprayed with the garden hose, the sun had dried up much of the water.  So, the water bottle was a great way to get the stone wet again to accept the limewash, without wetting it too much with the garden hose.  

Spray bottles work great for re-wetting stone during the limewash process.

Applying the Limewash to the Stone

With a small section wet, I began applying the limewash to the stone.  My scaffolding didn’t get me high enough to reach the top left corner of the stone column, so I used my extension pole and brush extender to reach that corner with the masonry brush. 

A pole extender comes in handy when limewashing rock in hard to reach places.

I used the masonry brush to cover the large stone pieces and rocks, and then I got into the grout and crevices with the 3″ chip brushes.  I find the masonry brush too unwieldy to get into the grout, but the chip brushes make this part of the job easy.

Cheap chip brushes are useful for limewashing in between rocks.

Because the sun was pretty hot on the day I was painting, I was wiping off excess limewash pretty soon after applying it to the rock.  I didn’t have to do too much of that, however, because the rock was so crevicey and jagged that a lot of the natural stone was showing through anyway.  The terry towels worked great to cover my bucket of limewash and catch drips, too.

When limewashing exterior stone, work from top to bottom.

I worked section by section, going down the column, making sure to keep the application uniform and to pay attention to parts that were easy to miss, like the sides of rocks and bottom parts of rocks.

Limewash makes a huge difference in the color of exterior rock or stone!

It's totally easy to DIY limewash exterior stone! This project is not as intimidating as it might seem. Learn how Bre from Average But Inspired transformed her stone exterior with limewash in one day.

I finished the entire column in a day of work (about 7 hours, including a lunch break), and saved myself a lot of money by limewashing the exterior stone myself.

Before this house was painted, Bre from Average But Inspired limewashed the orange stone with Romabio Classico Limewash in Riposo Beige.

Admittedly, the Riposo Beige limewash doesn’t look fantastic with the 1970’s brown siding of the house.  I think it’s too stark of a contrast.  It does, however, look FABULOUS with the new color of our house (which you can see in my 1970s exterior makeover post)!  Here’s a teaser to whet your appetite!

This exterior stone column was covered with Romabio Classico Limewash in Riposo Beige.

Why Limewash Exterior Stone Instead of Painting It?

I know you’re probably wondering why I chose to limewash my exterior stone column to change its color instead of painting it or whitewashing it, and I have lots of good answers for you!

First of all, limewashed rock – unlike painted rock or whitewashed rock (whitewash is just thinned down paint) – has a much more natural appearance.  It is ultra matte, just like rocks and stone, and allows the natural patina to show through (where desired).  I did not want a totally polished or covered look that paint would have given, so limewash was the natural choice here!

Next, limewash can be removed within 5 days of application!  So, I knew that if I limewashed the stone column and hated it, I could rent a powerwasher and remove it.  That “insurance policy” is huge, in my opinion!

I also like that the limewash will continue to patina and age with time, unlike paint.  I didn’t want to destroy the rock – just update it to work with our new color scheme – and that is easily accomplished with limewash.

Finally, limewash poses no harm to the environment or surrounding surfaces.  I didn’t have to worry about some of it dripping on the bushes or grass below the stone, because it’s totally natural and non-toxic and washed away as soon as it rained.  It was nice not having to think about any of that!

This limewash finish will last approximately 10-15 years, which is the same as an exterior paint job.  So, I will have to re-do it at some point to maintain the look, but that is the case with any painted finish.

Let me know if you have any questions about the limewashing process at all.  I am such a huge fan of this material and want to sing its praises from the highest mountain!  It is so DIY friendly and makes such an impact at a low price.  It’s amazing.  🙂

You won't believe how easy it is to change the color of exterior stone or rock! See how Bre at Average But Inspired limewashed her exterior stone to go from orange to a pretty, neutral shade!

Make sure to come back in a week or two to check out the entire exterior makeover reveal!

-Bre

Filed Under: DIY

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Mary C. says

    July 16, 2020 at 10:51 am

    Looks great and really updates the exterior so nicely! Does it need a “cure” time to set? We’ve been having a lot of rain in our area lately – would a heavy rain affect the wash if it hadn’t had time to harden?

    Reply
    • Bre says

      July 16, 2020 at 11:45 am

      Hi, Mary – this is such a great question!! According to the manufacturer, you should be good within four hours of application! Apparently limewash hardens or calcifies immediately, so the rain will not remove it after that time period.

  2. ChrisT says

    July 17, 2020 at 12:11 am

    How does it patina with age? More rock showing through? When it’s time to re- limewash it, is the limewash all gone from the rock or just spotty looking? I’m so very curious about this even though I have no rock to work with at the moment. My old house would’ve been perfect for limewashing the brick fireplace inside and out. The new owners did a really ugly solid gloss black paint on the fire brick chimney outside and I’d love to sneak over and do this during the night to bring that beautiful home back to it’s historical roots (built in 1897 – not the age of gloss black paint)

    Reply
    • Bre says

      July 20, 2020 at 1:24 pm

      Hi! Oh gosh – I can envision the glossy black paint and it’s making me cringe!!! Yikes! OK so as for limewash, it tends to get more color with age. For example, when I put it on the rock about a month ago it was stark white almost. But after a week it was already more of a beige color like it shows on the manufacturer’s website. With age it will get even more tones as it fades away and the elements age it. My understanding is that the limewash should last 10-15 years outdoors before recoat is necessary. As for whether it’s all gone or just spotty, I don’t know the answer to that. Sorry!

  3. Gale says

    December 9, 2020 at 5:04 pm

    Hi Bre, Our “70’s” exterior rock on our ranch home is different colors like blue, dark green, dark tan yuk, yuk! We can’t afford to tear it off and replace with brick ( although I’d love to) but wouldn’t mind at all if I could change it to all white! We live in WI so four seasons, rough winters. Would limewash color over these dark colors?! I wouldn’t mind doing several coats. But would like it to look great at least ~5 years without having to constantly retouch. Thanks

    Reply
    • Bre says

      December 10, 2020 at 9:07 am

      Hi, Gale! I’m in WI, too!! SE WI! I hear you about the weather concerns! Romabio, the manufacturer, says it will hold up! They say around 15 years. That’s what I’m hoping for as I don’t want to have to rent that scaffolding again anytime soon. Ha! I think that if you mix the limewash at a thicker consistency (at least 1:1 ratio), you should be able to cover those colors no problem. The beauty of it is that it still looks like natural rock – not like painted rock. So you may have tone variation in there, but that will keep it looking “real” instead of painted. I hope that makes sense! Also, wait until late spring/early summer to tackle this job!! 🙂

Newer Comments »

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Primary Sidebar

Let’s Connect!

Hi, I’m Bre! Thanks for visiting Average But Inspired, where I show you how to work with what you’ve got to create a home you love.

Bre of Average But Inspired - a DIY and craft blog

Love DIY? Subscribe to Get Posts E-mailed!

How Can I Help You?

blank

How to Paint a Door to Look Like Wood (It’s Easier Than You Think!)

blank

Limewash Stone Fireplace Makeover: Bye Bye Orange Stone Fireplace, Hello Neutral Stone Beauty!

blank

10 Dollar Tree Craft Supplies You Need

blank

My DIY Kitchen Makeover Reveal!

Looking for Something?

  • About Average But Inspired
    • Contact Me
    • Disclosures
    • Privacy Policy and Copyright Policy

Copyright © 2013-2022, Bre Eggert (Average But Inspired). All rights reserved.
  • Home
  • DIY
  • Crafts
  • Home Decor
  • Privacy Policy and Copyright Policy
  • Disclosures
  • Contact Me