Conservation & Heritage Issue 50 Winter 2025/Spring 2026 - Flipbook - Page 47
Your responsibility as
custodian of a
heritage property
As custodians of an older building, there is a responsibility to protect the fabric
of that building.
Whatever the scale of your current project - from full scale
renovation to regular maintenance - it makes sense to fully
consider the implications of your paint choices.
While many modern buildings have a cavity wall and damp
course system intended to keep damp at bay, most older
buildings were constructed of natural, breathable materials
such as timber frame or solid masonry walls. This enabled
moisture to permeate through them and evaporate naturally.
The experts at breathable paint company Earthborn, often
see older buildings suffering from damp, blown bricks and
bubbling or peeling paint. These common problems in
older properties can often be attributed to a previously used
incorrect paint or plaster.
Historically, tradesmen used locally available materials,
mixing them on site to create paints such as limewash, casein
paint or distemper. The materials, which included limestone,
milk, gelatine and chalk, were all breathable, enabling
moisture to pass through without causing damage.
Thankfully, identifying these problems are ideal
opportunities to rectify and make a swap for sustainable and
breathable solutions such as Claypaint.
When specifying paint today, an increasing number of owners
and specifiers are turning to Earthborn and their breathable
Claypaint which blends the very best of old and new. Their
technologically advanced approach builds on the wisdom of
centuries’ old techniques to create high performing paints
that are sensitive to the fabric of historic buildings, to the
health of their occupants and to the environment.
The benefits of a breathable paint choice can:
•
Allow the walls to breathe as originally intended
•
Prevent further moisture damage
•
Reduce the need for remedial work in the future
•
Look after the health of the building occupants and the
environment
Their interior and exterior paints combine all-important
breathability with improved performance in terms of
durability, aesthetics and, in the case of exterior paints,
weather resistance.
We’ve probably all seen the damage caused when walls are
suffocated by petroleum derived paints: blown paint, plaster
and render, rotting timbers and condensation problems. It’s
a fact of nature: moisture cannot remain trapped in a wall
forever; it needs an escape route.
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