Tadelakt Winter

A brief trip home to London is now being followed by a winter in Antwerp, Belgium. I have only been here a few days and I've already had a lot of chips and mayonnaise but so far no beer.. I'm hoping to come away from here in the Spring proficient in several forms of lime plastering including the Moroccan Tadelakt, able to make my own lime washes and mix pigments to create original colours for plasters and lime paints. I'm also looking forward to getting some real experience in a construction company which works only in natural materials.

Today was my first day working for Saskia Heirwegh at TadelaktLeem. Yesterday the bus from England was long and tiring and I woke up this morning feeling worried that I wouldn't be able to match my boss's energy. She works long hours and I know she has the stamina of an ox! Happily the sun was shining and I was eased in gently with a couple of quick errands to make small repairs in houses where the drying of the lime has allowed hairline superficial cracks to appear in the shower cubicle.

I rubbed them with a soap solution and a sponge which will soak in and 'feed' the lime plaster and we will go back next week on our way past to add a wax layer. I learnt that the wax layer is not strictly necessary but in houses where people use a lot of chemical toiletries it gives additional protection to the lime. Also it gives a beautiful shiny finish.

We spent the rest of the day in the studio. This is my idea of heaven! I was shown how to mix the lime into plaster and then allowed to practise with pigments and techniques for polishing on sample boards until my arms ached and my face was covered in blue and yellow smudges! Also there were 2 puppies running about, a lovely wood burning rocket stove and a cake. Perfect!

There are lots of pigments to choose from in the studio and it was hard to decide. In the end I aimed for a midnight blue made with a mix of bright almost turquoise 'Mexican Blue' and black.  I think it came out pretty well but the final colour will only be seen after the lime has completely dried. On a big wall that can take years but on my sample board in a warm studio it should be a pretty true colour within the week.

 This plaster is a bit wet for use on a vertical wall but perfect for the sample boards..

There are lots of stages of drying and rubbing with a wooden float and leaving it and rubbing it a bit more but once it is dry enough you can polish it with an agate stone- easy on a sample board, a lot of work for a whole bathroom- essential to give the tadelakt its luminescence.

 A bit more polishing with a plastic thing I've only ever used for pastry before...

Talking of pastry..no one will notice this sneaky sliver..

I'll have to go back in a few days to polish with a new layer of soap and then a wax layer once the lime has dried a bit more but now it's time for another piece of cake and bed..