whitewashing!

this week, for $10, I whitewashed (aka lime washed) our entire house. I'm wondering why anyone ever paints brick. this ancient technique has been used to disinfect and brighten all sorts of surfaces, and is still widely seen in europe. perhaps the best thing about it is that it fades softly over time instead of peeling. we wanted that aged look so I simply applied a watered down version. I mixed one cup of hydrated lime powder to 8 cups water and started slapping the mixture on the house with a masonry brush. we couldn't be happier with the results! anything that softens the hard 50's facade and brings us closer to the warm cottage aesthetic we love is a good thing. the whole process took about 4 hours.