Sizing
How much limewash do I need?
One gallon of The White House Blend™ covers about 300 square feet at one coat, or about 140 square feet at two. Two coats is what we recommend on nearly every interior — so the honest number to plan around is 140 square feet per gallon.
Measure the walls, not the floor. That is the mistake that puts people a gallon short. Below is the arithmetic, done for you.
1 gal
$50
300 sq ft · 1 coat
140 sq ft · 2 coats
2 gal
$100
600 sq ft · 1 coat
280 sq ft · 2 coats
3 gal
$150
900 sq ft · 1 coat
420 sq ft · 2 coats
5 gal
$225
1500 sq ft · 1 coat
700 sq ft · 2 coats
Coverage by size
Every size is custom-tinted by hand to your color, with the full application course included.
| Size | Price | One coat | Two coats | Suits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 gallon | $50 | 300 sq ft | 140 sq ft | A feature wall |
| 2 gallons | $100 | 600 sq ft | 280 sq ft | A small room |
| 3 gallons | $150 | 900 sq ft | 420 sq ft | A large room |
| 5 gallons | $225 | 1500 sq ft | 700 sq ft | The full pail |
What actually changes the number
Coverage figures assume painted drywall in reasonable condition. Three things move them.
Porosity. Raw plaster, unsealed brick and lime render pull material in. Expect to use 20–30% more than the table says, which is what the porous-substrate setting above accounts for. Limewash cures by reabsorbing carbon dioxide and turning back into limestone — on a thirsty surface, more of it has to go on before that happens evenly.
Dilution. A sheer first coat is often thinned. That stretches the material across more square feet but lays down less lime per pass, so it rarely reduces the total you need.
Your brush. A proper masonry brush holds and releases far more material than a roller, and lays the crosshatch that gives limewash its movement. It also uses more per square foot than a roller would. That is the finish doing what it is supposed to do.
Questions
How much does one gallon of limewash cover?
One gallon of The White House Blend covers about 300 square feet at one coat, or about 140 square feet at two coats. Two coats is what we recommend on almost every interior, so plan on roughly 140 square feet per gallon unless you are deliberately going for a single sheer wash.
Why is two coats less than half of one coat?
Because the first coat soaks into the substrate and the second sits on top of a surface that has already been sealed by the first. The second coat goes further per square foot than the first, but the pair still uses more material than a single coat plus half again. The 140 figure has that built in, so you are not left short.
Do I need one coat or two?
Two, in almost every case. One coat reads as a sheer wash that lets the substrate show through, which is a legitimate look on brick or old plaster but rarely what people want on drywall. Two coats is where limewash develops the depth and movement it is known for.
Does the substrate change how much I need?
Yes, and it is the single biggest variable. Raw or porous surfaces — new plaster, unsealed brick, lime render — drink material and can push you 20 to 30 percent over the published figures. Previously painted drywall is far less thirsty. If you are going over something porous, size up.
What if I run out partway through?
Order a size up rather than reordering. Every batch is tinted by hand to your color, and while we keep your formula on file, a second batch is a second batch. Limewash is forgiving about a lot of things, but running out halfway across a wall is the one thing that shows.
Can I thin limewash to make it go further?
You can dilute it, and doing so is normal practice for a sheerer first coat. What you cannot do is thin your way out of buying enough material. Dilution changes opacity, not the amount of lime you need on the wall to get a finished look.
Still not sure?
Tell us the surface, the room and the color you are chasing. We will tell you honestly how much material it takes — and whether limewash is even the right answer for that wall.
Who we are
Thirty seconds, then stay for the podcast.
I’m Ben Lynch. I started LimeWash Pros after reading what the EPA had published about the air inside ordinary American houses — and realizing the walls were the problem.
Meet LimeWash Pros
Who we are, what lime does that paint cannot, and why the air inside your house is the reason we do this.
The podcast
11:33From Setback to Limewash Success: Meet Ben Lynch
Why I walked away from conventional paint, what I found in the research on VOCs, and how that turned into LimeWash Pros.
12:10How Modern Paint is Killing You
The VOCs in ordinary latex paint don’t stop off-gassing when the wall dries. What that does to the air in your house.
9:43The Carcinogen On Your Walls
Benzene is a known human carcinogen and it is in the paint on every surface of your home. What the research says.