Other uses of air lime

Another use of lime is in "grout" to whitewash (paint) the walls and in some cases the ceilings with a broad brush. This painting has, like plastering, plastering, etc. of slaked aerial lime, a bioclimatic behavior in hot countries, due to its white color, which prevents solar radiation from heating the mass of the wall. To maintain these properties, it must be whitewashed again every year, usually in spring.

It is used in construction with rammed earth to stabilize the layers.

It can also be used to create dirt roads by stabilizing it while draining.

It can also be used to disinfect surfaces such as walls or prevent pests in trees by painting the surface of its trunk with whitewash. The paintings of numerous churches disappeared over the centuries under layers of lime that were put on during epidemics.

Lime slaking

Quicklime is calcium oxide (CaO). Upon contact with water, it reacts, reaching a temperature of 90 °C, so you must take care of the container in which it is made: it should only be made in metal or certain plastic containers. During this process and afterwards, lime becomes caustic and can cause very serious chemical burns.

The lime that comes out of the kiln where it was manufactured is always alive, it has a large amount of calcium oxide and must be extinguished or killed. Both the air and the hydraulic come out alive and therefore you have to turn off both types of lime, the air and the hydraulic, although the way of turning off is different.

The usual use of lime is therefore already slaked in the form of calcium hydroxide, the format in which it is usually acquired for construction.

When any amount of lime is slaked, it could be stored in a "raft" or "rot" for years, allowing it to continue slaking and maturing. The minimum period to be used is six months; The more years it spends at rest, the better its behavior will be later, carbonating optimally when used in renders, stuccos or mortars. Of course, not all lime quarries offer the same quality of product and the higher the percentage of carbonate a lime has, the better quality the slaked lime will be, which is calcium hydroxide (Ca(OH)), the ideal ones being those that are close to the composition of marble (calcium carbonate, CaCO).

During this maturation, however long it lasts, it remains caustic and any organic element that falls into the "raft" will end up disappearing devoured by the lime.

In ancient times, when the construction of a monument (cathedrals, palaces, etc.) began, pools of lime were prepared, since it was the last element that was used in large quantities and since construction was very slow, in some cases lasting more than a century, the lime was maturing for when it was needed. The ancient lime makers said that the ideal lime was one that had been resting for at least thirty years and they called it "girl" while they called lime that was between twenty and thirty years old "boy."

Until a little over a century ago, or a century and a half, depending on the area of ​​Spain, when someone had a child, a raft of lime was prepared for when he had to start building his house.

Other uses of air lime

Another use of lime is in "grout" to whitewash (paint) the walls and in some cases the ceilings with a broad brush. This painting has, like plastering, plastering, etc. of slaked aerial lime, a bioclimatic behavior in hot countries, due to its white color, which prevents solar radiation from heating the mass of the wall. To maintain these properties, it must be whitewashed again every year, usually in spring.

It is used in construction with rammed earth to stabilize the layers.

It can also be used to create dirt roads by stabilizing it while draining.

It can also be used to disinfect surfaces such as walls or prevent pests in trees by painting the surface of its trunk with whitewash. The paintings of numerous churches disappeared over the centuries under layers of lime that were put on during epidemics.

Lime slaking

Quicklime is calcium oxide (CaO). Upon contact with water, it reacts, reaching a temperature of 90 °C, so you must take care of the container in which it is made: it should only be made in metal or certain plastic containers. During this process and afterwards, lime becomes caustic and can cause very serious chemical burns.

The lime that comes out of the kiln where it was manufactured is always alive, it has a large amount of calcium oxide and must be extinguished or killed. Both the air and the hydraulic come out alive and therefore you have to turn off both types of lime, the air and the hydraulic, although the way of turning off is different.

The usual use of lime is therefore already slaked in the form of calcium hydroxide, the format in which it is usually acquired for construction.

When any amount of lime is slaked, it could be stored in a "raft" or "rot" for years, allowing it to continue slaking and maturing. The minimum period to be used is six months; The more years it spends at rest, the better its behavior will be later, carbonating optimally when used in renders, stuccos or mortars. Of course, not all lime quarries offer the same quality of product and the higher the percentage of carbonate a lime has, the better quality the slaked lime will be, which is calcium hydroxide (Ca(OH)), the ideal ones being those that are close to the composition of marble (calcium carbonate, CaCO).

During this maturation, however long it lasts, it remains caustic and any organic element that falls into the "raft" will end up disappearing devoured by the lime.

In ancient times, when the construction of a monument (cathedrals, palaces, etc.) began, pools of lime were prepared, since it was the last element that was used in large quantities and since construction was very slow, in some cases lasting more than a century, the lime was maturing for when it was needed. The ancient lime makers said that the ideal lime was one that had been resting for at least thirty years and they called it "girl" while they called lime that was between twenty and thirty years old "boy."

Until a little over a century ago, or a century and a half, depending on the area of ​​Spain, when someone had a child, a raft of lime was prepared for when he had to start building his house.