Limewash in Dubai
The oldest wall finish still in use, and the most affordable way into a real mineral surface. AED 105 to 160 per square metre, minimum project value AED 12,000.
Limewash is slaked lime, thinned and brushed onto the wall in loose washes. It dries chalky and matte, with soft cloudy variation where the strokes overlap, and it moves with the light in a way flat paint never does. It is the least expensive finish we offer and it is still a genuine lime finish, not a textured paint pretending to be one.
What Is Limewash?
Limewash is slaked lime thinned with water and coloured with mineral pigment. It is applied in thin washes with a brush rather than trowelled, which is why the surface reads as soft cloud rather than the tight movement of marmorino.
It does not dry in the way paint dries. It cures by reacting with carbon dioxide in the air, gradually turning back into calcium carbonate, which is the mineral it was quarried as. That reaction continues for years and the wall keeps hardening long after we leave.
Limewash vs marmorino: what is the difference?
Same binder, different build. Both are slaked lime.
Marmorino carries crushed marble, goes on by trowel in thicker coats, and can be burnished to a sheen. Limewash is thinner, brushed, and stays matte.
Marmorino gives you tight tonal movement and depth; limewash gives you soft chalky clouding. Marmorino runs AED 130 to 220 per m², limewash AED 105 to 160.
How We Apply It
Layer 1 — Primer The substrate is surveyed, made good and primed with a primer matched to the surface. Limewash is unforgiving of a poorly prepared or unevenly absorbent wall, because the wash is thin enough to show everything underneath it.
Layers 2 and 3 — Two to three wash coats Brushed on in loose crossing strokes, two coats as standard and a third where the colour or the substrate calls for it. The cloudy variation is created here by how the strokes are laid and overlapped, which is why two applicators produce two different walls from the same bucket.
Optional — Two coats of breathable sealer Where you have chosen a sealed finish. Vapour permeable, so the wall still breathes.
Curing The surface is touch-dry quickly, but limewash does not finish the way paint finishes. The lime keeps reacting with the air and hardening for weeks after we leave, and the wall is at its most vulnerable in the first few days. We ask you to treat it gently for five days. After that it is in normal service, and it carries on hardening quietly for years.
Where Limewash Belongs
Suitable for
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Bedrooms, living rooms and hallways
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Ceilings, where its matte finish kills glare
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Feature walls and full-room treatments
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Majlis and reception spaces
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Kitchen walls away from the hob and the sink
Not suitable for
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Shower enclosures, wet rooms and splash zones
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Directly behind a hob, or any splash zone at a sink
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Any surface in direct or standing water
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Floors and trafficked horizontal surfaces
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Exterior walls and facades. Limewash is a traditional exterior material and plenty of suppliers will sell it to you for a facade. We apply it indoors only, because a UAE summer on a west-facing wall is a harder test than we are willing to put a thin lime wash through. For an exterior wall we specify marmorino, which has the body to take it.
What Limewash Costs in Dubai
AED 105 to 160 per square metre, supplied and installed.
Where you land in that range is mostly about scale: the lower end applies to projects above ~300 square metres, the upper end to a single room. That is materials, labour and preparation, and it is well under what most of this market charges for the same finish.
What moves the number
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Total wall area
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Substrate condition and how much making good is needed
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Sealed or raw, since sealing adds two coats of labour and material
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Access, height, and whether the space is live or under fit-out
AED 12,000 minimum project value. Mobilising a crew, opening materials and setting up a site costs the same whether the wall is four metres or forty. Below a certain size we would be charging you for our setup rather than for your wall.
What that means in practice. AED 12,000 covers around 75 square metres of limewash. Most single rooms are well under that, so if you are considering one wall you will pay the minimum either way and could finish the whole room for the same money. Worth knowing before you decide rather than after.
Why it is our most affordable finish
Limewash is thin and it goes on fast. There is no marble body to build up and no burnishing. The material is the same premium Italian lime we use elsewhere; what changes is how long someone stands in front of the wall. Across our whole range, price tracks hand labour rather than material grade.Closing line Every quote is measured, itemised and fixed.
Living With a Limewash Wall
Sealed
Dust it, wipe marks with a soft damp cloth, pH neutral products only. No abrasives, no solvents. Treat it like any good wall finish.
Raw
The same, but gentler, and accept that it will pick up marks over time.
Refreshing a limewash wall
This is limewash's real advantage and almost nobody in this market mentions it.
A tired or marked limewash wall does not need stripping and redoing. A fresh wash coat goes straight over the existing surface and blends into it, because it is the same material carbonating into the same substrate. There is no patch line, which is exactly what you would get touching up paint.
We quote refresh work case by case, since it depends on area, condition and whether the wall was sealed. It is a fraction of the cost of the original application, and it is the reason a limewash wall can stay looking right for decades rather than needing a repaint every few years.
FAQ's
Does limewash chalk or rub off? Raw limewash chalks lightly, particularly in the first year, and will mark in a high-traffic space. Sealed limewash does not. We offer both and will recommend one based on where the wall is.
How much does limewash cost in Dubai? AED 105 to 160 per square metre supplied and installed, depending on area, substrate and whether you choose a sealed or raw finish. All projects are subject to a minimum value of AED 12,000, which covers around 75 square metres at the standard rate
Is limewash the same as textured paint? No. Limewash is real slaked lime that cures by reacting with air and reverts to limestone over time. Textured paint is a decorative paint that creates an effect. Limewash breathes; most textured paints do not.
What is the difference between limewash and marmorino? Same binder, different build. Marmorino carries crushed marble, is trowelled in thicker coats and can be burnished to a sheen. Limewash is thinner, brushed, and stays matte. Marmorino gives tight tonal movement; limewash gives soft clouding.
Can limewash be used in a bathroom? Not in wet areas. It is not waterproof and we do not apply it in showers, wet rooms or splash zones. A dry bathroom wall away from water is fine.
Is limewash breathable? Yes, and it is the most breathable finish we offer. Raw, it is completely open. Sealed, we use vapour-permeable sealers so it still breathes.
Can limewash go over existing paint? Subject to survey and the right primer, usually yes. Limewash is thin, so it shows everything underneath it, which makes preparation more important here than with any other finish we apply.
Can it be touched up or refreshed later? Yes, and it is one of limewash's real advantages. A fresh wash coat goes over the existing surface and blends into it rather than sitting on top as a visible patch, because it is the same material curing into the same wall. We quote refresh work case by case and it costs a fraction of the original application.
Can limewash go on an exterior wall? Traditionally yes, and we still say no. Limewash has been used on facades for centuries in milder climates, but a thin lime wash on a west-facing wall through a UAE summer is a harder test than we are willing to put it through. For exterior walls we specify marmorino, which has the body to handle it.