Lime-washing an Internal Brick Wall

[Androlicus]

Hello,

I'd like to soften the look of the brickwork on an exposed chimney in my office and was considering a lime-wash. The brick and mortar is dusty and crumbly in places and was wondering if there's a way of 'sealing' the brick before or after lime-washing. I know that the lime can be chalky too, so would be keen to reduce this too if poss. I'm sure that the best solution will depend on whether the chimney needs to breathe or not. Thanks in advance.

 

[Nige F]

In my opinion you don`t want to seal the brickwork before or after limewash - but it should allow the bricks to breathe - and it`ll rub off on your clothes if it`s anything like the stuff my Grandfather used to put on the privy walls ( in their Victorian house near Buxted )

 

[Androlicus]

Thanks for that. Am I right in guessing there's no way to seal crumbly/dusty bricks if the structure needs to breathe? I heard of various of suggestions for sealing internal brickwork, from watered down pva to varnish diluted with white spirit, but I imagine these aren't breathable.

What about mixing lime with a tiny amount of cement? Could that work?