Lime based putty

Lime based putty

Vitruvio Pollone, Roman architect and engineer from Ist century B.C., contemporary of Caesar and Cicerone, in his books 'The best ten in architecture' (book VII, third chapter) talking about eaves writes:

«...you don't have to mix with gypsum, but make them all of the same quality, which is marble powder...»

And talking about walls:

«those that are well coated either with plaster and with putty, and of a tight wideness, smoothed twice, not only become sharp, but also clearly represent to observers the pictures painted on...»

«Greek stucco workers make their work harden, not only because they use the mentioned rules, but also because they make a bunch of men pound with poles the slaked lime in the ditch, where they already melted the lime with sand, and they wouldn't use it if not so well handled»

Again Vitruvio in the book VII chapter four describes the preparation of faux finishing (or marmorino, which is putty prepared with white marble powder and slaked lime):

«Not in every country it is possible to find the same marble quality: in certain places indeed arise certain plates similar to those of salt with little clear parts, and these, crushed and grinded, have wide utilization for plasters and frames. In those places where it is not possible to find these, they use to crush in iron mortars those little parts we call splinters, that fall while working marbles, and they sieve them which is to sort them out with jigs. When sieved, three kinds come out: the most grany one fits, as said above, with slaked lime for first plaster, the second one for second plaster, and the third for the tiny powder. When these layers have been made and smoothed with care, it's time for colors.»