Lime Prime is America's best (AND SAFEST) paint after flooding and preventing moldy surfaces. This low odor, mineral based, zero-voc product dries fast and is the best way to let surfaces dry out safely. Whether you're doing Disaster Relief, remodelling a musty basement, repairing flood damage, protecting wood frame construction, or simply want to coat your walls and protect your family, Lime Prime is the best way to go.
Lou Manfredini showed Lime Prime to Kathie Lee and Hoda on the TODAY SHOW a while back and we couldn't be more proud. As a family business, the health and well being of your friends and loved ones is our number one priority. If we wouldn't use it in our homes, we don't sell it! Thanks to NBC for spreading the word!
Recommended for: Drywall, Concrete and Wood. Recommended Spread Rate: 250-300 sq ft / gal.
ZERO VOC LIME PRIME - Covers mold stains and resists deterioration by mold.
We have taken a 10,000 year old technology and engineered it to be safely applied directly over high moisture content, Mold and Mildew stained surfaces. This product uses the power of lime to penetrate and saturate the porous cell structure of wood, drywall and concrete matrix. Lime Prime has endured the test of time in all regions of the USA and works naturally to keep coated surfaces clean. We've seen exposed areas stay clean for well over 7 years. Enclosed areas like wall cavities remain effective indefinitely.
This is not a latex paint loaded with excessive chemical biocides and called a mold killing paint. Nor is it a basic Lime Wash. It is an Earth derived advanced inorganic mineral technology. Lime Prime is engineered for use where conventional coatings fall short and health concerns are primary.
Avoiding a Mold Atrium - Paint that seals in water vapor will trap moisture if it's below the surface. This leads to rot and feeds mold. After a hurricane, flood or water damage, the surface appears dry first. Stress is high, people need housing fast! Grabbing the first latex mold killing paint, people quickly paint and often trap water below the surface. Often they start smelling moldy rot a few weeks or months later from the Mold Atrium that was created. Lime Prime doesn't do this.
In the 80's and 90's we relied more on latex resins and chemical fungicides to kill mold but found there are drawbacks to this after hurricanes and floods. Serious flood damage requires a strong and breathable coating that can penetrate. Many latex chemical based mold coatings are not meant for porous, soaked surfaces. They can have a hard time allowing substrates to breath and allow wood to dry out properly. We see Chemical Fungicides work well on hard, non porous surfaces but may lose efficacy as liquids drop into a moldy moist substrate. This creates perfect underpinnings for Rot and Mold called a Mold Atrium. Lime Prime does not create a Mold Atrium.
Dead Mold Spores in the Air are Dangerous:
According to the EPA, "Inhaling or touching mold or mold spores may cause allergic reactions in sensitive individuals. Mold does not have to be alive to cause an allergic reaction. Dead or alive, mold can cause allergic reactions in some people." - EPA MOLD COURSE
Spraying bleach or something to kill mold might be ok in some instances but it doesn't encapsulate the dead spores. That is a health risk. Handing out a 1000 sponges and cleaner after a hurricane is also a dangerous thing to do. Many people get sick from mold spores, even when cleaning or killing mold. Precautions must be taken on a case by case basis. Professional advice is highly recommended.
Proper Encapsulation: Covering flood damaged surfaces requires specific criteria be met. Lime Prime encapsulates the coated surface, does not leave dead mold spores laying around to be blown off into the air. It is strong enough to work deeply on porous surfaces (the majority of flood damaged areas are wood, drywall, concrete). We firmly encapsulate these surfaces within Lime Prime, a non flammable, mineral shield that saturates wood fiber cells and pozzolanically reacts with concrete and gypsum. Encapsulated Substrates dry out properly and in 30-60 days are ready for follow up after a flood.
Continuous Air Barrier, ASHRAE Standard 90.1, Sect. 5.4.3.1 - Fluid Applied Weather Resistant Barrier: Lime Prime is sprayed with two coats of Lime Seal to create a waterproof, air barrier on the building envelope. This assists in creating a Continuous Air Barrier for the entire Building Envelope. This barrier is required in the ANSI/ASHRAE/IES Standard 90.1, Sect. 5.4.3.1 Continuous Air Barrier Except Low Rise Residential Buildings. Spraying Lime Prime and Lime Seal saves time and money by minimizing the time required for caulking, taping, flashing and void fill. It also provides a solid bed for any caulking that is required. This provides invaluable backup if flooding ever occurs later, since, if caulk fails, the coated surfaces is left intact.
SCAQMD Rule 1113 VOC Compliant: Builders may choose VOC compliant coatings with ASHRAE 90.1 Continuous Air Barrier. These builders offer a fortress with non flammable, mold resistant, permanent weather barrier protection. This helps prepare for future hurricanes and weather. Lime Prime and Lime Seal both have lower VOC than is required in SCAQMD Rule 1113 VOC Regulations for Building Envelope Coatings. This means these homes have excellent Indoor Air Quality and Protection fortified within the walls.
Wall Cavities and Framing on New Construction: As a precautionary step, Builders set aside a day to spray the Wall Cavities and Building Frame with Lime Prime. This is quickly done before windows and drywall gets hung. Simple, easy and effective especially in Flood Prone / Hurricane areas. Wooden and concrete frames exposed to humid weather tend to have significant mold spores during construction. Sheathing, insulation and drywall often hide this potential mold problem. By spraying Lime Prime it creates a weather barrier protection on the surface that will remain inside the walls for a lifetime. Topcoat with two coats of Lime Seal if a vapor barrier is required (not typically needed on interior wall cavities).
Lime has been used for at least 10,000 years to kill mold but a typical lime wash has disadvantages. Dangerous chemicals have historically been used to compensate for some of these disadvantages. There is a better way. Instead of forcing chemical solutions for natural problems, we find nature has provided better solutions. Lime Prime is the result! We believe inorganic technology is the way of the future. Lime Prime is an amazing primer for the whole house and the best thing we've ever seen for mold clean up projects. No ethylene glycol!
RECOMMENDED FOR: Drywall, Concrete and Wood.
LIME PRIME HAS BEEN INTERNATIONALLY TRUSTED ON PROJECTS INCLUDING: Mold Abatement and Remediation Projects, Custom Home Building Frames and Wall Cavities, Flood Damage Restoration, Disaster Relief, Beachfront Buildings, Offshore Oil Rigs, Industrial Manufacturing Facilities, Military Bases & Barracks, Underground Facilities, University Projects, Government Mold / Mildew Clean Up Projects, Residential-Commercial Drywall (front and back), Musty Basements, School Walls & Ceilings, Hospital / Medical Centers, Surgery Centers, Crawl Spaces, Attics, Blue Stained Wood, Winery Vats-Cellars and Storage Rooms, Museum Storage Facilities (Precious Art Long Term Storage Vaults), Antiques Storage Rooms, Yurt Fabrics, Indoor Pool Areas, Yacht Interior and Hull Protection, Commercial Flood Zone Buildings, Commercial Property Management, Low Income Flood Clean Up Projects, Musty Odor Rental Properties...
Basically, anyplace you can imagine water and mold issues, our customers have found a use for Lime Prime. For professional advice on a specific project, please use The Ask Earthpaint tool or Contact Us and we can help develop the right finish schedule for your project.
THEORETICAL COVERAGE:
Smooth Surfaces: 250-350 Sq Ft. / Gallon (such as painted drywall.)
Rough Surfaces: 100-250 Sq Ft. / Gallon (such as uncoated concrete block).
Moist Flood Damaged Buildings: 300 sq ft recommended spread rate. Apply one coat which will allow the substrate to dry out safely. Follow up in 30-60 days as needed.
WALL CAVITIES AND BUILDING FRAME [$0.20 cents sq ft] : Approx 275 Sq Ft. / Gallon. Dilute 1.25 Gallon water per Five Gallon Pail ( = 1718 sqft / 6 gallons). Est. Cost: $0.17 to $0.20 cents Per Square Foot.
STIR: Stir with a drill mixer until creamy. Lime Prime is normally very easy to mix but Lime can thicken sometimes in the can. It always mixes up into a nice creamy consistency with a good mixing. A stirrer stick or whisk can also be used but takes longer. Pouring the product back and forth into an empty container is another way of mixing. Of these methods a simple paint mixer attachment on a drill is the easiest.
Prep: Cover areas not to be coated. Avoid painting copper pipes (sweating, condensation). Avoid painting electric wires (readability for electricians). Follow instructions in Technical Data Sheet, Safety Data Sheet and product Label.
APPLICATION: Brush, roll or spray. Apply one coat for most areas. Apply two coats for severe areas.
DILUTION: None necessary. If spraying dilute up to 4:1 ratio by adding 1/2 to 1 Gallon of water to 4 Gallons Lime Prime as needed. Gallons can be diluted 1/2 to 1 quart of water per gallon as needed. 4:1 is a good ratio for spraying Wall Cavities and Frames.
CLEAN UP: Straight Water or 10% Earth Clean and water.
ODOR: Low. Lime Prime has been found to eliminate musty odors in some of the most severe cases. Sample Pints are recommended for testing in advance.
TECHNICAL DATA SHEET
SAFETY DATA SHEET
PRODUCT WEB PAGE
UNCOATED: Lime Prime is a breathable, non flammable, inorganic, mineral primer. There are scenarios where these inherent properties are highly beneficial. These scenarios are briefly described below. Always test first if you intend to leave Lime Prime uncoated in a living area where the appearance is important. Ceilings, especially popcorn ceilings are frequently coated with two coats of Lime Prime and the flat Lime usually looks good on these surfaces. But most decorative walls receive a tinted topcoat over Lime Prime.
TOP COATING: Most quality acrylic paints can be used to topcoat Lime Prime. We recommend testing different top coats in advance to insure compatibility. Lime Seal is the best topcoat. Lime Prime has been coated with all sorts of paints over the years. Most often acrylic based contractor paints, especially on large commercial projects. All the paint we have tried work well but we can't test them all. It's best to test other paints first to insure compatibility. Lime Seal works synergistically with Lime Prime so this is the best topcoat for important projects, particularly if it is a demanding exterior surface or an area that needs to be waterproof, scrubbable and mold resistant long term.
Breathable Primer: Lime Prime x 1 or 2 coats. In areas with severe persistent external moisture infiltrations such as leaky basements, flood zones etc. it may be best to use two coats and leave Lime Prime uncoated. This leaves a breathable surface that won't trap moisture and is easy to keep clean and maintain as needed.
Waterproof Top Coat: In dry areas without persistent external moisture infiltrations such as bathrooms, pool areas, shower rooms... Spaces that do not have exterior water, rain or moisture infiltrating from the behind the wall can be topcoated without risk of trapping water / moisture inside the wall (Mold Atrium). We apply Lime Prime and Lime Seal x 2 coats for these dried spaces.
Flooded, Moldy, Water Logged Surfaces: Some areas have had severe moisture / mold issues a long time. Water and mold may have been infiltrating into the substrate for many years. In a flood situation we prime as soon as the water recedes and then follow up. Some areas are just long term problem areas. Once these areas are well dried and prepped, it is best to apply two coats of Lime Prime and 2 coats of Lime Seal. This provides superior surface film protection both against the substrate and against the exterior elements. IF the substrate cannot be dried and prepped well, then follow the Breathable Primer instructions above.
Slimy Surfaces: Concrete or drywall should be cleaned if slimy. Raw wood tends to get slimy if soaked for long and is hard to clean. The wood fiber cell gets saturated with moisture and fails. Washing it doesn't always stop the slimy feel from failed wood fibers. To be done properly this should be scrubbed, dried, and sanded down to fresh bare wood. Practically nobody does this after a flood. It's the right way but moving is often more important.
Drying slimy areas off with a towel and painting with Lime Prime is a good way to safely buy some time for that wood to dry out. It may need to be sanded down later, touched up, topcoated or in some cases replaced. This can be determined in Follow Up 30-60 days after it has dried out or it can be replaced immediately if professional repairs can be done promptly (ideal). Lime Prime simply offers a safe way to encapsulate these areas without causing them to rot, to that people can occupy the space without being directly in contact with those slimy areas.
BREATHABLE OR WATERPROOF? Don't Create a Mold Atrium: When considering top coating it can help to consider how much breath-ability is desired on the surface. One of Lime Prime's great strengths is that it is breathable. It won't trap moisture. Sometimes this is exactly what is needed. On other projects a vapor barrier is the best choice. We can help you make this choice on a project by project basis.
The Basic Rule of Thumb:
a) Breathable: If persistent moisture infiltration is expected into the substrate from the exterior, apply breathable Lime Prime.
b.) Waterproof: If persistent moisture infiltration is expected into the substrate from the interior, apply Lime Prime and waterproof Lime Seal x 2 coats.
Take a Basement for an example.
a.) If the foundation leaks and rain infiltrates from the exterior, it's best to keep basement walls breathable and not trap water inside walls.
b.) If the foundation is dry, the rain water is diverted and the outer foundation is waterproofed but there is a pool inside the basement, then inside of the basement could be made waterproof with Lime Prime and Lime Seal x 2 coats.
A few general guidelines are:
1. FULL BREATH-ABILITY: Flood damaged basements, crawl spaces, attics and other such areas usually get one or two coats of Lime Prime and no top coat. Most often these areas have Lime Prime sprayed directly over the mold stains. This is especially true if persistent moisture infiltration is expected.
For instance, an attic has wet beams and joists installed with mold growing inside of it (very common). The wood gets sprayed with Lime Prime and allowed to dry out with proper attic ventilation. Once dry the wood is touched up if needed where the moisture has safely escaped and waterproofed with Lime Seal if the beams are fully dried out.
2. WATERPROOF VAPOR BARRIER: Mold infested walls with constant moisture exposure infiltrating from inside the building can colonize mold spores. In this case Lime Prime is coated with Lime Seal x 2 coats. This waterproofs the room and helps keep the wall dry by preventing moisture infiltrating from inside the building and provides an easy way to clean debris, dust... that could be food sources for mold.
For example, a poorly ventilated bathroom:
There is no moisture coming from the exterior of the house. It is all coming from the interior of the house. The bathroom. The shower causes steam which carries organic debris and deposits on the surfaces which all get wet. In this scenario, minerals in Lime Prime and Lime Seal x 2 coats will work synergistically as a barrier. The coating will block the water from entering the walls. Organic debris can be washed off the surface with Earth Clean and kept in good condition indefinitely.
Cleaning: We use Earth Clean to clean surfaces. It has many advantages over bleach but is much more pleasant to use. Cleaning is a vital step in preventing mold growth. In areas where these things accumulate frequently, it is important to remove the food source for mold. The reason is that, even if mold spores die on the coated surface, they are crafty buggers and will actually build a bridge above the surface to colonize upon. The bridge forms and expands out as more moisture and organic debris is deposited. So, having a way to keep the surface clean in certain areas that will get constant debris and moisture exposure has proven invaluable when trying to prevent mold growth.
3. SEMI BREATHABLE: Sometimes Lime Prime is applied directly over mold stains and one coat of Lime Seal is applied as the top coat. This remains semi breathable and some of the Lime Prime qualities are able to remain in effect. Moisture vapor can pass through to some extent but if it rains or you sprayed the wall with a hose the coated surface would remain protected and fairly dry. If a small amount of moisture vapors were trapped inside the wall cavity, they have a good chance to pass through slowly without causing peeling or rot internally. Ideally, wall cavities and building frame would be sprayed with Lime Prime and properly ventilated before drywall is hung.
PAINTING LIME PRIME OVER EXISTING PAINT: It is best to try a test area first to insure compatibility. Lime Prime coats latex paints well and we have not had any issues reported for this use. It bonds to some oil based paints but there are too many varieties to say it is safe to coat all oil based paints. Test first. Scuff the surface with sandpaper to provide tooth, wash with Earth Clean and apply a test area. Testing first will reveal if Lime Prime is compatible with the existing coating. Sometimes it takes a little extra consideration to find the best approach.
Email Support or use the ASK EARTHPAINT tool for project specific advice.
