Lime plaster.
Modern skim.
Heritage finish.

Lime plaster is plaster made with lime (calcium hydroxide) instead of modern gypsum. It's been used for thousands of years and it's what most of Edinburgh's tenements, Georgian townhouses and old stone cottages were originally built with. The key difference: lime is breathable. It lets moisture move in and out of the wall instead of trapping it. On a solid stone or rubble-built wall, that's the difference between a dry healthy house and one with damp problems and crumbling plaster.

Roughly: if your property is pre-1919 with solid stone or rubble walls (think most Edinburgh tenements, period cottages, listed buildings), lime is almost always the right call. If it's a modern build with cavity walls or new plasterboard, gypsum is fine. The grey area is renovations and extensions — that's where it pays to have someone like Cameron survey first and tell you honestly which material the wall actually needs. Putting gypsum on a solid stone wall is one of the main causes of damp problems in old Edinburgh property.

Both finish beautifully — done properly. Modern gypsum skim gives you that perfectly flat, mirror-smooth surface, ideal under modern paint. Lime gives a slightly softer, more textured finish that ages gracefully and works with traditional paints (including period clay and casein paints). For a Georgian or Victorian interior, lime usually looks more authentic. For a contemporary kitchen extension, skim is the way. Your wall and your aesthetic both get a vote.

Yes — and properly, not by sticking a plastic moulding over the gap. Cameron can run new sections of cornice in situ to match the original profile, splice them into damaged runs invisibly, refit ceiling roses, and replace coving sympathetically. If a chunk has fallen off in your Edinburgh tenement, in most cases it can be put back so well you genuinely cannot tell where the join is. Send photos and Cameron will tell you if the moulding can be matched.

For a fresh gypsum skim, you're typically looking at 4–7 days for the wall to dry out fully before mist coat and paint — depending on room temperature, ventilation, and how thick the coat is. Lime plaster takes longer: 1–2 mm dries per day roughly, so a properly applied lime finish can need several weeks before painting with breathable paints. Cameron will give you a realistic dry-out schedule for your specific job and the time of year before you book any decorator.

Quotes are free and there's no obligation. The fastest way is to call Cameron directly on 07999 463071, or fill in the form below with rough room sizes and a couple of photos if you have them. For anything heritage or lime-related, an in-person visit is usually best — Cameron covers Edinburgh, Musselburgh, Tranent, Haddington and the wider East Lothian area for site visits.