Lime cement plaster, what now? - Painting, wallpapering or plastering?

Hello everyone,

I read in the construction service description from our contractor that all interior walls will be plastered with lime-cement plaster.

Since painting work and floor coverings are not included in the purchase price, the question for us is what other work or costs we can expect.

1. Can lime-cement plaster be painted or does it require special pre-treatment?
2. How would you proceed if your walls were completely plastered with lime-cement plaster?

Thank you very much for your help

They are NOT filled but only plastered with lime-cement mortar. It is quite rough and absorbent. A full-surface fine filler is needed on top to avoid a barn-like appearance and to have a smooth wall. Then apply a layer of primer with a plant sprayer. Alternatively, woodchip wallpaper or similar could be used. A thicker fiberglass wallpaper could also be glued on.

The question is in what quality they are made. With Q3, one could already think about skipping it, with Q2 you have to like it ... basically, [Kalkzement] is good everywhere to begin with. [Gipsputz] would be cheaper. A primer/undercoat will be needed though.

I also did everything with lime-cement plaster. The advantage is that moisture doesn't affect it. That means no risk of mold. The thing about it being rough is only partially true. If it's smoothed again with a trowel after applying and "scraping off," it is smooth. In some rooms, after it had already set, I also troweled it again and painted it with silicate paint so that the material no longer sheds sand. That creates a textured surface.

I just tried to see if you can notice it in a picture, but both surfaces look identical. So I spared myself from posting the pictures.

They are NOT skimmed, but only plastered with lime-cement mortar.

Alright - then I probably expressed myself incorrectly. I will try to be more precise in the future. Unfortunately, I am an absolute layman.

A full-surface fine skim coat is required to avoid a barn-like appearance and to have a smooth wall. Then another coat of primer sprayed on with a plant sprayer

Is there no way around skimming? Painting work is unfortunately not included in the scope of construction work and therefore has to be carried out by us ourselves. I believe that if the whole house has to be skimmed by a painter, that could get quite expensive.

Alternatively, woodchip wallpaper or similar. A thicker fiberglass wallpaper could also be glued on.

Is skimming still necessary before wallpapering or can wallpaper be applied directly on the lime-cement plaster?

The question is in what quality they are made. With Q3 you could already consider painting, with Q2 you have to like it ... basically lime-cement plaster is good everywhere at first. Gypsum plaster would be cheaper.

A primer/undercoat will be needed though.

Thanks for the answer, unfortunately the quality of the plastering is not stated in the scope of construction work. I will inquire about it.

I then felted it again in some of my rooms (after it had already set) and painted it with silicate paint so that the material no longer sands off. That gives a textured surface.

What does felted mean? Sanded? Are you satisfied with the appearance and feel?

Primarily, my goal is to get the walls white and presentable as cost-effectively as possible.

Firstly, one could wallpaper over it after applying or spraying a primer. One could also just fill in the defects and then deliberately apply a filled silicate coating that appears slightly sandy. This look would then be intentional. In our case, it was like this. The lime-cement plaster was only in the bathrooms. The painter, my brother, master painter, fully filled it. Then I sprayed primer on it. Then he glued fiberglass on it, which I painted with latex. The result is excellent. Smooth and beautiful.