The surface should be smoothened by rubbing it with finegrade sandpaper or glass paper
Should be free from grease
Knotting
Knotting is the process of sealing the knots by suitable means so that the resin from the knots may not destroy the paint film by way of cracking, peeling or discolouration.
The unslaked lime is dissolved in a tube with a sufficient quantity of water, and it is thoroughly mixed with a wooden pole until it attains the
consistency of thin cream.
As a rough guide, about 5 litres of water should be added to each kg. of lime for making the cream.
This mixture is allowed to stand in the tube for about 24 hours and then strained through a clean coarse cloth
So that the coat of white-wash may stick well to the surface, alum or common salt is taken in the same proportion as gum is also added.
Preparation of surface
Before applying whitewash on new walls, the wall surface is thoroughly cleaned, brushed and rendered free from mortar droppings and other foreign-matter
If the surface to be coated is sufficiently smooth, it should be rubbed with sandpaper to ensure proper adhesion of white-wash.
In case of re-white washing on the old surface, all loose pieces and scales should be scrapped off
The old loose white-wash is removed by rubbing with sandpaper and the holes in the wall are filled with lime putty
The plaster repairs to the wall should be done well in advance so that they are dry before whitewashing
Application of White-wash
White-wash may be applied in a specified number of coats until the surface presents a smooth and uniform finish.
Three coats are considered necessary for new work and one or two coats for old work
Individually coat consists of a stroke of the brush used from the top downwards another stroke applied from the behind upwards over the first stroke including similarly, one stroke is applied horizontally from the right and another from the left
Each coat should be allowed to dry before the next one is applied