Natural Wall Finishes
Our hempcrete render range at a glance, for designers, builders and owner-builders
Choosing your breathable render
We’ve put an enormous amount of work into getting this range right: testing recipes, confirming every build-up with our suppliers, and only keeping finishes we genuinely stand behind. Every system here is natural and breathable (lime and clay, no acrylics), made to work hand-in-hand with hempcrete walls.
A hempcrete render can feel like a lot at the start; this page gives you every finish at a glance: the cost, the recipe and the look. And once you’ve chosen, we’re with you the whole way:
A detailed PDF for every finish, its complete guide: recipe, build-up, coverage, technical data and care.
Doing it yourself? Install guides, product support and straight answers at every step.
Not sure where to start? Send us your plans and we’ll recommend a finish room by room.
Why the recipe matters
A beautiful wall is really a system: a base coat that grips, mesh that stops cracking, a bonding gauge between layers, and top coats that carry the look. Get one layer wrong, or skip it, and even the prettiest finish fails. So every finish on this page is a complete, tested recipe: exact layers and exact products, proven on hempcrete. We’ve done the guesswork, so nobody on your job has to.
Finish coats: the look
Mesh: stops cracking
Base coat: grips the wall
Substrate
Signature Finishes
crafted in Italy, exclusive to Respirabuilt
INTERNAL
Venezia
$45
Our signature statement finish: hemp shiv through a lime putty aged eighteen months, laid straight onto the wall with the shiv left exposed. Textured, or trowelled smooth. Shown in two lights: the finish shifts with the sun.
In the price, every layer: Bio Beton 500 Venezia, two coats straight onto the block, plus a Stabilitura Naturale Traspirante Plus (SNT Plus) band with mesh at the critical joints (doors, windows and changes of substrate).
▶ See it applied: watch the video
INTERNAL
Canaposo
$45
Venezia’s finer sibling: an aged lime putty, rested for eighteen months, blended with fine hemp powder. Smooth, warm, softly speckled. Shown full, and up close.
In the price, every layer: a Bio Beton 500 Venezia base → Canaposo skim, plus an SNT Plus junction band and mesh.
The Plasters
lime and clay: Rockcote finishes developed for hempcrete walls, plus Senini’s interior plaster
INTERNAL + EXTERNAL
Lime Plaster
$41
$47
The classic: the finish most people picture when they think of lime render. A soft, flat mineral surface that matures beautifully; true lime, no cement, heritage-compliant. Our only external system.
In the price, every layer. External: fibreglass mesh embedded in the scratch coat, Rockcote Lime Plaster in three coats, a bonding agent mixed into the scratch coat · Internal: fibreglass mesh, Lime Plaster Basecote gauged with a bonding agent, then the Lime Plaster finish coat.
INTERNAL · NOT WET AREAS
Otsumigaki
$60
Silky clay-and-lime: left soft and flat, or burnished to a glass-like lustre; sealed with natural carnauba wax.
In the price, every layer: meshed earthen base → Otsumigaki ×2. Carnauba wax is bought direct, not in our price.
INTERNAL · FEATURE FINISH
Marrakesh
$85
$50
Stone-like tadelakt of lime and marble, a feature finish for any room: fireplaces, bedheads, columns, full interiors. Not for wet areas.
In the price, every layer. Pre-mixed bucket $85: fibreglass mesh → Earthen Render base → Marrakesh Wet Bucket ×2 · Site-mixed dry bag $50: fibreglass mesh → Rockcote Lime Plaster base → Marrakesh Dry Bag ×2. Olive soap is bought direct, not in our price.
INTERNAL
Malta Fine
A flat, smooth lime finish: a ready-to-use finishing plaster of lime putty and graded sands, suitable for decorative finishes or breathable paints. For interior use only.
The build: Malta Fine goes over a Venezia or natural lime base.
The Paints
brushed or rolled: the simplest breathable finishes
INTERNAL
Lime Wash
$25
Two coats brushed straight onto hempcrete: a soft, weathered patina that ages with the wall. The budget breathable finish.
In the price, every layer: 2 coats, no primer needed.
INTERNAL
Clay Paint Casa
$30
Ultra-matte clay paint: calm, uniform and non-reflective; smoother and more matte than Marrakesh.
In the price, the whole product: Clay Paint Casa ×2 straight onto a sound existing wall. It is a paint: no base coat.
Colour: every finish can be toned
We supply natural oxide colours separately: the dose in the mix sets the depth, so the same tone can run from a whisper to full strength.
