Can we use this instead of grout in the bathroom somehow?
However I do know that some grout and some paints that say they are anti-mold contain Lime or calcium hydroxide as their primary anti-mold ingredient. I think pure Lime putty can be used as pointing material between bricks in humid basements. Lime plaster (lime mixed with sand) can also be used in bathrooms (with some considerations I am not familiar with). So, my best guess is that some mix of Lime can be used as grout. But I can't say for sure.
Something I plan on doing before this winter is to use Lime Wash. Take Lime (CaOH2 in powder form) and mix with water until it has milk like consistency and brush it on grout or on (white) bathroom walls. If it works, I expect it to be a yearly or quarterly ritual and not a one time solution.
EDIT: A fascinating historical material I recently learned about used in bathrooms is called Tadelakt [1] which uses Lime as one of its ingredients.
Historically (for interior paint) you would use regular limewash in dry spaces and add casein/milk in high traffic/wet spaces. It works in a bathroom but wouldn’t hold up in a shower (for that you would want to use “tadelakt“ - especially if you’re going for that Aman spa look).
The contemporary solution with modern limewashing is to use “mineral shield” - it uses silicone instead of casein - it makes water droplets bead up but still lets water vapor breath through.
It also doesn’t flatten out the nice velvet texture one gets with limewash paint from the calcite crystals.
That said, it’s extremely obvious if one touches up a patch of wall with limewash. No two batches are the same color unless you’re going pure white and even then…
Cement board + roll on or something like kerdi system.
Other shower materials that aren’t absolutely insanely stupid include glass, quartz, and other non-porous materials.
Because biology.
I'm considering applying lime wash between the tiles regularly but not sure what the results will be.
That's patently untrue. Otherwise we wouldn't need concrete sealants.
I'm not sure why I remember cement to be water proof. Its possible I infered from how its been used around me. I have seen cement very often used where water contact is expected (bathrooms etc). I have also seen brick walls plastered with an extra layer of cement as putty considered to be rain proof and any leaks were thought of as poor workmanship rather than poor material choice.
P.S. I'm not a builder. I've taken an interest in the topic a few months ago.
https://www.quikrete.com/productlines/hydraulicwaterstopceme...
But I wouldn't want to make any sort of building that only relied on it for waterproofing.
Normal cement, concrete .. Is a different story.
'Concrete' is a combination of sand, cement, water and aggregate, that cures together to form.
When the water migrates away from the curing concrete, it leaves open pores behind that future moisture can move through.
It is generally macro-waterproof, however, unless there are large cracks.
Lime is also more flexible (these houses have minimal to no foundation and constantly move), it’s breathable (no/less damp) and as such it also improves air quality indoors. It’s annoying to do because drying times are days/weeks not hours, but long run it’s a far superior material for small buildings.
It does burn though if you accidentally get it on your skin!
What kind of maintenance and why did roman cement survive without it? Or are we simply looking at ancient survivorship bias where the surviving roman concrete structures survived through the lime cycle without maintenance until it was no longer required?
Maintenance is probably less of a factor but it also depends on the use case. Take what I have to say with a grain of salt. Lime is a living material that slowly converts lime to limestone. For some use cases, the lime needs to be replenished often through applying lime wash on the plaster of external walls or wet interior walls.
As for load bearing walls or regular interior plaster walls I'm not sure there is much maintenance you can do and they are fairly durable.
As far as I know Portland cement sets faster and is a stronger but has a life span of decades and does not lend itself to be repaired or replenished.
I'd like to also convey some vibes I have about this topic as follows. Imagine having a 2 storey family home made of concrete that you want passed on for many generations. In 50-75 years, repairs/upgrades would require a lot of demolition as concrete with rebar is very strong. Much of the old material is trashed and hard to recycle. A similar house made of lime based products and some stone and wood would lend itself more easily for similar repairs and seamless upgrades and can maintain the same aesthetic look for longer. It feels like lime based products are appropriately strong and suitable for the smaller scale. The old material can be treated like any old dirt or rubble and is less polluting.
Up to 30 days to set, and depending on the type of lime (hydraulic or non-hydraulic) and form/process (putty, hot mix, etc.) up to a year to reach full hardness.
https://www.ce.memphis.edu/1101/notes/concrete/section_3_pro...
What sort of maintenance does it need?
Also- modern concrete is not waterproof... requires sealant