thanks for the very helpful reply duc you seem very experienced!!. this would be my very first lime rendering job and i have sort of committed to the job even though it is new to me. couple of questions if you dont mind. what is zone 2 grit? what is kane brush? first of all is that what you call the lines ashlar lines and if so will it be soft enough to put them in next day and how do i do this? when you say buy the lime mortars in does that mean it would all come pre bagged just so i can add water or do i still have to add grit,sharp etc? which is the best pre mix to use and is it more expensive than the traditional way? sorry for all the questions duc im just happy to speak to a experienced lime renderer! oh just one last thing, on the spec from the council they asked for the lime to be soaked over night in clean water to form a putty????