How to clad limestone retaining wall?

[Hazza]

Hi all, we are putting in a pool and struggling with what to do with this limestone retaining wall. Can you render it? Or clad it? My husband thinks maybe turn it into a garden bed. I’m not sure. Just want something low maintenance! Thanks 

Harriet 

[JacobZ]

Hi @Hazza,

Thanks so much for your question — it looks like you’ve got some fantastic projects ahead and this pool area is going to be a real showpiece once it all comes together.

While it is technically possible to render limestone, it’s generally not considered the best long-term solution because of the stone’s porous nature. Limestone naturally absorbs moisture, and that means most renders struggle to bond properly. Over time, you’re likely to see cracking, flaking, or sections breaking away, particularly in an outdoor environment that’s exposed to weather and pool splashback. If rendering is the look you’re set on, I’d recommend speaking with a professional renderer first. Some do have specialist techniques or products that they’re comfortable using on limestone, and if they’re confident in their method, it might still be a viable path. But for a D.I.Y. option, it could be frustrating to maintain.

Cladding, on the other hand, tends to be a much more durable and lower-maintenance choice. A simple option would be to create a frame of vertical 70x35 H3 Pine battens fixed to the limestone wall, which would then give you a base to attach horizontal decking boards as cladding. This can look really sharp, especially if you’re already using timber elsewhere in your outdoor area, and it has the bonus of being relatively straightforward to install.

If you’d prefer a stone finish, stacked-stone tiles or a manufactured stone veneer could give the wall a premium look. These products are designed for outdoor use, stand up well to the elements, and would create a striking feature alongside the pool. They come in a range of tones, so you could match them to your paving or pool coping for a cohesive look.

If space permits, then raised garden beds could also be a nice option that would allow you to add some nice greenery around the pool. You could use besser blocks or retaining blocks to create the garden beds. 

Allow me to tag @Dave-1, @Nailbag and @Noyade to see what ideas they have.

Let me know what you think.

Jacob
 

[Dave-1]

Good Afternoon @Hazza 

I like the idea of cladding over the rendering of the limestone blocks, I think it would have longer lasting power then the rendering. If you used the limestone as the rear of raised beds that would also look good but then you have to maintain the beds.

As an alternative you could go for thin gabion styled walls filled with say rounded stones. This would hide the limestone blocks and last longer then either render or even cladding. 

Jack 650 x 300 x 150mm Black Rectangular Gabion was what I was going to suggest.... But!

Rapid 1250 x 1810mm Living Wall System I just saw when I was searching for the smaller gabion cage to stand vertical.

Rapid 1800 x 1200mm Galvanised Steel Gabion Post Kit is the winner tho, this would look very nice next to your limestone base and use up a small footprint. 

I will be having a look at this next time I am instore I have made my own versions of a thin wall but this looks good.

Dave

[Nailbag]

Hi @Hazza 

There are lots of options to cover that limestone wall, though none include being able to render or paint as it simply wont take to the surface.

You could line it with one of the solutions that @JacobZ mentioned, plant out shrubs and trees in front to simply hide it or build a raised garden. bed say 400mm off and step it out in layers to make an interesting garden structure as a feature.

Nailbag