Distemper

What is a distemper?

Distemper is a decorative paint and a historical medium for painting pictures. Distemper is an early form of limewash, used as a medium for artistic painting, usually made from powdered chalk or lime and size (a gelatinous substance). Distempered surfaces can be easily marked and discoloured, and cannot be washed down, so distemper is best suited to temporary and interior decoration. It can often be described in two ways; soft and hard.

• Soft distemper is not abrasion resistant and may include binders such as chalk, ground pigments, and animal glue.
• Hard distemper is stronger and wear-resistant and can include casein or linseed oil as binders.

Can you paint over distemper?

Painting over distempers is notoriously difficult and often new paints will peel away. You can try repainting with distemper like paint. For best results try and remove the distemper. If you have a concern over old lead-based paints if in doubt leave them in-situ and paint over but do not sand down.

Do you supply a paint similar to a distemper? 

We have a paint similar to distemper which the Earthborn Casein Natural Paint.  Casein paint is a powder paint that is based on the milk protein casein and white lime. It has excellent adhesive qualities, and so is frequently added to limewash to improve its stability. Suitable for interior use, it has a soft, matt aesthetic and is highly breathable. It is supplied in powder form for mixing as required. You can create colours by adding our powder pigments.