That ol' Calcimine

By OHJ Staff

I have lost two of my favorite issues of OHJ that contained articles describing how to deal with calcimine paint (April and June 2001). Is there any other place I can read up on this subject? Alice Cunningham Speonk, New York

There's little other significant reading in print or online about dealing with calcimine. However, the good news is there isn't that much to say. Calcimine (or kalsomine), which was popular for a flat, pastel look on ceilings and walls up to the 1930s, is the most indelible of paints, basically chalk and pigment in a glue binder that was mixed with water. Easily washed off, calcimine becomes the bane of old-house owners when it starts to loose its grip after years of being overcoated with layers of oil paint. If you're painting a peeling ceiling or wall, your best bet for removing the first layer of calcimine is a simple matter of working with brushes, scrapers, and water mixed with TSP or a little vinegar (to soften the calcimine) and lots of elbow grease.

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