Painting over Distemper Paint

Is your house painted with aging distemper paint and starting to look worn? Then you can paint over it with tar paint. You’ll get a durable result and avoid a facade that cracks, flakes, or chalks. Wood tar is a paint that protects and strengthens the wood while providing a natural, beautiful color. Wood tar is also the best product on the market that can be used on houses painted with distemper paint. Paint over distemper paint with wood’s own natural protection.

Red Tar Paint Popular since the 16th Century

Läckö Castle, Ornäs Loft, and Seglora Church at Skansen. These are some of the many historical buildings and churches that have protected their roofs and walls with red tar paint since the 16th century. Ornäs Loft is best known as Gustav Vasa’s hiding place when he was fleeing from the Danes in 1521. Seglora Church at Skansen, built in 1729-1730, is made of timber, and both roof and walls have been painted with red tar paint. The church is distinguished by its shingle roof that has always been painted with red tar paint.

• Paint at temperatures of at least 10°C. The tar products penetrate the wood faster at this temperature.
• Remove loose distemper paint with a wire brush.
• Clean off algae and mold, preferably with a pressure washer.
• Ensure the wood is completely dry before starting to paint.
• For planed wood and if using a paint sprayer, we recommend additional thinning with 10-20% balsam turpentine.
• Stir thoroughly in the can both before and during painting
• Paint with a wide brush (e.g., 70-100 mm)
• Apply like “regular” paint – avoid applying too thick layers.
• Paint one board at a time to achieve an even surface without shade variations. Complete one wall at a time
• We recommend two coats of paint during the same season for best results and protection.

Note! Soaked rags, waste material, etc. can self-ignite and should be soaked in water and disposed of in a fire-safe location. This applies to our pigmented tar paints and Roslag mahogany.

Others who Have Painted over Distemper Paint

See our example houses to find many cases where distemper paint has been painted over.

“the House Has Received a Winter Coat”

“The new paint feels incredibly solid and secure somehow. It feels like we’ve wrapped the house in a protective and wonderful winter coat. Now we’re ready for winter storms and cold sea winds – which previously wore hard on the distemper-painted facade,” says Malin Ask.

Read more about Malin and Linus’s dream house

From School to Red Tar-Painted B&B

Between 1904 and 1955, it was a school. Today, “Villa Paris” is both a small horse farm and a Bed & Breakfast, located in the heart of Sörmland.

Read more about the Lövkvist couple’s countryside B&B