distemper
Enable an agent to recognise distemper as a decorative coating material, assess its formulation and condition, and determine suitable application, maintenance or conservation actions.
Bundle → Layer → Finding → Questions Filled
5 bundles · 9 layers · 14 findings · 22 questions
Identity and formulation Establish what distemper denotes in this entry and what binds the identified coating.
Name and material boundary
Resolve the registry sense and distinguish material identity from trade naming.
Coating sense and classification
Record evidence that the entry denotes paint and the criteria used to classify a specimen or product as distemper.
- What registry provenance establishes that distemper here means a coating material? provenance
- Which criteria distinguish this distemper from limewash, casein paint and synthetic emulsion paint? boundary
Binder, pigment and modifiers
Describe the constituents that determine the formulation's behaviour.
Formulation evidence
Capture documented or analysed binder, pigment, filler and modifier identities without assigning an assumed universal recipe.
- Which binders, pigments, fillers and modifiers are established by a recipe, product record or analysis? provenance
- Does the evidence support a glue-bound, oil-modified or other formulation, and which constituents remain unidentified? definition
Preparation and application Connect distemper preparation and working behaviour to the receiving surface.
Mixing and working condition
Record how the supplied material becomes usable paint.
Preparation controls
Identify supported mixing proportions and any formulation-specific soaking, heating or use-time requirements.
- What preparation sequence and water or binder proportions are specified for this formulation? action
- What observations or measurements establish usable consistency and the limit of working time after preparation? measurement
Receiving surface and coats
Assess substrate suction, existing layers and application trials.
Substrate-specific application
Record evidence for surface preparation and coat application on the intended support.
- What substrate absorbency, existing finish or contamination could interfere with even coverage and attachment? boundary
- What surface preparation, coat sequence and drying interval are supported by formulation guidance or a representative trial? action
Film behaviour and deterioration Assess the appearance and physical response of the applied distemper layer.
Appearance and cohesion
Separate intended finish characteristics from material loss or failed attachment.
Finish condition
Record coverage, colour uniformity, powdering and detachment with their locations and observation methods.
- Which colour, opacity and surface-texture characteristics belong to the intended finish, and which represent change? definition
- Where does pigment transfer or film detachment occur, and does failure lie within the distemper or at an underlying interface? measurement
Moisture and contact response
Establish how this film responds to water exposure and routine contact.
Tested exposure response
Record condition-specific evidence for softening, colour transfer, staining or abrasion.
- Under what recorded water-contact and rubbing conditions does the film soften, transfer colour or lose material? measurement
- Which expected exposure conditions exceed the demonstrated tolerance of this distemper formulation and film? boundary
Maintenance and layer interventions Evaluate cleaning, repair, recoating and removal in relation to the existing distemper layer.
Cleaning and local repair
Determine whether a proposed treatment can preserve the existing finish.
Treatment trial outcome
Capture the outcome and limits of small trials for cleaning or matching local losses.
- Which authorised trial method removes the target soiling without unacceptable pigment loss, staining or surface change? action
- Can a local repair match the dry colour and texture without disturbing adjacent distemper? measurement
Recoating, retention and removal
Assess the consequences of adding a coating or taking a layer away.
Layer treatment decision
Record compatibility evidence, retention constraints and the intended stopping boundary for intervention.
- What trial evidence shows that a proposed overcoat will adhere without lifting or otherwise disrupting the existing distemper? action
- Which distemper or underlying decorative layers must be retained, and what evidence defines the stopping boundary if removal is authorised? boundary
Evidence and external alignment What the world already says about this thing, gathered so the model can be checked against it.
Reported evidence
Findings from the breadth pass, kept separate from the structural claims.
Check these first
Recalled without web access and unsourced; every item is a lead to verify.
- Which of these check these first hold for the sense of distemper this model covers, and on what evidence? provenance
Kinds and varieties
Recalled without web access and unsourced; every item is a lead to verify.
- Which of these kinds and varieties hold for the sense of distemper this model covers, and on what evidence? provenance
Real-world use
Recalled without web access and unsourced; every item is a lead to verify.
- Which of these real-world use hold for the sense of distemper this model covers, and on what evidence? provenance
Failure modes and hazards
Recalled without web access and unsourced; every item is a lead to verify.
- Which of these failure modes and hazards hold for the sense of distemper this model covers, and on what evidence? provenance
Regional variation
Recalled without web access and unsourced; every item is a lead to verify.
- Which of these regional variation hold for the sense of distemper this model covers, and on what evidence? provenance
Neighbouring kinds and how to tell them apart
Recalled without web access and unsourced; every item is a lead to verify.
- Which of these neighbouring kinds and how to tell them apart hold for the sense of distemper this model covers, and on what evidence? provenance
Classifiers Filled
- Family
- Thing Registry
- Category
- Physical world and living systems
- Entry kind
- thing
- Plane
- PHY
- Domain
- PHY.OBJ
- Other names and narrower kinds
- Poster paint
What it is Filled
Distemper is a water-based decorative coating made from chalk or another mineral filler, pigments and a binder traditionally based on animal glue or size, used chiefly on interior plaster surfaces.
In scope
- Distemper coating materials, including documented dry and ready-mixed forms
- Pigments, fillers, binders and formulation variants described as distemper
- Preparation and application requirements specific to the identified formulation
- Distemper film appearance, adhesion and response to moisture or rubbing
- Compatibility with existing finishes and proposed maintenance treatments
Out of scope
- Animal diseases called distemper and their pathogens
- The wall, ceiling, plaster or other substrate as a complete object
- Painting tools and application equipment as independent products
- Limewash, casein paint and synthetic emulsion paint except as comparison or compatibility references
- Artworks, buildings and decorative schemes containing distemper as complete cultural objects
Why it exists Filled
Enable an agent to recognise distemper as a decorative coating material, assess its formulation and condition, and determine suitable application, maintenance or conservation actions.
Distinguishing features Filled
- Establish that the name denotes a coating material or coating layer rather than a disease.
- Identify the binder and setting mechanism; a pale, matt mineral coating alone does not distinguish distemper from limewash.
- Separate documented glue-bound or modified distemper formulations from synthetic emulsion paints marketed with similar appearance claims.
- Treat water sensitivity and dry pigment transfer as supporting observations, not conclusive identification tests.
- Distinguish the material family from a named commercial formulation, an individual batch and an applied layer.
What robots and AI may and may not do Filled
Must not
- Confuse distemper paint with the animal disease of the same name.
- Advise sanding or scraping old finishes without first checking for lead in older layers.
- Remove historic decorative distemper in a listed building without consent.
- Misdescribe a modern paint as traditional distemper in heritage work.
Only with a human decision
- Works on historic interiors in protected buildings.
May
- Identify distemper on old interior walls and ceilings and record it in building surveys.
- Advise that distemper is not compatible with many modern paints without proper preparation.
- Explain its history and use in heritage buildings.
Moral aspects Filled
- Historic interiors are heritage and can be lost through careless redecoration.
Who is affected
- Owners of old buildings
- Decorators
- Future generations
Owners Filled
Steward
The owner of the building; heritage authorities for protected buildings.
Links to other meta-models Filled
parent
- Q7974360 - registry parent class
What else AI and robots need to interact with it Filled
Identity and identifiers required Filled
- Vercy registry: vr.tr.distemper
- Wikidata: Q1169888 (https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q1169888)
Direct properties required Filled
- Distemper formulation class: Glue-bound; oil-modified; other documented distemper formulation; unresolved
- Binder identity: Documented binder substances and evidence basis; unknown
- Pigment and filler composition: Identified pigments and fillers, with identification confidence
- Supply and preparation state: Dry mix; prepared wet material; applied wet coating; dry film; deteriorated material
- Preparation proportions: Water-to-dry-material mass ratio and binder proportion, with denominator and formulation specified
- Substrate and underlying finish: Linked substrate material, surface preparation and existing coating layers
- Water response: Untested; no observed change; colour transfer; softening; swelling; partial removal, with test conditions
- Surface cohesion and attachment: Sound; powdering; flaking; peeling; mixed condition; unassessed
Recognition required Filled
- A soft, chalky, matt finish that rubs off on a damp cloth.
- Found on plaster ceilings and walls of older buildings.
Capabilities and actions required Filled
- Identify whether a material or finish is plausibly distemper and record the strength of that identification.
- Compare an identified formulation with the intended substrate and service conditions.
- Plan formulation-specific preparation and application trials.
- Assess whether cleaning, touching up or recoating is supported by observed film behaviour.
- Document deterioration and select further investigation before treatment.
- Evaluate retention or removal of an existing layer within an authorised maintenance or conservation task.
Hazards and failure modes required Filled
- New paint applied over it can flake and peel.
- Older buildings may contain lead in other layers of paint.
Standards and interfaces required Filled
- ISO 4618, Paints and varnishes - Vocabulary, issued by the International Organization for Standardization, provides terminology applicable to describing distemper as a coating material.
Context of use required Filled
- Distemper is encountered on interior plaster walls and ceilings, particularly in historic buildings and traditional decorative finishes.
- It is used where a matte mineral appearance is wanted, and its binder formulation affects compatibility with existing surfaces and subsequent conservation work.
Sources Filled
- Wikidata item Q1169888: distemper - identity and sense of the item
- Wikipedia: Distemper (paint) - general description of the item
Open questions
- Does the registry's original source identify distemper as paint, or does this provisional interpretation need correction?
- Which historical, regional and commercial uses of the term belong within this entry, particularly oil-modified formulations?
- Which identification methods reliably distinguish aged distemper from visually similar coatings without unacceptable sample loss?
- What formulation-specific evidence supports application conditions, moisture tolerance, storage limits and recoating compatibility?
- Which documented constituents or historic contamination require additional handling and removal controls for a particular material or layer?
Machine files
Provenance
thing registry research (pass 2) · unreviewed
Built from: models/things/publications/thing-q1169888/spec.json