What does calcimine mean?
Calcimine is an inexpensive, water-based paint or wash traditionally used on interior plaster walls and ceilings. It consists of powdered chalk (whiting) or zinc white bound with glue and thinned with water, producing a flat, matte finish that could be tinted various pastel shades. Cheap and easy to apply, calcimine dominated interior decoration in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, especially in rental properties and public buildings, where ceilings were routinely recoated rather than cleaned. Its major drawback is that it remains water-soluble and powders easily, so it must be washed off or sealed before modern paints will adhere properly. The word functions as both a noun for the substance itself and a verb meaning to coat a surface with it. Today it survives mostly in building restoration, historical accounts, and the North American trade variant 'kalsomine', making it a useful term in heritage and conservation contexts.
A water-based paint made of whiting or zinc white and glue, applied to interior walls and ceilings.
"Peeling calcimine flaked from the ballroom ceiling."
Often appears in plural form when referring to multiple coats or applications.
To coat a wall or ceiling with calcimine.
"Every spring they calcimined the chapel interior."
As a countable noun referring to types, batches, or coats of the substance.
"The storeroom held tins of several different calcimines."
Before modern emulsion paints existed, generations of tenants kept their ceilings bright with calcimine — so cheap it was often cheaper to repaint than to clean.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of calcimine
The word calcimine appeared in English in the late eighteenth century, its formation reflecting the substance's chalky composition. It derives ultimately from Latin calx, meaning limestone or quicklime, the same root that gives us calcium and calcite; the second element likely relates to colouring or mixing, though the exact compound's path into English is obscure. The related form kalsomine arose as a commercial respelling in the United States during the nineteenth century.
Related word forms
How calcimine is actually used
Largely obsolete in everyday speech; encountered mainly in older buildings, restoration work, and historical writing. The variant spelling 'kalsomine' is common in North American trade usage.
Easily confused with calcimine
Kalsomine is simply a common trade variant spelling of the same material, not a different substance.