Which is Better: Distemper or Paint?

If you have ever gotten your home painted by hiring a local painter, at least 4 out of 10 of you would have observed the painter use and recommend distemper paint instead of emulsion to paint the walls.

What is the difference between the both, they are both paints after all, which one is cheaper, which one lasts longer? Let us go ahead and answer some of these frequently asked questions.

Distemper paint is a much older type of paint made using chalk, lime and pigment. They are water-based or oil-based. The use of distemper paint goes back decades.

Distemper colour is far less durable as compared to emulsion paint and usually needs 2 coats, but no primer. It is popularly used for rental apartments that need a fresh coat of paint every year or so. Distemper paint is also not fully washable, and the colour fades over time while emulsion paints do not fade.

Emulsion paints came later, and are made using a variety of chemical pigments bound together and suspended in water to form an emulsion. Emulsion paints are available in matte, shining and silky finishes and are much more durable and washable as compared to distempers. The range of shades and finishes for emulsion paints is much wider than that for distemper paints.

So, if you are very particular and picky about shades - this will be important while making a decision.

When you need to decide between distemper and emulsion - ask yourself if you want a long-term durable and washable solution or are looking for a cheaper solution and if a compromise on durability is okay?

Not to forget that distempers have a strong distinctive odour while emulsion emits a relatively lesser odour.

Berger Paints India has gone further ahead to innovate and bring different solutions in our emulsion range - with categories such as Easy Clean Fresh washable emulsion with a pleasant fragrance to Silk Breathe Easy emulsion that reduces indoor pollution and protects the surface from bacteria and virus. Explore our range on our website.

You can also call our toll-free number or book an appointment with our colour experts who can help you make the final pick between distemper and emulsion!

Just moved into a new home or bored of looking at the empty blank walls? You have landed at the right place as we are going to suggest some interesting, fun and inexpensive house wall designs and ideas and turn them into an accent wall that you can show off to others (or capture thousands of selfies or photos for the gram).

First of all, identify the wall - it is important to know if the wall is in the living room or bedroom or kid’s room and choose your way to personalise the space accordingly.

We are going to share our wall design ideas basis whether the makeover requires you to hammer nails into the walls, ideas that don’t need you to drill/damage walls, wall stickers and ideas using paints!

Things that you can hang on the blank wall by using nails:

A beautiful painting that you painted or brought will definitely be a conversation starter at dinners! You can also hang a number of framed quotes and favourite characters from movies and sitcoms that you love. Creating wall memorabilia is a great way to preserve souvenirs - get all those movie ticket stubs, flight tickets, polaroids, handwritten notes - frame and show off! You can also print out your favourite pictures of yourself and your family - that’s a given. If you love mirrors (think of beautiful Airbnb spaces), then you can add all size and shapes of mirrors on the wall!

Not comfortable having so many nails drilled into your wall? No problem: You can use tack-it adhesive, stickable nails or hooks as an alternative. Just keep in mind not to hang anything too heavy. You can stick your kid’s drawings and artwork, a macramé wall decor, wooden frames or cloth tapestry! These are more temporary in nature, so you can keep changing every few months once you get bored.

Apart from these, we have some more fun ideas to decorate the blank wall too: Our newly-launched wall stickers are the perfect way to decorate a blank wall in your kid’s room or living room/study room. Do check out the range on our website.

If you have an artistic side that you would like to explore, our DIY stencil or glow in the dark kit is perfect to beautify that blank wall! Explore different stencil designs like Diya, Birdie or Flora! We can’t wait to see how you finally decorate the blank wall!

If you are planning to paint your bedroom, you must have started researching for bedroom paint ideas, and hence arrived here. Choosing colours for a painting job is an important decision, which should be well thought and consulted with other family members - as you will probably not repaint for a couple of years minimum, and even be stuck with it for 5+ years!

While you may really like some colours personally, they may not be the best options for the walls. A good example of the same is if you really like the colour red, do you actually want it in your bedroom because red evokes emotions like energy and even anger. The bedroom being a space where you want to unwind, relax and be able to sleep well, red may not be a good choice of colour.

Two other colours we recommend not to use in a bedroom space is white and light grey - these cool colours can be avoided as white may remind one of hospitals and clinics, and overall both colours may feel gloomy at times. You may debate that white adds brightness and airiness to the room, but you can opt for some other light tones of beige, cream or peach for the same!

An obvious colour to avoid is black or for that matter extremely dark shades of brown, purple, green or blue. While purple and dark blue hues could look good on one accent wall, if you plan to paint all four walls in dark tones, it may end up making your space feel too confined and dark.

You may also want to avoid overly bright shades like orange as they may take the focus away from your decor and not be soothing at all. So now that we have covered colours to avoid when choosing a bedroom paint design, you can start shortlisting some colours that you like and also preview them in a bedroom set up right from our visualizer app or virtual painter.