Photos: Historic New England ments then available, the composition of the paint and, of course, the tastes and styles of the time. In the early 19th century, for example, the only major pigments stable, cheap and plentiful enough to be used on the outside of a house were all derived from naturally occurring substances such as red iron oxide, lamp black, or colored clays (yellow ochre, raw si- enna, raw umber). Verdigris (green), Prussian blue and other pigments produced by chemical manipulation were more scarce, subject to unstable color shifts, and costlier; thus, they were used less often. Once the first synthetic organic dyes became available after 1856, a broader range of paint pigments became available and the exterior color choices expanded.
Formulation and fashion Paint composition has also shaped color choices. Traditional paints were By Sally Zimmerman far simpler than today’s formulations Knowing a home’s vintage will give you an advantage.
ow do we choose colors to faithful, old works-on-any-house white and employed only three components: ColorMemayHistoric not be the best bet, either. paint a home’s exterior? a linseed-oil binder, a turpentine vehi- Some people probably grav- Paint color choices should suit the cle, and a pigment (most often white itate to their personal fa- architecture of a home, whether it’s an lead) that provided opacity as well as vorite—currently blue, 18th-century Colonial, 19th-century Vic- color. Colored pigments could be added followed closely by purple, torian, or even a 20th-century modern to further tint this historic “base.“ according to global market- ranch. The impact of paint composition can ing surveys. be seen in white lead’s modern substi- White, on the other hand, is at the Historic influences tute, titanium dioxide, introduced in bottom of the favorites list but accounts The most suitable color choices for the early 1920s. Brighter and with a Hfor perhaps 80 percent of the house vintage architecture, whether historic much higher refractive index than paint sold in the United States. or simply retro, are closely tied to the white lead, titanium-dioxide white Sadly, though, if the house is archi- kinds of paint and colors available looks much whiter than white-lead tecturally important or historic, neither when the house was built. Many fac- paints. Thus, if a traditional appearance blue nor purple are particularly suit- tors influenced the creation of those is important, white should be avoided able color choices for the exterior. And colors, including the nature of the pig- for any house built before 1920. Off-
22 PWC SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2010 (Facing page) Once home to 19th-century poet James Russell Lowell, Elmwood has been painted the same yellow ochre and off-white since the Georgian house was built in 1767.
fore 1780. Ochre yellow, cocoa brown, charcoal gray and barn red siding with off-white sash and trim contribute to an authentic look. A monochromatic scheme, with sid- ing and trim all in one color, provides another way to achieve the earth-toned look of Colonial house paint. Deep browns and grays, mustardy golds and pea-soup gray greens carry a sense of the inexpensive, earth-based pigments first used in 18th-century exterior paints. The noted paint conservator, Frank Repainting with a historically appropriate color scheme, including unifying trim color and dark sash treatments, brings a Queen Anne Victorian (right) to life. Welsh, has noted that only one color— Spanish brown, a reddish brown pig- white or cream is preferable for all older survived in the country’s oldest cities mented with red iron oxide—was ubiq- and historic houses. and towns are those that were bigger, uitous in 18th-century homes. It was Finally, just as they do today, style more expensive, better built and better used both inside and out, as a primer and taste have always had their say in maintained. and a finish coat. paint colors. In general, color prefer- The historical impetus for painting ences have swung over time from darker houses stems from an unlikely source: A lighter look dawns shades to lighter ones, and back again. the sash window. By the early 1800s, the style pendu- Today’s tastes favor lighter shades. Call it the first wave of window re- lum brought lighter color schemes to That can make it challenging to get ei- placement. In the early 1700s, sash the forefront. Here’s where the popular ther painters or owners to consider windows, with individual panes of image of the gracious, old-fashioned, darker hues, even when the home’s ar- glass set in operable (though not yet white fits the reality. chitecture calls for them. counter-weighted) upper and lower From the 1790s through the 1830s, Understanding how these trends in frames, first appeared in the American the fashions of the fledgling nation taste interact with material and techno- colonies. The windows’ lighting and drew on classical themes of Greek and logical advances provides a good basis ventilation advantages were obvious to Roman antiquity. Favor fell on light, for selecting paint colors that reflect the all who could afford to ditch their old delicate colors, such as off-white or architecture and age of any given house. leaded casements. But the sash win- cream on siding, trim and window dow was also more vulnerable to sash. Colonial America weather than the casements; that meant At the same time, louvered exterior In colonial America, before the Revo- the wooden frame had to be painted to shutters came into common use. The lutionary War, many houses were never maintain the joinery and preserve the practice of painting shutters dark green painted. Clapboards and shingles were glazing putty that held the small and dates to this period, but the dark “shut- harvested from the finest stands of old- costly panes of glass in place. ter green” we know today probably growth Eastern white pine, white oak, Once paint appeared on sashes, paint- started as a much brighter shade more and red and white cedar. These en- ing the rest of the house became more like a park-bench green. All the early dured without protective finishes of common, to better preserve the siding green pigments used copper-based any kind far longer than modern sidings and to show off hand-planed moldings compounds that darkened over time would, even though they eventually at windows, entrances and eaves. with atmospheric exposure. The period weathered to black. color names Verdigris and Paris Green Leaving many homes unpainted un- The monochrome approach hint at a possible French origin for the doubtedly factored into their destruc- Strong colors in deep, earthy shades use of this color. tion; thus, Colonial-era homes that have typically suit Colonial houses built be- See HISTORIC on next page
WWW.PWC-MAGAZINE.COM PWC 23 HISTORIC from last page Va-va-Victorian Restoration & Maintenance The Victorian paint schemes of the late 19th century presented a colorful Products contrast to the simple white and green ABATRON'S building, restoration and of the early 1800s. When steam power maintenance products excel at meeting tough challenges. They have been specified for over enabled the milling of cheap, abundant two decades by architects, government agencies, builders and other professionals for a decorative trim and siding, houses multitude of applications. The products are blossomed with patterned shingles, based on epoxies, urethanes, acrylics and other materials in wide ranges of viscosity, hardness, turned and jig-sawn scrollwork, dorm- flexibility, thermal, chemical and mechanical properties. Below are product highlights: For FREE CATALOG call 1-800-445-1754 ers, porches, bays and a welter of as- sorted nooks and crannies. Wood Restoration Meanwhile, the emerging paint in- dustry took full advantage of chemical WoodEpox®: Structural, non-shrinking adhesive paste is used in any thickness to innovations to offer consumers a rich, fill and replace missing wood. varied palette of colors to suit the intri- LiquidWood®: Liquid, penetrating consolidant for restoring strength and cate architecture of the day. function to rotted or spongy wood. Once again, deep colors ruled. Terti- Both LiquidWood® and WoodEpox® ary colors (those formulated from com- permanently restore windows, columns, Restoration of rotted window is easy and cost-effective. clapboards, logs and most rigid surfaces. binations of primary colors with their secondary color counterparts) made the Stone, Concrete, Masonry Restoration Victorian palette dark and complex. AboCrete: Permanently repairs and One manufacturer offered citrine resurfaces concrete. Fills cracks and bonds (blended from violet and green), olive broken sections. AboWeld 55-1: Slump-resistant structural (green and orange), and russet (orange paste repairs and reshapes stairs, statuary and violet) as suitable colors for the and vertical surfaces. body and trim of a Victorian home. AboJet®: Structural crack-injection resins that permanently weld back together Abocrete can be used to replace Abojet bonds foundation walls, columns, etc. Prevent missing concrete. structural walls. water infiltration. Schemes and placement The placement of color on Victorian Moldmaking and Casting Compounds houses followed clear rules that helped the ornate architecture make sense. MasterMold® 12-3: Non-toxic polyurethane paste for flexible, large and Siding was painted in one color, trim in small molds. Can be applied on site. a second, and the window sashes in a MasterMold® 12-8: Liquid 12-3 for making pourable molds. third. Woodcast: Lightweight interior/exterior When there was more than one sid- casting compound. ing material—say, shingles, clapboards MasterMold can reproduce capitals, structural and decorative components, statuary and other patterns and stucco—each got its own signature precisely & cost-effectively. color, but one unifying trim color Structural Adhesives, Protective Coatings, Sealants, Caulks pulled them all together in a coherent framework. Abocoat and Abothane Series: Protective coatings for floors, walls, tanks and tubs. Windows often contained a variety of Wide selection of adhesives and sealants sashes with individual panes in multi- for most environments. Meets specifications for composites, structural ple patterns on the same house. This and decorative components, indoors & important element gained interest with outdoors. an accenting color like burgundy, deep alligator green, purply brown, or even russet or apricot. 5501-95th Ave., Kenosha, WI 53144 USA Tel: 1-262-653-2000 But replicating an authentic Victo- www.abatron.com rian-era color scheme means more than
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24 PWC SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2010 torian era. A favorite combination was of the last 100 years should always have a mid-toned yellow ochre for the clap- off-white or cream trim.) boards with a rich chocolate brown on the trim. Using the darker color in a Modern times two-toned paint scheme on the trim Interest is growing nationally in mid- rather than the siding will give a lively century modern ranches and split-lev- period look to an older home. els, the houses of the more recent past. (Note: Capes and builder “colonials” See HISTORIC on page 27
A classic Mid-Century Modern home: stained redwood and cedar siding with white trim and colorful accent panels. applying multiple colors to a house. It also means moving to a darker palette; identifying tertiary colors that contain hints of many hues; and using a color, not just off-white, on the trim.
Making it happen To choose a Victorian paint scheme, start with the fan deck. One useful method is to select two shades of the same color for the body and trim. Hold the fan deck on edge so you can see the whole rainbow of colors. Avoid clear, bright tones and pastel tints. Focus on the “muddier” neutral golds, tans, gray greens, olives and taupes; they are your starting point. Working from the bottom half of the paint strip, choose two shades of a darker color, being sure to skip at least one shade in between (directly adjacent colors won’t show enough contrast). Now you have a good set of body and trim colors to consider sampling on the house. Enliven that with rich, contrast- ing color on the windows, shutters and doors. You can shake up a color scheme by switching the placement of lighter and darker shades on the house. Even though we almost never paint the sid- ing in a lighter color than the trim, this treatment was very popular in the Vic-
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Circle No. 21 on Reader Service Card HISTORIC from page 25 have met the test of time and deserve In contrast to the light, uniform whites, recognition as key players in our archi- grays or yellows of traditional capes tectural heritage. and colonials, the Mid-Century Mod- Preservation specialist Sally Zimmer- erns had a distinctive palette with man., M.A., is the Manager of Historic fields of accenting colors. Preservation Services and administers A hallmark of the 1950s ranch was the Historic Homeowner Program at the use of multiple exterior siding ma- Historic New England (www.Historic- terials, including redwood, cedar and NewEngland.org). She is author of other natural woods stained to draw Painting Historic Exteriors. pwc out their colors with accents of brick and stone set alongside traditional clapboards and shingles. Color Resources In-store color mixing was still in its “Historic Colors of America” and the infancy, and a “custom” color generally “20th Century Colors of America” meant blending two ready-mixed col- ors in a specialty tint for interior use. paint charts are available from Outside, the palette retained many of Historic New England at http://shop. the old standard colors (yellow ochre, historicnewengland.org/p-4366- charcoal gray, barn red, cordovan paint-chart-historic-colors.aspx. brown)—but now applied in new ways. Circle No. 50 on Reader Service Card Bright accent panels (often of ply- wood or other modern materials) in turquoise, orange or yellow might break up a wall of vertical redwood sid- ing. Trim was generally minimal and used to define the edges of paneled walls; bright (titanium dioxide) white, gray and brown were common trim colors.
The blues But what about good old blue? Why don’t we see more of everyone’s fa- vorite color on houses? Alas, until recently, blue has been one of the most unstable of pigments, fading quickly, dramatically and— worst of all—unevenly. Faded colors detract from any paint job, but un- evenly faded paint is especially prob- lematic. No one wants to live in a splotchy house. The most long-lived—and thus, the most heavily used—exterior paint col- ors have tended to be those that can be relied on to perform well in demand- ing conditions; “historic” paint colors Circle No. 22 on Reader Service Card
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