B E R O A R C H I T E C T U R E P L L C

A R C H I T E C T U R E S U S T A I N A B I L I T Y P R E S E R V A T I O N

Thirty Two Winthrop Street, Rochester, New York 14607
585-262-2035 (phone) •  585-262-2054 (fax) • contact@beroarchitecture.com (email) 

SOME THOUGHTS ON CHOOSING EXTERIOR PAINT

This is probably not the final paint job this building will have; the next owner may prefer a different color. So relax and have fun choosing your paint.

1.         You cannot pick a color in artificial light. You must pick your color in daylight.

2.         Color chips do not reveal the true color. Small painted areas always look different than large areas. You must see the paint on the building in order to tell what color you have chosen.

3.         There is no advantage in using "standard" or pre-mixed colors. This year's standard colors are next year's special colors. Having the paint mixed the color you want does not cost any more than buying a "standard" color. You might as well get the color you like.

4.         Light colors will make your building look larger and dark colors will make it look smaller.

5.         If your building is being painted in multiple colors, trim should be painted three-dimensionally; faces and sides of trim should be painted the accent color. If only the faces are painted, the trim has a two-dimensional appearance which is inappropriate.

6.         Do not buy paint based on price. Buy the highest quality paint you can find. Apply it in strict accordance with the manufacturer's instructions: do not paint in the sun, do not paint near sunrise or sunset, paint only when temperatures are mild.

7.         Careful preparation is the surest road to a good paint job. Again, follow the manufacturer's recommendations.

8.         In general, if you have oil (alkyd) paint on your building, stick with oil paint; if you have latex paint on your building, stick with latex paint.

9.         What is an appropriate color? Listed on the reverse are a number of references dealing with period colors. Don't worry too much about being authentic. Some authentic colors look garish to us today, some look very dull. What is most important is that you find the building attractive and enjoyable to live in.

BIBLIOGRAPHY FOR HISTORIC PAINT COLORS

Conley, Katharine. "Selecting Colors." The Old House Journal, (April 1981), 76-80.

Exterior Decoration. Philadelphia: The Athenaeum of Philadelphia, 1976.

"Exterior Painting." The Old House Journal, (Special issue, April 1981), 71-94.

Freeman, John Crosby. "Grand Illusions - Victorian House Painting Then and Now." Victorian Homes.

                        Part 1 - "Victorian Color Anxiety." (Summer 1987), 64-67 and 94.

                        Part 2 - "The Great 1880 Color Divide." (Fall 1987), 60-63 and 88.

Moss, Roger. Century of Color, 1820 - 1920. Watkins Glen, NY: The American Life Foundation, 1981.