Heritage exterior colours

Preserving original paint finishes or reinstating a building's colour scheme helps retain and enhance its historical significance. It can also complement the house's architectural and decorative elements.

Often you'll be able to gather a combination of evidence to build up a picture of the intent of the original colour scheme. Even if you can't determine the exact colours, research can lead to greater understanding of the colour placement. This is equally important for selecting colours that relate to the building's architectural form and decorative details.  

There are several ways to find your house's original colours.

Paint traces

Traces of the building's original colour may still exist. These are often found during restoration work, especially behind fittings such as cupboards, doors, windows, electrical wiring or switches. You can take paint scrapes using a Stanley knife or scalpel (Illustration 1). These may reveal the layers of colours that the building has been painted with over time.

For the most accurate match, choose areas where the paint has had the least weathering or likelihood of having been disturbed. These include under sills or window hoods or in shaded areas. Also investigate and scrape different areas of a wall or architectural features such as doors, windows, verandah posts, gable fretwork and other decorative elements, as colour can vary.

Once you've taken a scraping, you can examine old paint colours with a magnifying glass or microscope. Depending on the accuracy you need, you can then match them to:

• a manufacturers' colour chart
• Australian or British standard paint charts
• the Munsell colour system.

As you go, record the location and colour of each paint scrape, starting with the base and ending with the current layer. Understanding how a colour fades can help you to identify how it changes through sunlight exposure. For example, Brunswick green fades to a light blue, and red paint fades more quickly than most other colours. Also remember to distinguish the original finishing coat from the primer or the undercoat. For example, Victorian-era primers were usually off-white or cream, or sometimes red due to lead pigment.

You may like to consult a specialist with expertise in analysing early paints and use of finishes. They can be especially helpful for paint analysis of larger or complex structures, or for uncovering fine details, design or work, such as stencilling, dados and other types of decoration.

Documentary sources

Documentary evidence of early colour schemes may also be helpful. These include:

• photographs
• books on colour schemes and restoration
• period publications and books
• other similar buildings that are either in an original state or have been professionally restored.

Photographs

Photographs, even in black-and-white, are useful as they show dark and light tones and placement of contrasting colours. Although you may not always find an image of your particular building, images of buildings from a similar period can still be helpful.

You can find period photographs through:

• neighbours, previous owners or occupants
• local libraries, museums and historical or genealogy societies
• period publications, such as Home Beautiful and The Architectural and Building Journal of Queensland
• the State Library of Queensland, especially the Picture Queensland collection.

Historical documents

Occasionally it is possible to find historical documents that relate to your building. These include:

• original building specifications
• drawings, sketches or early paintings
• diaries, letters or stories providing written descriptions of buildings.

Buildings of civic importance often appear in local newspapers with descriptions of finishes and colours. The social pages of period publications can also be a great source of information. These often contain articles of "at homes" or other gatherings that also include descriptions of the house.

Sometimes, using a later colour scheme best reflects a significant period of the building's history, particularly if there have been many additions or alterations over time. For example, many mid-19th century houses in our region were first constructed as modest two-room cottages. Often, more rooms and verandahs were added later, which substantially altered the character of the place. Colours from this later period may be more sympathetic with the building's current form than the original colours.

Alternatively, you can create a new colour scheme sympathetic to the era and architectural style of the building. More-modern interpretations of traditional colour schemes can be used successfully on heritage homes. Carefully consider the placement and number of colours and the shades and tones used, to ensure they enhance the heritage character of your building. Contrasting colours were used to highlight features of a building such as gable decoration, window hoods, verandah rails and brackets.

You also need to consider where each paint colour will start and stop. Try to think about different elements, such as gables, as opposed to surfaces. For example, when painting a sill, the same colour generally should also be used on the ends and underside of the sill. Illustration 2 shows an example of an exterior colour scheme identified by different elements.

Colours to avoid

Stark modern white is inappropriate on heritage or character buildings. Traditional whites have a hint of cream in them and in modern terms would be described as 'off-white'.

Avoid painting old, previously unpainted brickwork as you can't later reverse the paint without damaging the brick surface.

Generally, you'll need to prepare or remove any old paint or surface covering before you paint a building. It is critical to consider the age of the paint, as many older homes will have a lead-based paint. This must be removed with extreme care. Seek professional advice before removing lead-based paint. For more information, see WorkSafe Queensland's fact sheet on working with lead-based paint.

When preparing timber surfaces for new finishes, only remove or strip paints as a last resort – the earlier layers of paint and varnish are part of the place's history. Use the gentlest method possible, such as hand sanding and scraping, to prepare surfaces. If stripping is absolutely necessary, take proper care not to damage the timber. Heat guns, used so as not to burn timber, are the preferred method of removal. Chemical strippers can open up the grain of the timber and cause other visual or physical damage. The chemicals need to be fully washed out of the timber or neutralised to avoid further problems. Ask tradespeople for examples of their work before allowing them to strip paint.

Avoid stripping timber to bare wood when applying clear finishes or stains in order to create a "natural look". This is unsympathetic to the historical character of buildings that originally had painted finishes.

Properly maintaining the exterior surfaces of your home can delay the need for full or major repainting.

Repainting should only be necessary every five to ten years, as this allows existing paint to wear away rather than using harsh preparation methods. It's best to use premium paints, rather than trade paints or other lower-quality paints or finishes. Although they're initially more expensive, premium paints provide a better finish and colour retention, and will generally last longer than cheaper paints. Professional painters should supply small jars of each colour for regular touch-ups.

Clean timber surfaces annually with a gentle brush and cleansing agent such as sugar soap. Some walls may require cleaning more often. For example, shady southern walls are more prone to fungal growth and may require cleaning twice a year.

Renew or reapply paint or special coatings only when necessary, such as when paint has become blistered, cracked or flaked, and timber no longer has full protection against weathering. Touch up small damaged areas of paintwork as they appear, before they have a chance to allow moisture into adjacent timber and cause greater damage.

Repair or replace any deteriorated timber. Remove the minimum amount of original material and splice in new timber. Match timber species if possible to maintain the visual appearance of the surviving timber.

Before you buy the paint and contact a painter, double-check that you're happy with the colour scheme you've selected.