EXTERNAL PAINTWORK

This brief article first appeared as "External Paintwork" in The Building Conservation Directory
1993: 89.

Introduction
Traditionally the painting of exterior surfaces has been carried out for two main reasons: for
decoration, in which case fashion will have led to several changes over the years; and for
protection from the elements, where successive layers of paint will have acted as a sacrificial first
line of defence, preventing rot and corrosion of the substrate.

Types of Paint
With few exceptions, the paint used on exterior wood and ironwork was a suspension of finely
divided solids in an oil medium. These solids were usually a blend of white or red lead, or an iron
oxide, often tinted with a coloured pigment, and mixed well with linseed oil before being applied
by brush.

In drying, an oil paint absorbs oxygen and is converted into a tough insoluble film, whose life
varies, depending on its composition and usage. Until recently the high proportion of white lead
in exterior paints led to a gradual "chalking" effect which enabled repainting to be carried out
after a simple washing down of the surface. Whilst oil paints are still in general use, the modern
"alkyd" variety, however, crack and peel when aged, requiring greater preparation before
redecoration.

The painting of stucco facades was often originally carried out in a water-based wash, composed
of lime water tinted a ginger colour with iron sulphate (copperas), which gave the surface the
appearance of Bath stone. From the middle of the 19th century, however, this tended to be
replaced by an oil paint, which provided a coating that was more readily washed down, and less
blackened by air-borne soot, but which required a frequent and more expensive maintenance
programme.

Choice of Colour
As a result of passing trends, modifications to the building, and the inevitable ageing process, it is
highly unlikely that much paint on exterior wood or ironwork will have survived for more than
twenty years. Where does one turn, therefore, for information on the paint colours and types
used on historic surfaces?

No one source will provide all the answers, but a study of early paintings and watercolours, and a
comparison with the information supplied by contemporary technical works will give one an idea
of the colours and the techniques used in their application.

The colour of window sashes, for example, has varied considerably during the last two hundred
years. In the early 18th century one learns that stony off-whites were quite common, being
produced by the mixture of white lead and boiled linseed oil. Later on, wood-grained effects in
imitation of oak or mahogany came to be seen, followed by such colours as purple brown,
chocolate, and a number of different greens. The cycle has now been completed, and for many
years white and the more recent "brilliant" version has been the standard.
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The treatment of railings, too, followed a similar course. However, they were never painted to
look like wood, more usually they were made to appear as metal, whether a base material such as
lead or iron, or even the more exotic bronze. This latter was hinted at by the use of a green paint,
sometimes even being lightly dusted over with bronze powder. The ubiquitous use of black on
ironwork is a very much later phenomenon.

Stucco continued to be painted in a variant of stone colour, whether the warmer Bath stone or
the cooler Portland variety, long after the disappearance of water-based washes. This seems to
have been gradually replaced by white, which, as with the painting of woodwork, was slowly
superseded by "brilliant" white in an attempt to delay the inevitable yellowing action of time.

The slow decay, and consequent "chalking", of a traditional white-lead paint, gave the painted
surface a matt, or semi-gloss appearance. With few exceptions, those modern alkyd resin paints
designed for exterior use display a high gloss sheen when first applied, dulling down only after
some time.

Recent legislation has restricted the option of using white-lead paints to those caring for Grade I
and Grade II* listed buildings, and only then having made a formal bid to one of the statutory
authorities for its use. As a result, paints that bear little resemblance to traditional finishes must
be used on the majority of historic buildings. Does it matter if, initially at least, the new paint
displays a glossier finish? Is it more important for the historic fabric to be well protected, albeit in
a traditional colour, than for the paint to be formulated in a manner known to our forbears?

Careful use of colours, and the avoidance of "brilliant" whites and strident hues can often lead to
pleasing, and loosely historical, effects. As important, is the placing of colours to aid the
architecture, and not to compete. Often the shadows cast by mouldings are sufficient to add
interest to an elevation, without the clumsy use of picked-out colour.

The exterior of an historic building presents different problems to those of the interior, a well-
maintained paint system; in well-mannered colours will generally be the answer.

Patrick Baty