As Chicago area specialists in historical restoration, we were called this week, by the new owner of an Oak Park, 120-year-old, 4-color Painted Lady, to inspect the property for any painting restoration needs it might have. The owner was being proactive in protecting the value of his investment and being a good custodian for his piece of Chicago history.

Victorian Painted Lady

and expensive paint job many years ago. From a cursory inspection, the paint job looked fine – there were no signs of peeling paint on the house. However, a closer inspection revealed failing caulk issues, as well as rotting wood in some areas. The issues were mainly confined the front porch area.

In an old house (or any house), the most vulnerable areas are the window sills, the lower part of the casement molding which meets the sill and porches. Trouble begins when the caulk starts to fail, creating an entry point for moisture to infiltrate and begin the rotting process. It may take a while for the paint to fail, but the problem keeps on growing and becomes more and more expensive to correct, especially if the owner waits for the whole house to need a complete paint job.

Rotting Wood on Victorian Porch

In the case of Victorian houses, especially the painted lady versions, the problem is compounded. The previous owner of this house exemplifies the predicament owners of Victorian Painted Ladies find themselves in. Painted Lady porches have a lot of detail to them. Because it is expensive to do such a paint job on a porch and because owners are most commonly only thinking in terms of a complete repaint, the problem shown in the second picture does not get rectified early enough and the wood continues to rot. From the time the caulk starts to fail, it may take 3 years for the wood to deteriorate to this point.

The good news for the new owner is that that rotting porch area can be restored with epoxy and made sound again. Good thinking on the part of the new owner of this old Victorian house. That kind of thinking saves money and preserves antique wood surfaces.

Follow

Vintage Tin-Clad Bays - Before

Plaster Reproductions of Metal Ornamentation

Repair Needed to Tin Surface

We just completed three hundred hours of historical restoration work on a Chicago vintage building, which dates back to 1889. The bulk of the work centered on two Victorian-style, two-story bay windows in their original tin cladding. Our work also included the cornice, which was also quite detailed and made of the same metal.

Needless to say, time and weather had played many tricks on this piece of Chicago history. Numerous elements of the tin ornamentation had fallen off from the building. Part of our work consisted in replicating the missing pieces, using an exterior grade plaster, sealed with 2 coats of linseed oil, then painted and reinstalled on the building. A few years ago, that same technique was used in the restoration of Frank Lloyd Wright’s Dana Thomas House in Springfield, Illinois.

Over the years, the metal ornamentation and the metal cladding had developed cracks, gaps in the joints, holes etc. To execute those repairs, we used a two-part epoxy that is easily shapeable and retains its shape while curing. The goal here was to help keep the water from finding its way behind the metal cladding. So we sealed any opening we could find with that epoxy.

We discovered that the last people who painted the building, over fifteen years ago, had used duct tape to patch holes in the metal cladding and painted it, as shown in the attached picture. Only a close inspection revealed the problem. We called on a metal worker to rebuild a corner with zinc sheet metal.

Lastly, several pieces of the original window casing moldings had fallen off. Over time, the original forged iron nails had rusted away and broken off, leaving some trim pieces dangling. Others had fallen off altogether. We had the millwork replicated in Ponderosa pine to replace the missing pieces.

As historical restoration specialists, we believe that preserving such architectural elements is critical, because they are irreplaceable. Every effort must be made to restore and protect that part of our heritage. But no duct tape allowed!

Follow

A post-“Great Fire” building in Chicago is about to get a historical paint color makeover. I was first contacted to bid for the repainting of the façade of this building ten months ago. From the start, I understood that changing the color scheme of the building to a historically more authentic palette was a very important concern to the owners of the building.

Vintage !889 Chicago Building - Before Period Color Makeover

For different reasons, the decision to act on the project was delayed for many months. In August of this year, our company was re-contacted by the condominium board and finally chosen to execute the exterior painting of the façade of this historical building. Having assessed that the board strongly desired a change in the paint colors, we immediately convened a meeting with a number of the owners. Our Color and Concept Consultant led the meeting.

Most of the owners who attended had given considerable thought to the colors they did not like presently and what they would like to see. Some had gone out into the neighborhood and come up with other buildings they liked and wanted us to see. Others had gathered color swatches and contributed their ideas in this way. Everyone seemed really excited to play a role in creating a color scheme that did justice to the vintage of the building they all loved.

Later in the week, we are meeting again with the owners to present two or three alternative color schemes for the building. I will update you once the decision has been made.

Follow