An excerpt from Chapter 17 of “Restoring Your Historic House.”
Left image: Stained and varnished trim in an 1890s Colonial Revival style house. This finish was common during the late nineteenth and early twentieth century. It was often painted over in the later twentieth century.
Right image: A grain-painted door in a mid-nineteenth-century house.
“Victorian era houses and houses of the early 20th century often have trim with stained and varnished finish. Matching the wood and finish is important for any new work or restoration work in these interiors. If the original work is in mahogany or quarter-sawn oak, then the new work should be as well. If it is financially infeasible to use the same material, or it is simply unavailable, it may be possible to use another material and mimic the finish with grain painting. Such faux finishes were used historically to mimic expensive hardwoods, sometimes in very expensive houses. Thomas Jefferson had grain painting applied to the softwood doors of Monticello to make them appear to be mahogany. Paint graining was also frequently used on inexpensive softwood trim in the rear portion of Victorian houses that had hardwood trim in the principal rooms.”
Chapter 17 covers Interior Trim in “Restoring Your Historic House, The Comprehensive Guide for Homeowners.”
The award-winning and bestselling 720-page hardcover book is available in bookstores and from online retailers.
Signed and personalized copies are available in our shop, YourHistoricHouse.com/shop/.
Our shop also carries select preservation and restoration titles by other authors. Save with our multi-book combo packs!
#antiquehome #antiquehomes #historicalhomes #historicalhouse #historic #oldhousecharm #oldhome #oldhouse #preservation #preserveourhistory #houseandgarden #homerestoration #houserestoration #ownapieceofhistory #vintagehome #architecturelover #restoringyourhistorichouse #yourhistorichome #restoration #houserehab #historicpreservation