Photo From catchlightpainting

Originally Posted On: https://www.catchlightpainting.com/transforming-a-victorian-exterior/

Painting the exteriors of older homes throughout the Boston area for decades, we at Catchlight have been presented with everything from weather-worn siding to rotting window casements to the presence of lead. This stately Victorian located in Brookline, MA had many of those challenges, taking nearly a month for a crew of four to bring it back to its original glory.

Step One:

The first step included carpentry, as some of the siding and trim needed to be replaced. What remained was a badly peeling exterior with the presence of lead. This required more than our typical scraping and sanding to prep the surface properly. When lead paint is present, our crew follows strict RRP protocols, which include covering the ground and any greenery within 10 feet of the surface to collect and safely dispose of chips, the crew wearing gloves, Tyvek suits, and respirators to ensure that they were not exposed to any lead dust, and doorways and windows masked off from the inside of the house to be certain that no dust leaks inside. Done properly, it is a time-consuming process that requires meticulous care to keep the homeowner, neighbors, and our crew free from lead exposure. At Catchlight, all of our foremen are lead-safe trained and certified.

Photo by Damianos Photography

Step Two:

Once the sanding and scraping was complete, the crew repaired any remaining damage and spot-primed the bare wood with an oil primer tinted to match the final color of the house. Areas that required attention were caulked, moving methodically around the house, one side at a time.

Photo by Damianos Photography

Step Three:

The last and most immediately noticeable step in the process is applying paint. A large home with unique details, two crew members devoted two days to painting the six dormers on the third floor, while the foreman painted the eaves and bold trim around the bay windows with Benjamin Moore’s Concord Ivory, a soft shade of yellow despite its name. Then, work began on the siding, painting it a rich Chrome Green. The porch ceilings were finished in Whipple Blue along with lattice work below the deck in Rockport Gray, and a shed in the backyard was painted to match the house. The final piece of the project, we painted a contrasting accent color (Classic Burgundy) on the trim and doors.

Photo by Damianos Photography

Our crew’s expertise transformed the exterior of this house from one that was peeling and in a state of disrepair to a proud historic home painted a resplendent green and yellow with red detailing.

Photo by Damianos Photography