Heritage painting of old houses

The materials used in constructing heritage buildings are often considered well above the standards found in those built today. This is just one of the reason why heritage restoration is considered a good investment. But exposure to the environment, in some cases for over one hundred years, will eventually cause some structural wear, particularly where regular maintenance has not been done. Realizing that each heritage painting project will be different, it is safe to say that unless houses have been properly maintained, each will have encountered similar problems during its lifetime. Unless proper remedies were applied, it is possible that these troubles still exist and should be corrected before a new coat of paint is applied. About 85 percent of coating failures are the result of poor training of surfaces.

Once proper paint restoration has been finished, ongoing maintenance is important. By keeping the same color scheme, it is necessary only to recoat the worn or failing areas. For example, the south and southeast sides of homes in Victoria receive continual wear from sun, wind and rain. New coats of paint must be applied more frequently in such areas to ensure that the elements do not reach the structural equipments. Mildew feeds on the oils in solvent-based paints and on the thickeners in water-based paints. Controlling its growth will promote coating life.