# Historic Paint Analysis – DIY

- Link: https://www.oldhouseguy.com/historic-paint-analysis/
- Published: 2022-12-10T14:08:46-05:00
- Author: Ken Roginski

Did you ever wonder what paint colors your house had (interior/exterior) was when
it was built?

Did you know about or ever consider doing a Paint Analysis?

Whether your house is from 1850 or 1950, your house has been painted periodically
to reflect the paint colors that were available and popular at the time.

These many layers of paint tell a history.

**Paint Analysis is the way to discover the history of your house based on the colors
it was painted.**

This is a very involved process using very expensive equipment but can also be a
DIY project.

[⌊paint analysis ⌉⌊paint analysis ⌉[

Paint analysis is a very complicated scientific process although there is a quick
DIY method.

## Why is Paint Analysis Important?

If your house is on the historic register or may someday have the possibility of
being on it, paint analysis must be considered. Such a building can have historic
significance in the town being a home of the mayor, a house built during a local
housing boom, or even a popular general store. Paint analysis can play an important
part in understanding and documenting the history of the building, and also in restoration
now or in the future.

**Your house does not need to be Mount Vernon or a special house to qualify for 
paint analysis.** It can be just a run of the mill 1950’s Ranch house with a homeowner
that is interested in its history. (1950’s Ranch houses are now considered historic
homes)

Here we **will discuss two types of paint analysis: **one for the average homeowner
who would like to do it themselves and one for a significant building that requires
a trained specialist.

## Professional Paint Analysis

This is the best option if you want the best results. Aside from a “significant”
building,** I recommend it for all buildings pre-1850**. Why? Because these buildings
are more rare and will eventually be considered significant enough for a Historic
Register listing.

First numerous samples are taken from the interior and exterior of the house by 
a professional or by the homeowner. These samples are taken or mailed to a laboratory
for a scientific analysis along with a report. There is a lot more to it with additional
pieces of the puzzle used such as the region, status of the residents, and history
that helps to put the picture together.

A trained specialist will work with each sample using expensive equipment to magnify
the paint chip. **Faded paint, layers of primer, and certain old paint formulas 
must be considered. Colors can change once covered with a new layer of paint creating
a different color**. Faux graining can also be in the history. This process can 
be quite expensive but the results can be very interesting of how the colors, both
interior and exterior have changed with the styles over the years. Unfortunately
the number of qualified researchers are few.

[⌊historic paint analysis layers⌉⌊historic paint analysis layers⌉[

Magnified layers of chips of paint. So beautiful – I really love this image. Credit
to my friend Annabelle of Historic Building Architects who I had the pleasure of
working with on historic projects.

See how Professional Paint Analysis is performed in the video below.

 

## DIY Paint Analysis

For the homeowner that would like to know what colors were on their house without
hiring a professional, there is an easy way to do it yourself. **Although not accurate,
some information is still good**. The results can also show the color placement 
to see if your window casing matched the window sash for example.

Every time paint is applied it creates a build-up of layers. Each layer can be a
paint color, a primer, or even a layer of dirt. Be aware that **paint is NOT a stable
material. You can not just scrape an area and find the original color as it appeared**
since paint undergoes a radical change over time. A professional analyst is able
to recognize these changes to avoid false results. However, this DIY method is still
a good step to better understand what colors were there.

## How to Do a Paint Analysis Yourself.

This quick method permits layers to be counted with only a hand magnifier.

**Tools Needed:**

 1. X-acto knife
 2. Illuminated magnifier (magnifying glass and a portable light)
 3. 220 grit wet/dry sandpaper
 4. 600 grit wet/dry sandpaper
 5. lubricating oil.

Find an area where it is least likely that the paint has weathered and chipped off.
Under a window sill, under the eaves where the paint is protected, porch area, etc.
You get what I mean.

First a shallow, dished scalpel cut is made through the layers as shown in Figure
1. This cut need not be larger than ½ inch to 1 inch across. Angle the blade knife
so you will create a slightly dished edge that will expose all the surviving layers
down to the wood.

[⌊paint layer diagram⌉⌊paint layer diagram⌉[

Figure 1. First angled cut to expose paint layers.

Next wet the exposed layers liberally with lubricating oil. With a circular motion
sand the layers smooth  with 200 grit wet/dry sandpaper. Sand the sides of the crater
to a smooth, gradual slope to create a dish that will look like tree rings. A fairly
heavy lubricating oil is helpful in securing a smooth appearance.

After the crater is sanded smooth, it is wiped clean and then polished with 600 
grit wet/dry sandpaper until all the scratches are eliminated. Figure 2.

[⌊sanded lpaint layers⌉⌊sanded lpaint layers⌉[

Figure 2. Sanding allows the layers to be revealed.

Here the oil is particularly helpful in achieving a smooth finish, and after polishing
and final wiping, a coat of oil brings out the colors of the various layers by eliminating
diffuse reflections of light at the polished surface. The layers stand out clearly
as concentric rings unless the layering has been disturbed by alligatoring or weathering.

If the edges of the crater are sanded down to a very gradual slope, the paint layers
are widened enough to be clearly visible with a portable light and 10X hand magnifier.
The hand magnifier should be of the [Hastings type ](https://www.amazon.com/Bausch-Lomb-Hastings-Triplet-Magnifier/dp/B0007LRNG6/kenroginskihisto):
a lens built of three components for maximum correction and a wide, flat field.

The [Coddington type ](https://www.amazon.com/BAUSCH-LOMB-Coddington-Magnifier-20x/dp/B0006J3BKG/kenroginskihisto),
a cheaper two-component lens, is much less satisfactory. Bauch and Lomb makes both
types in various powers.

A commercial paint remover can be used to expose a 2 inch square of the particular
layer you are focusing on to be easier to match to a paint chip or take a color 
reading.

Be aware that some layers can be primer or just dirt. You can match the color by
hand using paint swatches or easily by using a [Color Muse available online at a cost of about $60. ](https://www.amazon.com/Color-device-color-matching-paint/dp/B01KKEMIF0/kenroginskihisto)

## More Information:

![](/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/icon1.jpg)

 

[Historic New England – Guidelines for Paint Analysis ](https://www.oldhouseguy.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/Hist-New-Eng-paint-analysis.pdf)

 

![](/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/icon1.jpg)

 

[Painting Historic Interiors – Preservation Brief #28 ](https://www.nps.gov/orgs/1739/upload/preservation-brief-28-painting-interiors.pdf)

![](/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/icon1.jpg)

 

[Pre-1850 Paint in Historic Properties – Treatment Options & Processes ](https://www.oldhouseguy.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/pre-1850-paint-thesis.pdf)

![](/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/icon1.jpg)

 

Professional – Paint Analysts:

 

 * [John Canning Preservation & video ](https://johncanningco.com/videos/historic-paint-exposure-video/?)
 * [Aborgast Paint Analysis ](http://www.paintanalysis.biz/)

Credits for the above information and images:

_Credit: Morgan W. Phillips and Norman R. Weiss. “Some Notes on Paint Research and
Reproduction.”Association for Preservation Technology Bulletin Vol. VII, No. 4, 
1975: 14-16_

_Roger W. Moss and Gail Caskey Winkler. “Victorian Exterior Decoration” Henry Holt
and Company 1987 p. 6_

_Jessica Parker Dockery. Pre-1850 Paint in Historic Properties – Treatment Options
and Properties. Thesis 2005._