Color research
Reading the layers under the paint
A paint layer is a record of the house. We read it before any color is chosen.
We take samples a few millimeters across from places the weather and the eye miss. Under a loupe the layers show, oldest at the bottom, with the primer and the dirt between coats. We photograph them, number them and note where each came from.
Samples from three to six spots on different elevations
Photographs of each layer, numbered
A note on what is original, what is later and what we can't tell
The deliverables
What you receive
Color research is priced as its own line in the estimate, and you may decline it.
Layer findings
The photographs, the sample map and a plain note of what each shows.
Candidate schedules
Two or three color schedules, each naming the body, trim, shutters, door and porch ceiling.
Boards for the house
Large painted boards to hold against the siding in morning and afternoon light.
A note for your file
What we found and what we can't know, signed and dated, for the district and for the next owner.
Questions about color
Can you match the exact historic color?
We show you the layers and what each looked like. Paint fades, yellows and weathers, so we describe what we found and don't promise an exact original.
Is a lab needed?
Often not. Where a district or a question asks for lab analysis, we say so and take the samples. The lab bills you directly.
How many colors does a house need?
Most schedules name a body color, a trim color and a door and shutter color. Porch ceilings, ironwork and sash may add more, and we show the count before the packet is drawn.
What about the porch ceiling?
Many Lowcountry porches keep a pale blue ceiling. We match the one you have, or help you choose one the district accepts.
Ask us what the house wore
Send the street and a few photographs. We'll tell you what we would sample and where.