HPC of South Bend and St. Joseph County - Standards Update Draft

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City of South Bend and St. Joseph County Historic Preservation Guidelines 89 For More Information: Paint Many good resources exist to help you with developing a long-lasting paint job. Paint is meant as a protective coating for the underlying material—wearing out over time instead of the material itself. As such, regular maintenance is a key part of any long-lasting paint application . Proper preparation is a key ingredient as well as using high quality products . Colors and their placement can make or break a successful result . Well placed colors highlight a building and its character, helping it contribute to the district’s look . A primer on a good exterior paint job can be found here . The National Park Service offers this Preservation Brief focused on paint problems on historic woodwork—here. And offer guidance on lead paint here . For some additional information about painting and buildings . The following resources provide additional guidance on paint . • Old House Online –How to prepare for repainting –How to Fix Peeling Paint –Sources on color and paint finishes • The Craftsman blog has several posts on paint here . • The National Main Street Center offers the following on historic commercial building paint projects here . Here are some cautions to help protect the materials of your historic building when preparing for a new paint job . • Retain and renew paint coatings on historically painted wood features . Such coatings inhibit deterioration caused by ultraviolet light, moisture, and the elements . If chosen and applied with care, paint will help maintain the historic appearance of the building and its components . • Applying waterproof coatings on masonry above the surface grade level is discouraged . • Painting previously unpainted historic brick or stone is discouraged because the paint can cause underlying damage to the masonry by trapping water . It will also change how the building historically looked by covering the workmanship, colors, texture, masonry, and joint patterns . • High pressure washing should not be undertaken as it drives water into the material and open joints, setting up the paint coating for future failure as the water migrates out . Hand washing with mild detergent and bristle brush with hand scraping and sanding is the recommended method of paint removal . • Carefully use any mechanical tools . Rotary disks can leave circular marks and wires can tear into the surface . • Blow torches are highly discouraged due to the vaporization that occurs and the high probability of causing a fire from overheated materials in the walls or underlying wood surfaces . • Similarly, heat guns and heat plates can ignite paint or the underlying surface and materials in the wall cavity if left in one location too long . Keep moving across the surface . • Chemical paint removers can raise the wood grain – make sure to remove promptly and protect surrounding ground and contain any runoff. • Sandblasting should not be undertaken . The process is abrasive to the surface, wears away the protective shell of masonry and raises wood grain . • Painting a previously painted masonry building should be completed using a “breathable” masonry paint . Paint Lead Paint Historic buildings may have lead paint—refer to the section on lead paint here to understand lead safe work practices .DRAFT