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City of South Bend and St. Joseph County Historic Preservation Guidelines 16 <br />Residential Standards: Paint & Coatings <br />General understanding and approach <br />Paint is one of the most common ways to protect the exterior surfaces of historic buildings, as well as accentuate the architectural details and appearance of the building . Although paint colors are temporary and generally reversible, they are also quite visible and should be selected wisely . <br />Colors should be suited to the age of the building, its style, and the District . Generally, a pain color scheme is broken down into the various parts of the building, including siding, trim, decorative details, and window sashes . <br />Read more about best practices for a lasting paint job and historic paint schemes here . Read more about lead safe work practices and the EPA’s RRP rule here . <br />What is your project? <br />Repaint a building <br />• Exterior paint schemes should reflect the period of the building . <br />• Paint schemes should include <br />different color for the walls, <br />trim and windows—with <br />windows being darkest in color <br />such as black, dark green, deep <br />red or navy . <br />The following is not recommended by the Commission: <br />• Painting brick walls that have not previously been painted . <br />• Spray on vinyl or other “permanent” coatings . <br />• Single-color for walls, trim, and windows. <br />• Exceptionally bright or high-contrast paint schemes. <br />• High gloss paint finish. <br />• Murals on residential designed buildings . <br />Paint and Coatings <br />Lead Paint <br />Historic buildings may have lead paint—refer to the section on lead paint here to understand lead safe work practices . <br />Return to the Table of Contents