Expert: Rikki Nyman - 2/19/2009

Question
QUESTION: Dear Rikki:

We recently bought a brick colonial house.  The trim on this house is white.  I personally don't like white color against the brick and would prefer a softer, off-white color.  However, I was told that the colonial houses always had white trim in the past.  Is this true?  If not, what colors would be historically accurate for a house like ours?  I would like to send you the picture of my house, but I don't know how to attach it to the message.
Thank you very much,
Dinara

ANSWER: Dinara -

Colonials are a very traditional style so they tend to hew to time-honored conventions. Red brick colonials typically have white trim and green or black shutters, for example.

In the early 18th century white paint was expensive; being able to use white paint on your house was a sign of wealth. By 1800, it was more affordable and available so it became very fashionable to paint trim white. In fact, white became the THE color to use on the whole house. Today, white is still one of the most common paint choices.

If you prefer an ivory or even a light tan, try an experiment. Paint one window with the color of your choice. If you like it, go for it. The point of paint is to protect the wood, so the color is a matter of preference. The difference in color you're suggesting is likely to be relatively subtle.

Use high quality paint, do the prep work, and hire a good painter, then enjoy the color you choose. It's only paint. If you decide to sell in a few years, you may want to return the house to its traditional white trim because that's what a buyer will probably expect.

Hope this helps!
Best regards,
Rikki Nyman
www.antiquehomestyle.com







---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Thank you very much for your response.  Most importantly, I wanted to know if the white color on the trim was the ONLY paint color that was used for colonial houses in the past.  I was told that the white color was the ONLY historically accurate color for brick colonial houses, and that it would be historically inaccurate to paint the trim in ivory or other off-white color.  Is this true?  My house was actually built in the 1950s - in the style of the colonial house.  When I recently bought this house both trim and shutters were painted white.
Thanks again,
Dinara

Answer
Dinara --

I don't know who told you white was the ONLY historically accurate color for trim on a brick colonial, but it's a red herring.

We know that white was a marked preference, and it's now considered both correct and traditional. I'm going to say no, white was not necessarily the only historically accurate color. It seems likely to me that people experimented with color then just as they do now.

That said, nothing in history is absolute. We are always looking at a jigsaw puzzle with lots of pieces missing. It's impossible to prove either way.

Your house is a 1950s interpretation of Colonial style. As such, you should feel free to take some liberties as they please you.

Best regards,
Rikki
www.antiquehomestyle.com