Antique Home painting in Old Wethersfield, CT.
A Case Study in Preservation
Restoring and painting the Captain Timothy Stillman House circa 1750
When you own a 270-year-old antique house you are less a homeowner than you are a caretaker of history. Owning and caring for a venerable colonial-era home is a pleasure but it’s also a responsibility. The house in our case study is in a part of Wethersfield known as Old Wethersfield. Near the Connecticut River, it is in a historic district that is included on the National Directory of Historic Places. It encompasses 1,300 acres and includes 1,000 homes. Of those 1,000 homes, only 100 of them date all the way back to the colonial era, in fact, the house we had the pleasure of painting is on land that was originally acquired from the Massachusetts Bay Colony. The house was built In about 1750 and owned by Captain Timothy Stillman, at the time many ship captains that navigated the river and beyond to the Atlantic lived in the area. Since its construction two additions had been built onto it as well as a free-standing garage.
Now fast forward to the 21st century and the house still proudly stands, it would be safe to assume that in its lifetime it has likely been painted roughly three dozen times. When we began to explore the project it was clear the owners wanted to maintain its historic accuracy and originality. The owners also had the added weight, as caretakers of a historic property, to be absolutely sure they could trust the contractors they chose to do the work, anything less than expert execution wouldn’t do. The condition of the house at the time was one of early paint failure. The paint was peeling off the house in certain places, the prior prep work wasn’t to our standards, and certain parts of the house were simply fragile due to their age. With the condition of the house requiring immediate action, they chose CertaPro to do the exacting work needed to ensure the home’s continued longevity.
As with all projects of this sort, everything comes down to the preparation. Aside from the normal prep work we also had to work around landscaping and plantings near the house and wood clapboard that simply couldn’t be replaced. In the end, leveraging our experience painting older homes for years, and with access to the best paint products on the market, we were able to restore and protect a piece of America’s colonial history.
Before work began…
Below, you can see how the home looked before we began to address its issues. You can see the paint was applied over poorly prepped areas on the last repainting. The paint is peeling and falling off on some surfaces and the sun and weather have bleached the color out. Its appearance was chalky and threatened to lead to severe wood damage if neglected.
After much prep work and a complete repainting…
After completely prepping the exterior surfaces, washing, scraping, and sanding as needed, a very high-quality paint in a period-correct shade of dark red was applied. The paint itself was Sherwin Williams Duration Paint. This product is a long-lasting advanced paint that is self-priming and mildew resistant. A satin finish was chosen to give it just enough of a sheen to make it say “Curb Appeal Circa 1750”. The end result speaks for itself.
When you’re ready to have your antique (or modern) home repainted and restored…
Give CertaPro Painters® of South Central, CT a call at 1-800-462-3782. Not every home we paint is nearing 300 years old, but we have a proven ability to handle historic projects and we are backed by a national brand that provides the resources and expertise to ensure results that meet the highest possible standards. For the other 99% of homeowners who don’t live in a piece of history, we are more than able to handle your next house painting project as well. At CertaPro we get the job done – on time and on budget. Click here to request a free estimate today.
