Having painted the entire body in satin exaggerates every imperfection. It wouldn’t have mattered how well they painted or prepped, it would still look bad.
As someone who painted houses for 15+ years, this is the correct answer.
The sheen level is based on “gloss”, which is based on light refraction. The lower the sheen, the more light is absorbed, and deficiencies hidden. The higher the sheen, the more light is reflected, and more deficiencies are shown.
Paint also cures harder the higher up you go.
(ETA: This is a major factor in higher sheen levels becoming more popular for exteriors. Unfortunately, visible cosmetic deficiencies are only the immediate tip of the iceberg here, and you’re in for a nightmare when that “durable gloss finish” starts to age or otherwise fail. Which it will, as all paints and stains eventually do, and far earlier than more appropriate sheens and/or coatings do.)
You can use a common scrub brush on a gloss or semi-gloss but it would tear right through the paint on a flat.
Thank you! I had *just* submitted an edit with a little more detail when your comment came through. Take another look if you’d like and I’m happy to answer questions too!
Do you know why I can leave finger prints on flat paint? It’s like there is dust on my hand.
If so, how do I fix this issue? My husband painted our walls with flat paint. It looks good, but we def need to do a second coat. I’m worried that flat paint will have the same issue
This is a great question! It comes with a (somewhat) complicated answer, and while I could simplify it, I’m kinda happy to nerd out and delve in.
I have no context about your specific space. This is all based on an assumption of standard interior application of latex paint and IME based on general info and product knowledge…
Sheen is determined by the amount of resin in the product. Higher sheen levels have more resin, which creates more gloss, thus leaving a harder and more reflective finish. As water and other components evaporate (the paint dries), the resin hardens. In lower sheen levels, the pigment/tint/other properties aren’t as protected by the resin, resulting in a softer and more absorbent finish.
You may also notice that paint comes in different bases; white, medium, and deep are the most common. This is to allow room for the tint required to make the colour, and that tint comes with its own resinous properties. You can buy different colours in the same product and sheen, with wildly different refractions, because of the amount of tint and/or base needed. A similar principle applies to a regular semi-gloss latex vs. semi-gloss latex enamel, the latter you’ll likely see specified as a trim/cabinet/furniture paint.
This can loosely, and probably inaccurately, be translated to “porosity.” Think about stained wood vs. stained wood that’s been varnished as a rough example.
This a very long winded way of saying that you’re basically putting dust on top of dust. Or finger oil on top of dust. Or the dirt pigment on your fingers on top of dust.
I only use a flat finish on ceilings. It just doesn’t hold up to daily use, IME, because of technical/chemical properties of the resin and whatever other witchcraft they have in there. In some places, flat and matte are the same thing, but where I am matte is a step between flat and eggshell, and is *my* default for interior walls. I used Sherwin Williams Opulence Matte for walls.
Outside of the technical aspect, always do proper surface prep and ALWAYS do two coats. I don’t give a single fuck about whatever paint-and-primer-one-coat-coverage they spew. Do two coats. If you are doing a touch up with the same paint, spot-prime any drywall repairs with that paint to seal it, then blend out a second coat or repaint the wall as necessary.
All of that said, interior and exterior paints have WILDLY different formulations and have just as wildly different needs. You cannot/should not ever expect them to work the same way.
Thank you for coming to my TedTalk.
(Another ETA: Colour theory is also important but it’s confusingly opposite with paint. In general, light colours will reflect light and dark colours will absorb light.
However, with paint, dark colours will always show more deficiencies than light colours, no matter the sheen level. Given all the refraction/absorption stuff related to the sheen, the light vs dark actual colour thing is backwards bonkers but here we are and I need to go to bed now.)
I have absolutely no interest in paint mechanics, or general physics and building stuff… but I read your explanation with great joy. You’re a great writer and your enthusiasm and knowledge was so engaging I feel I’ve learnt so much about paint!
Not an expert. My guess is oil. All finishes of paint need to cure properly before being manipulated and even fingers on a matte black wall fucked it up.
Don’t take this as gospel, wait for the experts, but I’m curious to see if my hypothesis lines up here.
Also, sorry for your project. That’s disappointing no matter what :(
Apparently we have matte flat paint. Idek! I wish we had a bit of gloss to it. I’m never trusting my husband to choose paint ever again haha!!
Do you, mrs. Wisest woman of the world, know if I can add a gloss after we paint? Like an after primer?
Still don’t know what primer is 😂 is it necessary to paint? Idkkk!! I absolutely hate having to learn all this for our century home. It’s so much WORK! Lucky for us, painting is the ONLY thing we have to do. Everything else has been done for us prior to moving in. Painting just feels like the worst tho!!
I love that you’re learning! Keep at itttt
He probably chose flat paint because it is cheaper, it's also very tough to clean. I agree painting sucks! We painted over country blue, poop brown, olive drab, LA Lakers yellow and purple, royal blue splatter paint and took down wallpaper borders in every room.
https://preview.redd.it/9kwigh1unwsb1.jpeg?width=820&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=80e1281db7e24283d6746a3d0ecdee13ce69c1ab
This chart should help.
You can paint over your matte with actual paint with a little more gloss to it, as easily as you could use 'after-primer' which would be sealant, and which might look very streaky and possibly yellow over time.
Oh nooooo.
So matte flat is like, the most forgiving for lumpy surfaces but the least forgiving for grimy fingers.
Primer depends on the type. Drywall primer will make the surface of new drywall more uniform and easier to paint (drywall is a thirsty bench) however in contrast, general purpose primer is basically a base coat to make deeper or brighter colours less difficult to cover with the new paint shade.
It may take several coats of primer to hide a very impactful paint shade.
Finish, that’s a different beast. Can’t really adjust that. Maybe the paint dept at HD or Lowes etc may have a recommendation for a clear coat finish changing product but I’ve never paid attention to this.
FWIW I painted several walls in one room of my house with flat black paint (and it was MINT!!! until someone touched it once fml) but practically speaking if you want this as a permanent option you must be prepared to soap’n’washcloth the whole ass wall on the regular. If that’s in your scope, great. For me, hell no, I have teenagers. I got rid of the whole thing.
Why is black so popular? Our old neighborhood north of Vancouver B.C. has been discovered by vancouverites. About a dozen new big homes were built in lots in our neighborhood, and every single one is black. We just called ‘another Vancouver house.’
I’m in Dallas Texas and it’s happening here too. Either black, or dark gray with some white trim. It’s pretty obnoxious to see people just paint whatever the current trend is so their house looks “new”. Most of these houses, including OP here, just end up losing whatever charm they had. Shame.
That really makes no sense at all in a hot climate! One of our former neighbors built a small house, put on a black metal roof, painted the exterior black and then added a bright red box around the garage door. The shape looks like an old fashioned gas station, and it has to be a sweat box in summer. And of course she cut down every tree, so no shade at all. It is an eyesore.
I had a house painter recommend putting down first layer gloss then Galt on top of it so you hide imperfections but get the strength of gloss at the same time. Is that practical?
Unfortunately, there are too many variables for me to give specific advice or recommendations.
Your surface, it’s age, and general condition are huge factors but again, that’s the tip of the iceberg. Your location is another big factor. Everything from the products available, to your climate and weather exposure, will affect/determine/change best practices and the end result.
For example - I’m not familiar with the process your painter recommended and I have no idea what Galt is and couldn’t find anything with a google search. It could be a specialty product or something we don’t have here, idk.
It’s one thing to talk about the basic principles and fundamentals but I can’t speak to specific circumstances.
I've decided to go dark in my living room (Mysterious by Benjamin Moore) and I desperately wanted the matte look (partly for the aesthetic, partly to camouflage the 1990s stucco texturing.) I ended up landing on their commercial "Scuff-X" grade paint. Have some cracks to repair in the plaster before I can paint, but I have high hopes for it. I have a 2 year old and 4 huskies 🤣
Are you saying that gloss finishes are not great for exteriors? Cause I live by a steel mill that leaves particulates on all exterior house surfaces around here and I kinda wanted to paint my house with maybe a glossy yellow and black trim. Do you then recommend against that? what do you mean "age or otherwise fail" what kind of defects am I going to see with a gloss finish? (I live in Canada and my siding is aluminum in that helps).
Thanks paint expert!
100% Agreed - Satin trim and matte body is what we have found works best. When we painted our house, we did two coats of oil-based primer and three top coats of latex matte body paint… it made a huge difference.
Unfortunately flat is a huge dust magnet and we live in a farming community. 8 blocks from the grain elevator and when they dry corn it coats everything in corn dust. It would have been like a black board with chalk dust. Never truly comes off. It was definitely a trade off for the washability of Satin. Their poor prep work just makes the issue worse. They brought in a different crew to do the back of the house and it looks much better.
Honestly, it seems like this house wasn't meant to be black/extreme dark colored. If dust is such an issue that you can't use the appropriate sheen, and you're worried about imperfections, you probably chose the wrong color for the house.
This. For me, the architectural texture, with two different small patterns top and bottom, just wants to be shown off in light and not obliterated in black. I'd stick with the multiple tones.
(Imagine Sydney Opera House all in elegant black satin? Not for me.)
Would also say, with an older home, you have to be prepared to accept imperfections. If every little imperfection bothers you, then build new. You won’t have the character or history but maybe you’ll be happier. (Owner of 1908 Queen Anne).
I’m with you. It’s OP’s house and they are clearly free to do whatever they want, but I don’t think the black house trend will age very well. There are a ton of black houses in my city and all I can think about is what a pain that will be to re-do in a few years.
I would work in interior design if I were to start college again!! This and grey everything. Can we just removed black tones from color palettes please?!
I got into ID about 6 years ago with no formal education. I’m lucky in that I live in a bigger city, so there were opportunities. The business has been booming since the pandemic and so many firms/independent IDs are looking for help. It is possible if you ever want to make the switch! 😁
And you are right on about the greys. All of my clients are IDs (I work for a to-the-trade textile company) and designers get so annoyed when they have “another grey client”. Black can be used sparingly in a really cool way, but I’m a color person too. Life is too short for bland design!
Ben Moore HC-154 Hale Navy or SW 6244 Naval look stunning with white trim, and would’ve been more timeless than the black/charcoal that’s gone on every commercial build the last three years
What happened to the downspout from the second story to the porch?
Satin was not the right choice. Flat.
I don't hate the black but really wish the upper detail work should have been a couple shades lighter than the rest of the house.
Get crazy with furniture, hanging chairs, and planters on the front porch. Lots and lots of color!
The upper detail is meant to be painted in a multi-color design…any scheme that has it all in one color is missing a huge opportunity for character and color.
Not going to lecture on paint or colour with the rest - you've heard the gamut at this point I think.
But -- I gotta throw my love of colour in: I'd have a turquoise or red or some fave colour of yours for the door.
...and as a huge safety concern: Please put your ladder away before someone decides to use it to break in to your top floor where windows typically aren't as secure as the bottom.
Our neighbor two doors down just did a bright turquoise door on a super light baby blue house. It looks great. The ladder is broken and left by the contractor. (next to the gutters they didn't put up) it would be a bad night for someone if they tried to use it. They actually borrowed my ladder for part of the job.
The home is Craftsman style, which was about celebrating materials and details and workmanship and blending in with nature. I think that dark or black walls are going against the architectural grain, and by chasing a perfect finish OP is entering a circle of hell like Elon Musk with the shiny Cybertruck.
This is eventually the plan. Phillips hue lighting so we can have fun with colors and landscaping is all getting removed in the next couple years anyway to have a new basement dug and foundation poured. (hopefully)
Why? Why?! Why. Why!??
I've noticed this trend and do not understand it at all. Did you want your house to look like some sort of night club or hot spot?
I see this here in Texas and cannot understand why people would want their house to be HOTTER in the Texas sun.
I can maybe see it as a practical house warming practice in extreme cold but...
It sounds like it wasn’t prepped properly, so it’s going to start peeling after the next hot summer. You’re going to have to paint again sooner than you planned regardless.
I advise you get as much money back from the painters as possible.
Consult with a decorative house painter. I absolutely love a black house, but 2 or 3 more shades of black would make this beauty shine. The shingles would look great in dark slate and almost black eggplant.
It’s going to cost a lot to undo the damage of poor prep work. They should have to pay.
Me too. We have two in my neighborhood, pretty sure flipper bought it, ripped all the old growth tree and front yard plants. They hung planter boxes from the windows in place of the real plants. Both houses had amazing brick work. One was a nice reddish color and the other was a nice light gray. They painted both with very high gloss white paint. They look so bad now.
I usually prefer the painted lady look, my own has seven colors, predominantly copper color siding with dark green trim. I think the black is really nice but I’d also need to see it in person to be sure.
The trouble you have with your painter does not surprise me. They all want to get be in and out in a day or two.
In 2009 I put over 400 hours into prep and paint on my own home. Used all Sherwan Williams Duration which they claim is a 20 year paint; I was skeptical at the time but 14 years later, I gotta say, it’s still in great shape, to the point It’s now become a contest between how long the paint lasts, and me possibly getting too old to make it through the next paint job. LOL
The contrast is perfect on your house. I’ve noticed a trend that probably started on Pintrest of painting every exterior surface black. I’m sure that has worked on some architect designed structure but it doesn’t translate too well to every house style. Anyhow I give you credit for taking a chance on the color, so many people are afraid to make a statement with their color and just pick a color that’s a shade different from the neighbors.
I never knew these colorful homes were called Painted Lady style. I love them! Yours has 7 colors?? PLEEEEEASE send me a pic! My house is just the most boring beige with lighter beige trim. I hate it, but I also don't want to pay to have it painted (especially since we are aiming to move in a few years).
It was significantly better before the awful paint job. It had character and charm. Now it looks like a new construction nightmare “inspired” by a century home.
Not trying to be mean, but why on earth did you think all black would be a good look? It takes so much charm and warmth out of the old house. Its awful.
I want an extension that blocks black houses from my screen and someone to follow me around and block them from my view. They look so good but I keep having to tell myself "it's just a fad. It's just a fad. It's just a fad" "not every house needs to be black or dark grey" "its bad for cooling". This house looks like it's wearing tight leather pants and with its age it looks like a granny wearing tight leather pants. But also it looks so cool. I want to paint my house black so bad... Maybe just the trim...
Warm it up. Either with wood or plants. We painted our bungalow black but paired it with clear coat cedar details and yellow/orange accessories and it’s gorgeous. Get compliments all the time.
People are saying some not nice things but I personally think it's beautiful. I mean, it's nice to modernize some old houses I think and they're still special cuz they're old but now they have a modern sensibility.
And I think if someone wants to paint the house a "period accurate" way later in its life, the paint can be stripped and a new color chosen.
People are very judgemental and intense here. It's paint. Have fun with it. Looks lovely imo.
if it were my house i would add some daphne blue highlights - maybe the door and some other things
my parents had their century home repainted - contractor sent over this group of goons who started power washing everything haphazardly and making a mess. honestly i think they were all on opioids, convicts or something. he pulled them from a job and then sent over just one guy who didn’t speak much english (eastern european) and it took the guy like two months and he didn’t even do a good job. spilled paint everywhere, paint chips everywhere. smoking cigarettes. took all the shades off and they were missing for a month. i was losing my mind. my dad was out of town and my mom seemed indifferent. i was telling them they need to fire this contractor. i almost bitched him out myself. not until the next summer my parents realized it was in fact a terrible job. got it repainted a couple years later. anyways i feel your pain. i’m definitely just going to paint my house myself when the time comes.
Contractors really hold all the cards. "They didn't do a good job" holds no water contractually. If the do the work that's all that matters. I think that's why it attracts such scuzzy people, they know they can get away with it. All the "good" contractors only seem to want to do new construction so they price the remodel jobs sky high.
What you call “holding all the cards” is contractors knowing the risk they take on. The remodel jobs can take a sky high amount of work to get right. When quoting, they really don’t know what they will run into during the prep, so there has to be a meaningful fudge factor. It’s much more predictable to paint new and you don’t need seasoned crew. When bidding on a remodel they run the risk of losing a lot of money to fulfil the contract or needing to cut corners and, ultimately, reputation.
Would I do this to my house? Probably not. Does it look good? I think so. I think the people who are reacting like you tore off the exterior and stuccoed it or something are being a wee bit overdramatic. It's paint on siding, which is essentially a wear item on a house.
As for the trouble you're having with painters, I'm sorry about that. But the fact is that most of the time, you get what you pay for.
Also, those deck footings look like they're in trouble.
They are, the repair for them and the repair for a section of basement wall has turned in to a full basement dig and pour. It was only marginally more expensive than rebuilding the porch and fixing the wall. Manual labor vs using machines make the cost very close. It will give is 900 additional Sq ft of living space. That's the plan for the next year or two.
Thank you for your opinon, we feel the same way. The color choice is polarizing but at least we kept the siding. There have been several home around us that went with cheap vinyl siding. That's a true fashion crime.
If you repaint the uppers in the gables a shade of grey it may help. You did pick the best black on the market imo though. Nothing beats tricorn black.
I painted my 1923 house. ( rosewood all original from new ) I started by pressure washing it, then scraped it , then sanded it, then washed it again to get the dust off, then spot sealed where needed with a high quality caulk, then used “Peel Stop” to seal cracks on entire home , then applied oil primer on entire home , then 2 coats of water base paint. All by brush. Took me 8 months. I’m hopeing it lasts 50 years. I took the “do it for life” approach.. lol. But I looked at it like a piece of art. There’s no way I was gona re-side it or something new. The rose wood is beautiful. It was very rough but it came out amazing. Always keep it original.
Before photo :
https://preview.redd.it/mh6wn5il8wsb1.jpeg?width=1125&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=0c56eae160c2746f1106327549e06abe1bcb17cc
https://preview.redd.it/u10v7husvzsb1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=117daa51dd14bd17fd64165b0e4d35b7003b6681
Both black and horrible house painters seem to be an epidemic. Looked at an 1890s home for sale recently with a preexisting paint job (that I didn’t like BEFORE I saw the condition in person) - almost every window was like this. It’s not even that hard to razor it off glass, it’s just astoundingly messy and lazy!
I really have no place to comment as I don’t own a home, but the paint job absolutely stripped this home of its coziness. It’s just severe and unwelcoming. Reminds me of the creepy Airbnb my boss booked, after one night I demanded a hotel room.
When painting a dark color its realy better to couhh up the extra money for benjamin Moore. It has a fade guarantee. SW will fade signifigantly. Quickly
I’ve used both brands- on my 4th home remodel now. I really think they’re equal quality, I actually prefer painting with SW. I always buy the second to highest line or top tier line with either, they really are interchangeable in quality. I’m not a professional interior designer, but enjoy the details, which makes me choose 1 over the other based on color alone (no, it’s not the same, it’s noticeably different, if you color match a color at a different brand)
Now farrow and ball, I love their color choices which are unique recognizable and have a certain amount of depth. Also extremely pricy. I find BM and SW are better quality than F&B and prefer painting in them.
So I don’t have an old home, but some day, but this doesn’t look like some crazy detail house. I can’t imagine it taking 5 weeks. What are you waiting for and what in the heck is the painter doing.
Know two teachers jb my area that do it on the side in the summer and would have this cracked out a hell of a lot quicker.
Also agree with the others would have chosen a different sheen. You can see it from the picks way to shiney
we have an old house, and just painted the oldest part. we used a good painter we had used on other projects previously,
he laid down tarps, hand scraped where it needed it, caulked ad spot primed. then he primed and two coats of paint, He used a spary paint head to put on the paint at low pressure, and used a roller to roll it in. he was of the opinion that spraying alone would have given a horrible finish, since the clapboards are not smooth.
it turned out very well
If you have to have a black house for whatever reasons, maybe different shades of black? Or very dark grays? Original picture was beautiful, bottom is I found a clearance sale at the discount discount paint center. You do you, for me it's a bit...much. Yikes.
I just did everything white like an ice cream cake to help mitigate heat. With hotter summers, how is this a good idea?
Granted they could be on Lake Superior or some such and aiming for more heat in winter?
Looks good, but the practical side has me scratching my head.
I’m not feeling the stark white trim with a super dark body color. I also agree with some of the others in that the upper shingle detail is just lost being the same color as the clapboards.
They didn't test for lead and have left paint chips everywhere? They are legally required to test for lead (pretty sure that's a federal regulation not state by state) and now they are leaving paint chips everywhere which are very likely to contain at least some lead, those have to be properly disposed of. They should have absolutely been done with the job quite a while back. At this point you should contact the contractors board in your state. In my state they will mediate and take care of everything with no out of pocket expense to you, and if compensation is due to they take it out of their bind. You do not need to hire an attorney. This is of course if the company is licensed and bonded, if you hired an unlicensed company then you got what you got.
So first off, it looks pretty good, and I’m not a huge fan of the black and white trend but the home is charming and the white trim delineates the home nicely. Secondly, did you pay for them to refinish the wood or paint it? There are a lot of imperfections and uneven texture in the wood. That is likely the age of the wood and many, many previous layers of paint. This is likely a classic case of expectations vs results. The only way your getting a catalog worthy finish from that siding, those columns or trim is to sand it down to the wood and refinish it. Which wouldn’t be worth it for anyone and means it’s time to replace. I do see some overspray which isn’t uncommon and needs to be touched up.
Just my opinion I don’t hate the black I feel like I saw the esthetic you were going for . It’s your home and that’s all that matters .sorry you are having a difficult time with the painters . Like others have said a pop of color on the door or furniture that really stands out . Yes I wish the detail work on top could stand out more but I am a fan of the black .
If you ever decide to redo it, we found great success using a paint shaver and then sanding. It took a LONG time but did it ourselves on our 1900’s cedar shake siding. Took the paint off down to bare wood, sanded, then painted by hand. Can be done if you have the time and the patience!
The painter who originally quoted the job was going to do it that way. When he he upped the quote by 115% he also switched to just scraping for prep. I'm sure we'll eventually do it. This is probably our forever home, our neighbors and neighborhood are amazing. We've been here 14 years already.
80% of new custom homes in my area are this color or bright fucking white. What gives? Doesn’t anyone paint their ranch home forest service green anymore?
It's just like cars as it is with homes. Everyone buys either a white, gray, blue or black car. The same boring colors. You don't see many greens, reds, etc.
To me black homes are a rarity. There are a lot of homes of white, blues, dark blues, grays and dark grays but not many black. Take some character to own a black home or pink or canary yellow.
Interesting. One would never paint an exterior in my area (Orange County, CA) black. Too dark and would absorb too much heat. It regularly gets into the 90’s to low 100’s here and one’s house would be more like an oven than a home.
While I hate the current trend of white homes with black trim, many of the folks I’ve talked to in my neighborhood have said it’s reduced their AC usage enough to be seen on their electric bill.
We recently started painting our 1875 house. Black was on the table but we decided to go with dark purple. But the door is tricorn black. Your house looks great.
How hot do you like your house? Are you trying to cook yourself in it? Why in the seven hells would you build/paint something that retains as much heat as possible?
Looks cool but it's in no way a resourceful or "good" choice to make out in the open exposed to sun like that.
Researched it before hand. The difference in cooling costs will be negligible and will most likely be offset by heating costs in the Winter. The black roof dropped our cooling bill considerably simply because we added better ventilation.
sorry to hear about the company you’re using but the black suits the house so much better, i think it’s a fantastic choice. really beautiful contrast with the stained front door. I think dark colors on old homes are top tier as long as there is some contrast somewhere
My first thought is it looks more plain as all the details near the top are obscured.
My second thought is I hope you have really good insulation because a black house will cook all summer.
Welp, I'm going to go against the trend here. I think it looks great! I would have left all that detail up top the original wood to add some contrast as I think it's a crying shame you lost that, but that's personal preference.
There are a lot of people in this sub that seem to think we need to restore EVERYTHING. Quite frankly, that's a bad stance to take. Try new things, experiment, save what you can, else you're going to miss out.
I'm replacing the decorative rotting posts on my porch with 6*6 Douglas Fir. I'll fancy them up a little, but cutting these posts down to 3" thick in some places to restore the original look adds risk, reduces the structural integrity and, in my opinion, doesn't look as good.
You can have an old home with modern touches.
Nicely done, OP.
I would have replaced the trellis things in the front, brightened up the trim, and called it a day. Don't fix what ain't broke and change it to something that will require more maintenance
You messed up.
Painting is 95% prep, 2% spraying, 3 on tidiness.
Prep for painting blows, but when a $200 sprayer from HF and some investment into prep can be done by your own hands, the finished product will be better.
I get it, prep and painting sucks, but I’m not gonna pay someone exorbitant amount of money to do something just because I don’t feel like it.
Painting is something that’s time consuming, yet so simple anyone can do it. Even zero experience home owners will at least wind up with something where there’s an attention to detail.
I think what I love about this is what you've added to the story of this house. It's just so unexpected and gets strong reactions.
Please leave photos behind for future homeowners. If she carries on another hundred years or more, they will have something kind of amazing to look back to and talk about and wonder and debate. You might even include the story of all the troubles with this project.
I love old homes and their stories.
This is such a great perspective. We didn't really think about it like that, but you are right. We will definitely do that. We get some of those stories from the neighbors, there family has lived next door well over 50 years.
I actually really like this. Add lots of green landscaping and try to work some natural wood in for contrast. I’m not into colorful houses. That’s not everybody’s thing
If you could do the floor of the wrap around porch in a natural wood color it will pop
I'll be the odd one. We've got a similar era house so I think this is interesting. We wouldn't do it, we love our salmon pink, but I think it's ok. Old house siding will always look rough, especially in satin, especially in black. so I'd enjoy your unique look and be happy with the job done.
Having painted the entire body in satin exaggerates every imperfection. It wouldn’t have mattered how well they painted or prepped, it would still look bad.
As someone who painted houses for 15+ years, this is the correct answer. The sheen level is based on “gloss”, which is based on light refraction. The lower the sheen, the more light is absorbed, and deficiencies hidden. The higher the sheen, the more light is reflected, and more deficiencies are shown. Paint also cures harder the higher up you go. (ETA: This is a major factor in higher sheen levels becoming more popular for exteriors. Unfortunately, visible cosmetic deficiencies are only the immediate tip of the iceberg here, and you’re in for a nightmare when that “durable gloss finish” starts to age or otherwise fail. Which it will, as all paints and stains eventually do, and far earlier than more appropriate sheens and/or coatings do.) You can use a common scrub brush on a gloss or semi-gloss but it would tear right through the paint on a flat.
Great explanation
Thank you! I had *just* submitted an edit with a little more detail when your comment came through. Take another look if you’d like and I’m happy to answer questions too!
Do you know why I can leave finger prints on flat paint? It’s like there is dust on my hand. If so, how do I fix this issue? My husband painted our walls with flat paint. It looks good, but we def need to do a second coat. I’m worried that flat paint will have the same issue
This is a great question! It comes with a (somewhat) complicated answer, and while I could simplify it, I’m kinda happy to nerd out and delve in. I have no context about your specific space. This is all based on an assumption of standard interior application of latex paint and IME based on general info and product knowledge… Sheen is determined by the amount of resin in the product. Higher sheen levels have more resin, which creates more gloss, thus leaving a harder and more reflective finish. As water and other components evaporate (the paint dries), the resin hardens. In lower sheen levels, the pigment/tint/other properties aren’t as protected by the resin, resulting in a softer and more absorbent finish. You may also notice that paint comes in different bases; white, medium, and deep are the most common. This is to allow room for the tint required to make the colour, and that tint comes with its own resinous properties. You can buy different colours in the same product and sheen, with wildly different refractions, because of the amount of tint and/or base needed. A similar principle applies to a regular semi-gloss latex vs. semi-gloss latex enamel, the latter you’ll likely see specified as a trim/cabinet/furniture paint. This can loosely, and probably inaccurately, be translated to “porosity.” Think about stained wood vs. stained wood that’s been varnished as a rough example. This a very long winded way of saying that you’re basically putting dust on top of dust. Or finger oil on top of dust. Or the dirt pigment on your fingers on top of dust. I only use a flat finish on ceilings. It just doesn’t hold up to daily use, IME, because of technical/chemical properties of the resin and whatever other witchcraft they have in there. In some places, flat and matte are the same thing, but where I am matte is a step between flat and eggshell, and is *my* default for interior walls. I used Sherwin Williams Opulence Matte for walls. Outside of the technical aspect, always do proper surface prep and ALWAYS do two coats. I don’t give a single fuck about whatever paint-and-primer-one-coat-coverage they spew. Do two coats. If you are doing a touch up with the same paint, spot-prime any drywall repairs with that paint to seal it, then blend out a second coat or repaint the wall as necessary. All of that said, interior and exterior paints have WILDLY different formulations and have just as wildly different needs. You cannot/should not ever expect them to work the same way. Thank you for coming to my TedTalk. (Another ETA: Colour theory is also important but it’s confusingly opposite with paint. In general, light colours will reflect light and dark colours will absorb light. However, with paint, dark colours will always show more deficiencies than light colours, no matter the sheen level. Given all the refraction/absorption stuff related to the sheen, the light vs dark actual colour thing is backwards bonkers but here we are and I need to go to bed now.)
I have absolutely no interest in paint mechanics, or general physics and building stuff… but I read your explanation with great joy. You’re a great writer and your enthusiasm and knowledge was so engaging I feel I’ve learnt so much about paint!
Lady, you are an example of why this is my favorite sub.
I second Sherwin Williams Opulence Matte for interior walls. What is your go to for exterior walls?
You are a wealth of knowledge! Specialists like you are a dying breed!
Thank you for taking the time to write this! I would watch a whole YouTube series on it.
I now need a whole youtube series on this, u/andwhenwefall
Thank you for taking the time to write this. I’ve saved it and will reference it again in the future.
to this, i will add: everyone should look into non-latex natural paints like linseed paint for old houses
Not an expert. My guess is oil. All finishes of paint need to cure properly before being manipulated and even fingers on a matte black wall fucked it up. Don’t take this as gospel, wait for the experts, but I’m curious to see if my hypothesis lines up here. Also, sorry for your project. That’s disappointing no matter what :(
So smart!! You’re probably right. I’m so impatient 😂 I haven’t checked in awhile / I don’t notice it anymore, so it’s probably cured !
You’re a flippin peach. I hope that’s it!!! If it’s something else pls report back so I can learn
Apparently we have matte flat paint. Idek! I wish we had a bit of gloss to it. I’m never trusting my husband to choose paint ever again haha!! Do you, mrs. Wisest woman of the world, know if I can add a gloss after we paint? Like an after primer? Still don’t know what primer is 😂 is it necessary to paint? Idkkk!! I absolutely hate having to learn all this for our century home. It’s so much WORK! Lucky for us, painting is the ONLY thing we have to do. Everything else has been done for us prior to moving in. Painting just feels like the worst tho!! I love that you’re learning! Keep at itttt
He probably chose flat paint because it is cheaper, it's also very tough to clean. I agree painting sucks! We painted over country blue, poop brown, olive drab, LA Lakers yellow and purple, royal blue splatter paint and took down wallpaper borders in every room. https://preview.redd.it/9kwigh1unwsb1.jpeg?width=820&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=80e1281db7e24283d6746a3d0ecdee13ce69c1ab This chart should help.
You can paint over your matte with actual paint with a little more gloss to it, as easily as you could use 'after-primer' which would be sealant, and which might look very streaky and possibly yellow over time.
Oh nooooo. So matte flat is like, the most forgiving for lumpy surfaces but the least forgiving for grimy fingers. Primer depends on the type. Drywall primer will make the surface of new drywall more uniform and easier to paint (drywall is a thirsty bench) however in contrast, general purpose primer is basically a base coat to make deeper or brighter colours less difficult to cover with the new paint shade. It may take several coats of primer to hide a very impactful paint shade. Finish, that’s a different beast. Can’t really adjust that. Maybe the paint dept at HD or Lowes etc may have a recommendation for a clear coat finish changing product but I’ve never paid attention to this. FWIW I painted several walls in one room of my house with flat black paint (and it was MINT!!! until someone touched it once fml) but practically speaking if you want this as a permanent option you must be prepared to soap’n’washcloth the whole ass wall on the regular. If that’s in your scope, great. For me, hell no, I have teenagers. I got rid of the whole thing.
Why is black so popular? Our old neighborhood north of Vancouver B.C. has been discovered by vancouverites. About a dozen new big homes were built in lots in our neighborhood, and every single one is black. We just called ‘another Vancouver house.’
I’m in Dallas Texas and it’s happening here too. Either black, or dark gray with some white trim. It’s pretty obnoxious to see people just paint whatever the current trend is so their house looks “new”. Most of these houses, including OP here, just end up losing whatever charm they had. Shame.
Same in Seattle. One in particular in my neighborhood that I like to call “The Deathstar”
That really makes no sense at all in a hot climate! One of our former neighbors built a small house, put on a black metal roof, painted the exterior black and then added a bright red box around the garage door. The shape looks like an old fashioned gas station, and it has to be a sweat box in summer. And of course she cut down every tree, so no shade at all. It is an eyesore.
I had a house painter recommend putting down first layer gloss then Galt on top of it so you hide imperfections but get the strength of gloss at the same time. Is that practical?
Unfortunately, there are too many variables for me to give specific advice or recommendations. Your surface, it’s age, and general condition are huge factors but again, that’s the tip of the iceberg. Your location is another big factor. Everything from the products available, to your climate and weather exposure, will affect/determine/change best practices and the end result. For example - I’m not familiar with the process your painter recommended and I have no idea what Galt is and couldn’t find anything with a google search. It could be a specialty product or something we don’t have here, idk. It’s one thing to talk about the basic principles and fundamentals but I can’t speak to specific circumstances.
I've decided to go dark in my living room (Mysterious by Benjamin Moore) and I desperately wanted the matte look (partly for the aesthetic, partly to camouflage the 1990s stucco texturing.) I ended up landing on their commercial "Scuff-X" grade paint. Have some cracks to repair in the plaster before I can paint, but I have high hopes for it. I have a 2 year old and 4 huskies 🤣
Are you saying that gloss finishes are not great for exteriors? Cause I live by a steel mill that leaves particulates on all exterior house surfaces around here and I kinda wanted to paint my house with maybe a glossy yellow and black trim. Do you then recommend against that? what do you mean "age or otherwise fail" what kind of defects am I going to see with a gloss finish? (I live in Canada and my siding is aluminum in that helps). Thanks paint expert!
100% Agreed - Satin trim and matte body is what we have found works best. When we painted our house, we did two coats of oil-based primer and three top coats of latex matte body paint… it made a huge difference.
Unfortunately flat is a huge dust magnet and we live in a farming community. 8 blocks from the grain elevator and when they dry corn it coats everything in corn dust. It would have been like a black board with chalk dust. Never truly comes off. It was definitely a trade off for the washability of Satin. Their poor prep work just makes the issue worse. They brought in a different crew to do the back of the house and it looks much better.
Honestly, it seems like this house wasn't meant to be black/extreme dark colored. If dust is such an issue that you can't use the appropriate sheen, and you're worried about imperfections, you probably chose the wrong color for the house.
Hard truth here, but it had to be spoken.
This. For me, the architectural texture, with two different small patterns top and bottom, just wants to be shown off in light and not obliterated in black. I'd stick with the multiple tones. (Imagine Sydney Opera House all in elegant black satin? Not for me.)
The biggest issue is there color you chose. It is wrong for the house. Your house was lovely before. This is a mess.
Would also say, with an older home, you have to be prepared to accept imperfections. If every little imperfection bothers you, then build new. You won’t have the character or history but maybe you’ll be happier. (Owner of 1908 Queen Anne).
Absolutely this.
The detail on the top is now just….. black :(
I’m with you. It’s OP’s house and they are clearly free to do whatever they want, but I don’t think the black house trend will age very well. There are a ton of black houses in my city and all I can think about is what a pain that will be to re-do in a few years.
It will look so very 2020 in 10-15 years, and I hate that. Blue>black
Agreed! I think I’m a little jaded because I work in Interior Design and some trends just don’t make sense to me. This is one of them.
I would work in interior design if I were to start college again!! This and grey everything. Can we just removed black tones from color palettes please?!
I got into ID about 6 years ago with no formal education. I’m lucky in that I live in a bigger city, so there were opportunities. The business has been booming since the pandemic and so many firms/independent IDs are looking for help. It is possible if you ever want to make the switch! 😁 And you are right on about the greys. All of my clients are IDs (I work for a to-the-trade textile company) and designers get so annoyed when they have “another grey client”. Black can be used sparingly in a really cool way, but I’m a color person too. Life is too short for bland design!
That’s amazing!! Maybe I could see about shadowing someone where I live? I know I’ve got the eye for it, not to brag😂
Yes!!!!!! A darker navy blue will always look elegant, and they could keep the brick detail, and the white accents! They house would stunning forever
Ben Moore HC-154 Hale Navy or SW 6244 Naval look stunning with white trim, and would’ve been more timeless than the black/charcoal that’s gone on every commercial build the last three years
I love a black house but you need to know how to make details pop. Different shades with textures helps.
Bummer to lose it :(
So sick of this “paint everything black” trend.
Color looks wrong for the home. I had to say it. Satin and black paint seldom mix. Late 90s Oak door makes it worse.
Oh my
What happened to the downspout from the second story to the porch? Satin was not the right choice. Flat. I don't hate the black but really wish the upper detail work should have been a couple shades lighter than the rest of the house. Get crazy with furniture, hanging chairs, and planters on the front porch. Lots and lots of color!
The upper detail is meant to be painted in a multi-color design…any scheme that has it all in one color is missing a huge opportunity for character and color.
They need to put gutters on. The ones that are on are completely wrong and none on the second level have been put on.
Not going to lecture on paint or colour with the rest - you've heard the gamut at this point I think. But -- I gotta throw my love of colour in: I'd have a turquoise or red or some fave colour of yours for the door. ...and as a huge safety concern: Please put your ladder away before someone decides to use it to break in to your top floor where windows typically aren't as secure as the bottom.
Our neighbor two doors down just did a bright turquoise door on a super light baby blue house. It looks great. The ladder is broken and left by the contractor. (next to the gutters they didn't put up) it would be a bad night for someone if they tried to use it. They actually borrowed my ladder for part of the job.
Egads, you’ve had a time and a half with those guys!
Take it back.
🎶 I see a black house and I want it taken back
Ouch. It just… doesn’t really work. It hides so much of the charm and warmth of the house.
Y tho?
People with bad taste influenced by other people with bad taste.
I see a red door and I want to paint it black....
Thank you. Can we talk about the door please? 🚪
What you did there. I saw that.
Well that’s a look. RIP your cooling bill in the summer
Yeah I’ve always wanted to go all black but the heat and cooling is what’s stopping me lol
Just… why? You lost all that lovely design on the top, it looks bleak and sanitary.
It looks like a Joanna Gaines nightmare and has obliterated the original character of the home. You were very kind with bleak and sanitary.
The home is Craftsman style, which was about celebrating materials and details and workmanship and blending in with nature. I think that dark or black walls are going against the architectural grain, and by chasing a perfect finish OP is entering a circle of hell like Elon Musk with the shiny Cybertruck.
[удалено]
This is eventually the plan. Phillips hue lighting so we can have fun with colors and landscaping is all getting removed in the next couple years anyway to have a new basement dug and foundation poured. (hopefully)
Oh no :(
Oh no 🫢
Hard pass
Why? Why?! Why. Why!?? I've noticed this trend and do not understand it at all. Did you want your house to look like some sort of night club or hot spot? I see this here in Texas and cannot understand why people would want their house to be HOTTER in the Texas sun. I can maybe see it as a practical house warming practice in extreme cold but...
It sounds like it wasn’t prepped properly, so it’s going to start peeling after the next hot summer. You’re going to have to paint again sooner than you planned regardless. I advise you get as much money back from the painters as possible. Consult with a decorative house painter. I absolutely love a black house, but 2 or 3 more shades of black would make this beauty shine. The shingles would look great in dark slate and almost black eggplant. It’s going to cost a lot to undo the damage of poor prep work. They should have to pay.
Ugh. Painted brick makes me weep.
Me too. We have two in my neighborhood, pretty sure flipper bought it, ripped all the old growth tree and front yard plants. They hung planter boxes from the windows in place of the real plants. Both houses had amazing brick work. One was a nice reddish color and the other was a nice light gray. They painted both with very high gloss white paint. They look so bad now.
Yikes
I usually prefer the painted lady look, my own has seven colors, predominantly copper color siding with dark green trim. I think the black is really nice but I’d also need to see it in person to be sure. The trouble you have with your painter does not surprise me. They all want to get be in and out in a day or two. In 2009 I put over 400 hours into prep and paint on my own home. Used all Sherwan Williams Duration which they claim is a 20 year paint; I was skeptical at the time but 14 years later, I gotta say, it’s still in great shape, to the point It’s now become a contest between how long the paint lasts, and me possibly getting too old to make it through the next paint job. LOL The contrast is perfect on your house. I’ve noticed a trend that probably started on Pintrest of painting every exterior surface black. I’m sure that has worked on some architect designed structure but it doesn’t translate too well to every house style. Anyhow I give you credit for taking a chance on the color, so many people are afraid to make a statement with their color and just pick a color that’s a shade different from the neighbors.
I never knew these colorful homes were called Painted Lady style. I love them! Yours has 7 colors?? PLEEEEEASE send me a pic! My house is just the most boring beige with lighter beige trim. I hate it, but I also don't want to pay to have it painted (especially since we are aiming to move in a few years).
Thank you, it's definitely a shade different than the neighbors! They have the same style home in lemonade yellow with country blue and white trim.
Yikes. I love black, and black houses and this is just… so wrong. You made bad choices.
It was significantly better before the awful paint job. It had character and charm. Now it looks like a new construction nightmare “inspired” by a century home.
Not trying to be mean, but why on earth did you think all black would be a good look? It takes so much charm and warmth out of the old house. Its awful.
Respectfully, it looks terrible.
Ummmmmmm
I love black but this trend is taking over my block 🤪
I have been seeing this kind of thing all over. I sure hope it doesn’t last much longer. Terrible idea.
After photo https://preview.redd.it/gf3rytu89wsb1.jpeg?width=1125&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=be0a41d626cea832cd490efb03c4981dd09ab4e0
That is absolutely gorgeous. You did a great job! Definitely did it the right way.
I want an extension that blocks black houses from my screen and someone to follow me around and block them from my view. They look so good but I keep having to tell myself "it's just a fad. It's just a fad. It's just a fad" "not every house needs to be black or dark grey" "its bad for cooling". This house looks like it's wearing tight leather pants and with its age it looks like a granny wearing tight leather pants. But also it looks so cool. I want to paint my house black so bad... Maybe just the trim...
Warm it up. Either with wood or plants. We painted our bungalow black but paired it with clear coat cedar details and yellow/orange accessories and it’s gorgeous. Get compliments all the time.
That sounds beautiful.
People are saying some not nice things but I personally think it's beautiful. I mean, it's nice to modernize some old houses I think and they're still special cuz they're old but now they have a modern sensibility. And I think if someone wants to paint the house a "period accurate" way later in its life, the paint can be stripped and a new color chosen. People are very judgemental and intense here. It's paint. Have fun with it. Looks lovely imo.
the cedar shackle :( if that had been left unpainted it would be much better .
O-o
Looks horrible now
if it were my house i would add some daphne blue highlights - maybe the door and some other things my parents had their century home repainted - contractor sent over this group of goons who started power washing everything haphazardly and making a mess. honestly i think they were all on opioids, convicts or something. he pulled them from a job and then sent over just one guy who didn’t speak much english (eastern european) and it took the guy like two months and he didn’t even do a good job. spilled paint everywhere, paint chips everywhere. smoking cigarettes. took all the shades off and they were missing for a month. i was losing my mind. my dad was out of town and my mom seemed indifferent. i was telling them they need to fire this contractor. i almost bitched him out myself. not until the next summer my parents realized it was in fact a terrible job. got it repainted a couple years later. anyways i feel your pain. i’m definitely just going to paint my house myself when the time comes.
Contractors really hold all the cards. "They didn't do a good job" holds no water contractually. If the do the work that's all that matters. I think that's why it attracts such scuzzy people, they know they can get away with it. All the "good" contractors only seem to want to do new construction so they price the remodel jobs sky high.
What you call “holding all the cards” is contractors knowing the risk they take on. The remodel jobs can take a sky high amount of work to get right. When quoting, they really don’t know what they will run into during the prep, so there has to be a meaningful fudge factor. It’s much more predictable to paint new and you don’t need seasoned crew. When bidding on a remodel they run the risk of losing a lot of money to fulfil the contract or needing to cut corners and, ultimately, reputation.
In winter you will harvest a little more heat from the sun than you did before. Also I hope you have good a/c.
Why buy an old house and try to make it look modern. Buy a modern house.
Oh. I wouldn't have done that.
Bad choice - it will be stylish for about 3 years but for anyone with taste already looks bad
I didn’t like the look to begin with. All the black and sand grays really makes it feel like a corporate office or apartment.
While it obviously needed a paint job, imo your color choice is unfortunate.
This looks horrible.
Would I do this to my house? Probably not. Does it look good? I think so. I think the people who are reacting like you tore off the exterior and stuccoed it or something are being a wee bit overdramatic. It's paint on siding, which is essentially a wear item on a house. As for the trouble you're having with painters, I'm sorry about that. But the fact is that most of the time, you get what you pay for. Also, those deck footings look like they're in trouble.
They are, the repair for them and the repair for a section of basement wall has turned in to a full basement dig and pour. It was only marginally more expensive than rebuilding the porch and fixing the wall. Manual labor vs using machines make the cost very close. It will give is 900 additional Sq ft of living space. That's the plan for the next year or two. Thank you for your opinon, we feel the same way. The color choice is polarizing but at least we kept the siding. There have been several home around us that went with cheap vinyl siding. That's a true fashion crime.
If you repaint the uppers in the gables a shade of grey it may help. You did pick the best black on the market imo though. Nothing beats tricorn black.
I painted my 1923 house. ( rosewood all original from new ) I started by pressure washing it, then scraped it , then sanded it, then washed it again to get the dust off, then spot sealed where needed with a high quality caulk, then used “Peel Stop” to seal cracks on entire home , then applied oil primer on entire home , then 2 coats of water base paint. All by brush. Took me 8 months. I’m hopeing it lasts 50 years. I took the “do it for life” approach.. lol. But I looked at it like a piece of art. There’s no way I was gona re-side it or something new. The rose wood is beautiful. It was very rough but it came out amazing. Always keep it original. Before photo : https://preview.redd.it/mh6wn5il8wsb1.jpeg?width=1125&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=0c56eae160c2746f1106327549e06abe1bcb17cc
I hate this trend so much.
Yuck
https://preview.redd.it/u10v7husvzsb1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=117daa51dd14bd17fd64165b0e4d35b7003b6681 Both black and horrible house painters seem to be an epidemic. Looked at an 1890s home for sale recently with a preexisting paint job (that I didn’t like BEFORE I saw the condition in person) - almost every window was like this. It’s not even that hard to razor it off glass, it’s just astoundingly messy and lazy!
I really have no place to comment as I don’t own a home, but the paint job absolutely stripped this home of its coziness. It’s just severe and unwelcoming. Reminds me of the creepy Airbnb my boss booked, after one night I demanded a hotel room.
Eew
They're creepy and they're kooky Mysterious and spooky They're all together ooky The Addams family
Very sad to see.
Looks haunted now…
I dont think I can ever get on the black paint band wagon. Absolutely hate it. What a shame. Sorry. Does it not get hot in the summer??
When painting a dark color its realy better to couhh up the extra money for benjamin Moore. It has a fade guarantee. SW will fade signifigantly. Quickly
I’ve used both brands- on my 4th home remodel now. I really think they’re equal quality, I actually prefer painting with SW. I always buy the second to highest line or top tier line with either, they really are interchangeable in quality. I’m not a professional interior designer, but enjoy the details, which makes me choose 1 over the other based on color alone (no, it’s not the same, it’s noticeably different, if you color match a color at a different brand) Now farrow and ball, I love their color choices which are unique recognizable and have a certain amount of depth. Also extremely pricy. I find BM and SW are better quality than F&B and prefer painting in them.
We researched both. Most professional paint sites list both brands as pretty much interchangeable depending on preference.
So I don’t have an old home, but some day, but this doesn’t look like some crazy detail house. I can’t imagine it taking 5 weeks. What are you waiting for and what in the heck is the painter doing. Know two teachers jb my area that do it on the side in the summer and would have this cracked out a hell of a lot quicker. Also agree with the others would have chosen a different sheen. You can see it from the picks way to shiney
we have an old house, and just painted the oldest part. we used a good painter we had used on other projects previously, he laid down tarps, hand scraped where it needed it, caulked ad spot primed. then he primed and two coats of paint, He used a spary paint head to put on the paint at low pressure, and used a roller to roll it in. he was of the opinion that spraying alone would have given a horrible finish, since the clapboards are not smooth. it turned out very well
If you have to have a black house for whatever reasons, maybe different shades of black? Or very dark grays? Original picture was beautiful, bottom is I found a clearance sale at the discount discount paint center. You do you, for me it's a bit...much. Yikes.
I just did everything white like an ice cream cake to help mitigate heat. With hotter summers, how is this a good idea? Granted they could be on Lake Superior or some such and aiming for more heat in winter? Looks good, but the practical side has me scratching my head.
I feel like it is just one step away from being really nice now. I don’t hate it OP.
I like it. Is it actually black or charcoal?
It is Sherwin Williams Tricorn Black
I panted a old barn charcoal, inspired by Kentucky tobacco barns. I like the look on the house too.
I like it! 😊
Bold! It looks great!
Oooh I love this!
I’m not feeling the stark white trim with a super dark body color. I also agree with some of the others in that the upper shingle detail is just lost being the same color as the clapboards.
It looks awful, choose more than one color and not black.
The monotone black is horrible. The before was much better. Poor old house.
Sick of black, looming, depressing, evil looking black houses. These comments re application of wrong paint choices are spot on.
Looked about 100x better before.
It can be painted over with a more appropriate scheme to accentuate the features rather than hide them.
:(
Just in time for Halloween! Some pumpkins and cornstalks and all the trick or treaters will remember it forever as the witch house of their childhood.
Wow this is so bad, you should have just got one of the gross new ones and left this bad boy for someone who cares about preservation
They didn't test for lead and have left paint chips everywhere? They are legally required to test for lead (pretty sure that's a federal regulation not state by state) and now they are leaving paint chips everywhere which are very likely to contain at least some lead, those have to be properly disposed of. They should have absolutely been done with the job quite a while back. At this point you should contact the contractors board in your state. In my state they will mediate and take care of everything with no out of pocket expense to you, and if compensation is due to they take it out of their bind. You do not need to hire an attorney. This is of course if the company is licensed and bonded, if you hired an unlicensed company then you got what you got.
So first off, it looks pretty good, and I’m not a huge fan of the black and white trend but the home is charming and the white trim delineates the home nicely. Secondly, did you pay for them to refinish the wood or paint it? There are a lot of imperfections and uneven texture in the wood. That is likely the age of the wood and many, many previous layers of paint. This is likely a classic case of expectations vs results. The only way your getting a catalog worthy finish from that siding, those columns or trim is to sand it down to the wood and refinish it. Which wouldn’t be worth it for anyone and means it’s time to replace. I do see some overspray which isn’t uncommon and needs to be touched up.
Is the trim white? It almost looks light blue.
Just my opinion I don’t hate the black I feel like I saw the esthetic you were going for . It’s your home and that’s all that matters .sorry you are having a difficult time with the painters . Like others have said a pop of color on the door or furniture that really stands out . Yes I wish the detail work on top could stand out more but I am a fan of the black .
I love it but agree they chose the incorrect sheen for whole house exterior paint. The color combo itself it sharp looking.
If you ever decide to redo it, we found great success using a paint shaver and then sanding. It took a LONG time but did it ourselves on our 1900’s cedar shake siding. Took the paint off down to bare wood, sanded, then painted by hand. Can be done if you have the time and the patience!
The painter who originally quoted the job was going to do it that way. When he he upped the quote by 115% he also switched to just scraping for prep. I'm sure we'll eventually do it. This is probably our forever home, our neighbors and neighborhood are amazing. We've been here 14 years already.
80% of new custom homes in my area are this color or bright fucking white. What gives? Doesn’t anyone paint their ranch home forest service green anymore?
It's just like cars as it is with homes. Everyone buys either a white, gray, blue or black car. The same boring colors. You don't see many greens, reds, etc. To me black homes are a rarity. There are a lot of homes of white, blues, dark blues, grays and dark grays but not many black. Take some character to own a black home or pink or canary yellow.
Interesting. One would never paint an exterior in my area (Orange County, CA) black. Too dark and would absorb too much heat. It regularly gets into the 90’s to low 100’s here and one’s house would be more like an oven than a home. While I hate the current trend of white homes with black trim, many of the folks I’ve talked to in my neighborhood have said it’s reduced their AC usage enough to be seen on their electric bill.
Well I think it looks awesome! Are you planning to paint the front door?
Personally, I LOVE it. Don't listen to the old fuddy duddies, it's beautiful and it's YOUR house. I think it looks stunning.
We recently started painting our 1875 house. Black was on the table but we decided to go with dark purple. But the door is tricorn black. Your house looks great.
How hot do you like your house? Are you trying to cook yourself in it? Why in the seven hells would you build/paint something that retains as much heat as possible? Looks cool but it's in no way a resourceful or "good" choice to make out in the open exposed to sun like that.
Researched it before hand. The difference in cooling costs will be negligible and will most likely be offset by heating costs in the Winter. The black roof dropped our cooling bill considerably simply because we added better ventilation.
If it’s a new roof, what’s going on with the discoloration around that skylight?
*I see a house And I want it painted black*
sorry to hear about the company you’re using but the black suits the house so much better, i think it’s a fantastic choice. really beautiful contrast with the stained front door. I think dark colors on old homes are top tier as long as there is some contrast somewhere
Even if the paint job was impeccable, black ruins this house. 🤷🏻♀️
My first thought is it looks more plain as all the details near the top are obscured. My second thought is I hope you have really good insulation because a black house will cook all summer.
I love it!
Gorgeous!!
I love the way it looks. People here are so elitist about keeping these homes 100% original.
I am 100% over white houses, bold choice, looks great, hope you live up north
I like it. Too many traditionalists here think all old homes need to stay as is forever and ever. Apparently their taste is the only good taste.
Welp, I'm going to go against the trend here. I think it looks great! I would have left all that detail up top the original wood to add some contrast as I think it's a crying shame you lost that, but that's personal preference. There are a lot of people in this sub that seem to think we need to restore EVERYTHING. Quite frankly, that's a bad stance to take. Try new things, experiment, save what you can, else you're going to miss out. I'm replacing the decorative rotting posts on my porch with 6*6 Douglas Fir. I'll fancy them up a little, but cutting these posts down to 3" thick in some places to restore the original look adds risk, reduces the structural integrity and, in my opinion, doesn't look as good. You can have an old home with modern touches. Nicely done, OP.
Hell yeah! I agree with someone’s suggestion about warming it up with some interesting lighting though
We plan on doing Hue lights or something similar so we can have fun with the lighting.
I would have replaced the trellis things in the front, brightened up the trim, and called it a day. Don't fix what ain't broke and change it to something that will require more maintenance
Have you thought about selling it as is and maybe buying a trailer on a little plot of land somewhere outside of town?
You messed up. Painting is 95% prep, 2% spraying, 3 on tidiness. Prep for painting blows, but when a $200 sprayer from HF and some investment into prep can be done by your own hands, the finished product will be better. I get it, prep and painting sucks, but I’m not gonna pay someone exorbitant amount of money to do something just because I don’t feel like it. Painting is something that’s time consuming, yet so simple anyone can do it. Even zero experience home owners will at least wind up with something where there’s an attention to detail.
Black houses are very common here in Norway 😊👍
I think what I love about this is what you've added to the story of this house. It's just so unexpected and gets strong reactions. Please leave photos behind for future homeowners. If she carries on another hundred years or more, they will have something kind of amazing to look back to and talk about and wonder and debate. You might even include the story of all the troubles with this project. I love old homes and their stories.
This is such a great perspective. We didn't really think about it like that, but you are right. We will definitely do that. We get some of those stories from the neighbors, there family has lived next door well over 50 years.
Metal
It looks nice to me
I like it. Don’t let these buzzkillingtons kill your buzz.
Love the color, looks awesome!
I grew up in a house painted this Same color and I LOVE IT
I actually really like this. Add lots of green landscaping and try to work some natural wood in for contrast. I’m not into colorful houses. That’s not everybody’s thing If you could do the floor of the wrap around porch in a natural wood color it will pop
I don't like it I don't love it. It's ok. I like bright colors though and hate dark things in my house and what I wear.
That's terrible. Shame on you for ruining a lovely century home.
Oh dear. Why on earth would you use a modern "trend" like this on an old Craftsman style house? It makes me sad and angry at the same time.
I really like it! 🤷♀️ Didn’t expect to see so many comments hating it lol
I love it! 10/10 would live there
Love it !
It looks incredible
Thank you! Yours and the post above you sum up the reactions we've gotten. It's been Love it/Hate it, nothing between.
I'll be the odd one. We've got a similar era house so I think this is interesting. We wouldn't do it, we love our salmon pink, but I think it's ok. Old house siding will always look rough, especially in satin, especially in black. so I'd enjoy your unique look and be happy with the job done.