Victorian House Painting Books

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Willa
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Victorian House Painting Books

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Exterior Decoration: Victorian Colors For Victorian Homes by Devoe Paints

https://www.amazon.com/Exterior-Decorat ... evoe+paint

is a reprint of a catalog from Devoe Paints, c. late 1800's. It has engraving type illustrations of typical victorian houses with several suggested color schemes. It also has some information on old paint formulations and the theory of color use for house painting. There is also a reprint on an early color chart card. This book is a good resource for people who are doing research from a primary source about pre-20th c. exterior house paint. It won't do much in the way of giving useful problem solving tips for house painting dilemmas - but it does put victorian house painting in a specific context.

Victorian Exterior Decoration: How To Paint Your Nineteenth Century American Home Historically, by Roger M.Moss and Gail Caskey Winkler

https://www.amazon.com/Victorian-Exteri ... ation+moss

is extremely useful. It has a chart ("Pictorial Glossary") which names all the parts of your victorian house, period paint swatch information, photos of painted houses, and period illustrations of exterior house paint schemes. Of less use is the chart which has color names and their equivalents from different paint companies, as without a swatch this becomes confusing. There is information about how to paint decorative details correctly (and incorrectly), information about paint removal and surface preparation, and almost everything else that is relevant to painting a victorian house. There isn't info about ladder or scaffolding safety or set up, however. This also won't give a worried reader definitive paint swatch suggestions but has enough visual information to give an overview of appealing paint schemes, and historical black and white photographs to give a reader accurate information.

Painted Ladies series by Elizabeth Pomada/Michael Larson

https://www.amazon.com/Painted-Ladies-F ... ted+ladies

https://www.amazon.com/Americas-Painted ... ted+ladies

https://www.amazon.com/Painted-Ladies-R ... ted+ladies

https://www.amazon.com/Daughters-Painte ... ted+ladies

are a visual refence of some very complex paint schemes on victorian homes, with an emphasis on San Francisco. Many of the paint schemes are what are dismissively referred to as "Boutique" paint schemes by Moss/Winkler. This critique is historically accurate - but the florid details on many SF area homes do look exceptional when painted in many colors. There are some expert colorists in the SF area, so this series of books can be inspirational for anyone contemplating color combinations for their home. Translating this for a plainer home can be a challenge, but there are many unexpected color combinations that are food for thought.

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Manalto
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Re: Victorian House Painting Books

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Interesting stuff; thanks for posting. I like the choice of book cover for "Victorian Exterior Decoration." The paint harmonizes with the house beautifully. Sometimes the colors of a Victorian overwhelm the house. For any era, IMO, the architecture should take center stage, enhanced - not drowned out - by the colors of the paint.

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Willa
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Re: Victorian House Painting Books

Post by Willa »

Manalto wrote:Interesting stuff; thanks for posting. I like the choice of book cover for "Victorian Exterior Decoration." The paint harmonizes with the house beautifully. Sometimes the colors of a Victorian overwhelm the house. For any era, IMO, the architecture should take center stage, enhanced - not drowned out - by the colors of the paint.


That was the book you recommended to me, and it was a big help - thank you.

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