How common is trim that was originally painted?

[JacquieJet]

Just a thought- I’m curious!
My house has entirely painted trim. About 2/3 of the trim is original. When I first moved here, I made a post here about paint colours and was advised to get a heat gun and see what was under all that paint- well, turns out it was more paint, and raw Douglas fir! So, going by several test spots as well as old photos from a PO, I can say with confidence that my house originally was built with painted trim everywhere.
Just how common was this, anyone know? My build date is around 1919. Pretty much all my neighbours’ houses had stained wood originally. Is it maybe because mine is a colonial revival (most in my subdivision are around 10-15 years “newer” than mine and of a different style). I feel like most century homes had stained trim, at least in the common areas. Just something I’m pondering!

[mjt]

Also depends upon architectural style. Colonials, and colonial revivals, have always had painted trim. See the interiors at Mount Vernon and Monticello for example...

[JacquieJet]

Also depends upon architectural style. Colonials, and colonial revivals, have always had painted trim. See the interiors at Mount Vernon and Monticello for example...

Ahh! How interesting!! I had no idea. Thanks for those examples!!

[mjt]

Glad I can help. I have a Georgian Colonial Revival built in 1895 and have grown weary of people asking why we haven't stripped the trim. It's always been painted and because of who the original architect is it's on the National Register.

In addition, some of the most ornate bits in our entry/front hall are plaster, not wood...

[JacquieJet]

Isn’t that lovely!! We actually have a similar rug here! Those crown details are amazing!

I am still trying to track down more info about our builder... I have a company name but no other info... yet...

[Gothichome]

JJet, yes it as MJT mentions, a lot of homes had painted trim, even grand homes like MJTs and others. All comes down to style of home, era in which is was built, money in the budget. A lot of people are of the notion that grand homes would of had stain, it just isn’t so.

[Manalto]

Wasn't it also a common practice to have some parts of the house with natural wood and some painted trim? For example, my living room and dining room had shellac over oak (or whatever) while the kitchen had a different type of wood that appeared to be originally painted.

[1918ColonialRevival]

Painted trim was the norm in the Colonial and Federal eras. It fell out of favor in the Victorian years. When the Revival architectures went mainstream in the 1890s, painted woodwork began to re-appear. All the trim in my house was originally pained, though most of the doors were originally finished in shellac. In the 1900s through the 1920s, you saw everything from woodwork that was finished, to a combination (like mine), to everything originally painted.

An easy way to tell if trim was supposed to be painted is to strip a section and see what kind of wood is underneath. If it's pine, it was almost definitely intended to be painted.

[Manalto]

The Hill-Stead museum, not far from me in Farmington, (1901; Theodate Pope, architect) is a wonderful example of colonial revival style (Washington's Mount Vernon provided some inspiration).

(Pope, at left, during her Miss Porter's years)


Interestingly (I thought) to this topic, is that the woodwork in the house is painted a faux woodgrain.

It's worth a look, or a visit if you're nearby. The art collection is impressive, especially when you consider that the artists, household names today, were unknown at the time the Popes purchased their works.

https://www.hillstead.org/about-us/architecture/

[mjt]

Wasn't it also a common practice to have some parts of the house with natural wood and some painted trim? For example, my living room and dining room had shellac over oak (or whatever) while the kitchen had a different type of wood that appeared to be originally painted.

I think so. You'll see a mixture at Monticello for example. Even in my house the main staircase has stained stair treads and handrail with painted paneling and balusters. There's some evidence the trim in the study was natural oak (see the casing on the right-hand side near the top of the door, just below the fixed panel) and was painted by the third owners.