Identifying Historic Paint

When working in a historic building or embarking on a preservation project, we are often tasked with the questions: what do we have?

Many historic buildings uniquely express themselves with their interior paint finishes. Looking to the history of the building or space, there may be a reason to look beneath the surface.

The purpose of this guide is to help you identify whether or not investigating further is something to consider for your project and how to determine the significance of the finishes.

With this guide you will be able to:

• Determine whether you have something worth investigating.
• Understand the role of the conservator.
• Evaluate cases where it may be necessary to take a deeper look into the finishes.