# Looking for a 'Historic' White



## Tonyg (Dec 9, 2007)

I have a potential customer that has moved down from the Boston area. 8yr old custom home with original contractor colors and they are looking at bringing it up to spead, 

Starting with the formal dining and living rooms, they will be furnishing them with 18th century antiques, and will be painting the walls with a deep fuschia and trim in a white. 9ft walls, smooth plaster, trimed out with crown and chair rail. I've suggested going with something other than a bright white (using Aura) and was hoping to get some suggestions on a historic white I could use that would be popular in the NE (I'm in VA). 

Any suggestions?


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## straight_lines (Oct 17, 2007)

Satin Impervo oil will give you an antique white in about a year. Sounds perfect for this job as you described it. I wouldn't use Aura for trim, and if you don't want to use imprevo oil check out advance.


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## Tonyg (Dec 9, 2007)

Not goinna wait a year for an off white for the color to yellow. I like Aura and they requested it so product is not the question here.

Looking for an off white that would be popular in NE custom/historic houses that would remind her of home and help close the sale. The Eastern VA area has very few historic homes that didn't have cannon balls go through them (and this house is eight years old) so the color palettes here are much different than up North. Also, I think the contrast with a bright white with the Fuschia would be a bit much.


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## LA Painter (Jul 28, 2009)

Tonyg said:


> they will be furnishing them with 18th century antiques,


and yet they don't have a decorator??? :blink:

I'd just put up a few off-white samples and go from there.


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## Painter Girl (Mar 25, 2009)

Tony,

Check out BM's Affinity colors AF-20 or AF-25. They will give you the look of the softer antique white trim in the Aura products. In BM's Off White Collection you could use OC-1 Natural Wicker or OC-6 Feather Down.

Otherwise if you have access to California Paints--they have a Historic Colors of America chart which has been approved by Historic New England (a regional preservation organization based in Boston, MA). You could use Jewett White from their collection. It is pretty deep imo, so you may want to have it made lighter if you decide to go with it. It just depends on how historically accurate you want to be. 

Hope this helps!


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## Tonyg (Dec 9, 2007)

Thanks PainterGirl - I'll check out the Cali color.

Not worried about accuracy. Just thought bringing a connection to home would help with the sale.


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## Roadog (Apr 18, 2007)

I dont think the CA historic has any whites. I live and paint and do restoration in New England and I can say that its really client preference. There is no real historic white except maybe a zinc or titanium with a dash of lead! In New England, Satin Impervo is very common as a trim paint and color wise we are all over from a super white/ chantilliy lace white or toned down to a linen or bone/navaho. BM.

I think that if your gonna pay attention to details (razor lines) on chair/crown, any white will work. 

Saying all this.....Fuschia is extremely rare up here and not a color most New Englanders would choose!


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## Tonyg (Dec 9, 2007)

Roadog said:


> Saying all this.....Fuschia is extremely rare up here and not a color most New Englanders would choose!


 Not a color I would choose either. 30 something tech couple.


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## Andyman (Feb 21, 2009)

I know SW has historic color palettes for different time periods or styles, maybe check them out in the store. I also googled "historic new england color palettes" and came up with some results...


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## crazywasp (Dec 22, 2010)

I have to put a second opin vote on the Navaho wht, definately sample that for HO. Used alot in period n young wannabes, will balance and craddle the really rich colors nicely. BM1037 muslin has a nice feel too.

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## sage (Apr 29, 2007)

The BM "Linen" is a beautiful color and goes well with dark and/or loud colors. I trimmed out an entire house with dark greens, golden browns and reds. Don't know if it is a "Historic" white but it is beautiful.
What exactly do they mean by "Historic White"?
Where in Virginia do you live Tonyg, I am just south of the Va. line.
Sage


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## CCrowderpaint (Dec 26, 2011)

I agree with Roadog 100% as quoted below. The "historic" white was extremely bright, lead white. My Popular Mechanics Manual of Formulas from 1932 (thanks grandpa) gives the following formula for white paint: 
Third coat for plaster walls or new inside wood:
100 lb heavy paste white lead
2 gal. pure turpentine
1 pt. pale varnish (suitable for enamel)
1/2 pt. pure drier. 

There are any number of formulas given for different coats and priming layers - they all start with 100# white lead. 

While these old formulas were white and bright and beautiful when they were put on, it is inevitable that they have faded and yellowed over time. Clients have to understand the difference between an antique-looking color and an actual historical color. I personally don't have a problem with either, it's just a matter of understanding the look you're going for. If historical accuracy is the goal that's one thing; if you want to create an impression it's entirely different. Understanding the difference and communicating it is the key. 

If your client is looking for a soft white, I would recommend the C2 color "parchment." It's hard to describe this color, but it is a soft white without the yellow of BM linen white, the starkness of the bright whites, the blue of BM's decorator white, or the red of the Navajo white. I used it as the sole trim color in a house with a diverse but coordinated palette ranging from golds through orange-reds to greens to good effect with all of them. 

As for the fuschia, I'm speculating here, but I think it depends on the time period. If you're thinking of a time before the advent of the brightly colored wall papers of the Victorian era, my impression is you'd be hard pressed to find it in a "traditional" palette. When you have white lead, red lead, yellow ochre, chinese blue, chrome green and the like as your base ingredients, it seems clear that color mixing was a highly individual affair. That's not to say that bright colors weren't popular, rather that one would tend to find a fairly conservative (or highly eccentric) palette most of the time. Printed wall papers allowed for a wide variety of shaded colors, as the makers had control over the mixing of inks in the printing process - much different than mixing individual batches of lead and pigment for paints. 

That said, we live in the modern world, so why not be exuberant with the colors. 

Good Luck




Roadog said:


> I dont think the CA historic has any whites. I live and paint and do restoration in New England and I can say that its really client preference. There is no real historic white except maybe a zinc or titanium with a dash of lead! In New England, Satin Impervo is very common as a trim paint and color wise we are all over from a super white/ chantilliy lace white or toned down to a linen or bone/navaho. BM.
> 
> I think that if your gonna pay attention to details (razor lines) on chair/crown, any white will work.
> 
> Saying all this.....Fuschia is extremely rare up here and not a color most New Englanders would choose!


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## daArch (Mar 15, 2008)

CCrowder,

I understand that you are new here and we all do appreciate your input. But please allow me to point out that the original post was made in March of this year, 9 1/2 months ago. 

Perhaps if you had noticed that, you may have considered that the job is long over and that your helpful advice may now be moot.

Usually I post a wise ass picture concerning a "necro post" but you don't know me well enough yet to understand the lightheartedness with which it would have been given. So I thought I would be more helpful. 

Excellent advice you gave, just a wee late to be helpful. We all necro post at times, and hell, I even dumpster dive in the trash bin too often, so I do know how worthwhile it is to notice the origin of the original post (OP)


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## CorkPaintingCompany (Mar 17, 2014)

Satin impervo happy days painting with that in boston,damn in Ireland it's mostly Dulux satin wood,nowhere near as good as impervo 


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## chrisn (Jul 15, 2007)

Hell, this guy^^ is 3 YEARS late

Go ahead Bill, zap him


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## Epoxy Pro (Oct 7, 2012)

chrisn said:


> Hell, this guy^^ is 3 YEARS late
> 
> Go ahead Bill, zap him


Better late than never :whistling2:


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## daArch (Mar 15, 2008)

chrisn said:


> Hell, this guy^^ is 3 YEARS late
> 
> Go ahead Bill, zap him



ah, he's prolly still hung over from yesterday :thumbup:

Wouldn't be fair


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## chrisn (Jul 15, 2007)

daArch said:


> ah, he's prolly still hung over from yesterday :thumbup:
> 
> Wouldn't be fair


 
no excuse:no:


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## 1963 Sovereign (Dec 14, 2011)

Bm hc-27


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## Tonyg (Dec 9, 2007)

ummm I think I ended up with the AF-15


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