Most Victorians were built with old growth redwood and had they never been painted they would have fared better.
But painting, staining, plastering are all less perfect than the beautiful redwood and once the process is started, maintenance is critical. I’ve also seen over the years many Victorians covered in stucco, had cheap replacement windows installed, and I’ve even worked on Victorians which had been moved in their entirety from one location in the city to another.
All of these decisions have lasting consequences. But the reality is, they are perfectly crafted masterpieces that need to be treated like art, not just a place to rest one’s head.
Shoring up gaps, fixing broken plaster, replacing old windows, always using correct materials and removing old materials such as stucco are all part of restoring and maintaining these works of art.