FINISHED PROJECT

PRE-PAINTING

Rebuilding Broken Down Symbols

These beautiful old homes in San Francisco were covered in details and symbols. But 100 years of fog, rain, wind and sun erodes the sharpness of the molding and makes them appear as abstract embellishments.

On this particular home we needed to rebuild some of these elements and highlight them with Italian 24-carat gold, especially the belle epoch wreath symbolizing Victory, Strength, and Endurance.

AT A GLANCE

Project Type Exterior Residential
Neighborhood Anza Vista
Completed September 2021
Skills Victorian Fine Detail

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.

  • Recommend any needed repairs before painting.
  • Scrape, prep and sand.
  • Repairing moldings and special features such as crests and finials.
  • Primer and apply two coats of exterior paint.
  • Application of 22-carat Italian gold accents.
  • Fine detail painting of filigree.
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