Painting Historic Homes: Special Considerations

Des Moines has an exceptional collection of historic architecture. Sherman Hill, one of Iowa's most intact Victorian neighborhoods, features block after block of ornate Queen Annes, Italianates, and Romanesque Revivals. Beaverdale is celebrated for its brick Tudors and well-preserved Craftsman bungalows. The Oak Park and Highland Park neighborhoods have rich stocks of Four-Squares and American Foursquare homes from the 1890s through the 1930s.

Painting any of these homes well — preserving their character while protecting them for future decades — requires knowledge, care, and the right techniques that generic painting contractors simply don't always bring.

The most significant concern with any home built before 1978 is lead-based paint. Lead paint was standard in residential construction until its federal ban in 1978, and virtually every pre-1978 home has it present somewhere. Disturbing lead paint during sanding, scraping, or pressure washing creates lead dust that poses serious health risks, particularly for children and pregnant women. TrueEdge Paint is certified under the EPA's Renovation, Repair, and Painting (RRP) Rule, which governs how contractors must work in homes with known or suspected lead paint.

Our crews follow all required containment, work practice, and cleanup protocols to protect both homeowners and our workers.

Older homes commonly carry multiple layers of accumulated paint — sometimes five, ten, or more layers applied over a century of maintenance. These accumulated layers can cause problems: when old paint loses adhesion, it takes every subsequent layer with it. In severe cases, the paint build-up is thick enough to obscure architectural details and cause bridging over joints that should flex. TrueEdge Paint assesses each historic home's paint condition carefully, recommending targeted stripping of problem areas, careful preparation of stable areas, and the right primer systems to ensure the new paint has a sound base.

Historic homes from the Victorian and Craftsman eras feature extraordinary decorative detail — turned spindles, ornamental brackets, dentil molding, fish-scale shingles, built-up cornices, and intricate fretwork. Painting these elements well requires patience, high-quality brushes, and the skill to cut clean edges without masking every detail individually (which would take impractically long). TrueEdge Paint's painters are trained in the brushwork techniques required to paint complex architectural millwork cleanly and efficiently, with the crisp definition that makes historic homes look their finest.

Color selection for historic homes is a more nuanced decision than for contemporary construction. Many Des Moines historic districts have design guidelines or preservation covenants that specify approved colors or require review of color schemes. Even where formal guidelines don't exist, choosing colors that are historically appropriate for the era and style of a home is important for maintaining neighborhood character and the home's architectural integrity. TrueEdge Paint works with historic paint color resources from Sherwin-Williams Preservation Palette, Benjamin Moore's Historical Collection, and the National Trust for Historic Preservation's guidelines to help owners develop color schemes that are both beautiful and contextually appropriate.

Plaster walls, common in homes built before 1950, present specific challenges that differ from modern drywall. Plaster is more alkaline than drywall and requires alkali-resistant primer for proper paint adhesion. Plaster develops hairline cracks as it ages — particularly at corners, window openings, and where walls meet ceilings — and those cracks need to be addressed with flexible patching compound before painting to prevent them from showing through the new finish. In some historic Des Moines homes, plaster has separated from its lath backing in areas, requiring more significant repairs before a stable paint surface can be achieved.

TrueEdge Paint has extensive experience throughout Des Moines's historic neighborhoods and welcomes the complexity that historic homes present. We take every aspect of the project seriously — the lead-safe practices, the architectural details, the color history — and bring the level of care these remarkable homes deserve. Contact us for a free estimate and color consultation for your historic Des Moines property.