Rather then spend huge amounts of time and money stripping and restoring all of the bricks on the windows and chimney we decided to paint. It was important to us that the painted brick look as natural as possible and that it not come out looking like a cartoon version of brick. While doing some research I came across an extremely detailed report on the selection of pigments for red washing for the restoration of Montpelier (article on the Montpelier Curatorial and Restoration Blog). They hired several experts, did detailed colorimetric analysis and ultimately selected Benjamin Moore Mayflower Red as the most authentic pigment.
To be honest, I'm entirely over selecting colors and I have come to hate color cards. I decided that if Mayflower Red was good enough for James Madison's old mansion then it would certainly do for our little ranch-alow. Without delay or bothering to buy a sample quart I had Kelly Moore match the color came home and started painting the brick window sills.
Here are the results...
Alternatively, I considered having paint matched to hair samples from Alger, Finch and Zuri. It might not have been authentic but we do seem to have an affinity for their particular color red... I wonder what our chimeny would look like with a white stripe down the middle?
Thank you to everyone who came on Saturday. We had such a great time! We feel so lucky to be able to share our home with friends and family!
10 months
