Lovely Linoleum and Other Historic Floor Coverings – Two Hot Takes

Linum ("Flax") and oleum ("oil") - Fashionable and Affordable As a Historic Preservation student at the University of Mary Washington, Iโ€™ve grown to appreciate almost all aspects of materiality. Over the past four years, my education has taught me to look closely at the built environment around me. Two years ago, I stumbled across a … Continue reading Lovely Linoleum and Other Historic Floor Coverings – Two Hot Takes

Building George’s House: Why Red? How We Picked the Paint

A few weeks ago at George Washingtonโ€™s Ferry Farm, painters finished painting the exterior of the Washington house.ย  They used a red color known as โ€œSpanish brown.โ€ The paint is linseed oil-based and actually behaves more like a stain.ย  Modern oil-based paint can, in a way, be thought of as a plastic that laying atop … Continue reading Building George’s House: Why Red? How We Picked the Paint

Photos: Building George’s House – Painting the Exterior

Painters recently finished painting the exterior of the Washington house at Ferry Farm. ย The house was painted a red color common to the 18th century and known as โ€œSpanish brown.โ€ ย The paint wasย linseed oil-based just as it would have been in the 1700s. ย We'll have a more detailed blog post in a few weeks explaining … Continue reading Photos: Building George’s House – Painting the Exterior