Historic Finishes Analysis is concerned with the accurate identification and description of applied architectural finishes. Finishes can range from the simple application of opaque coatings, to decorative surface treatments such as the imitation of stone and wood, to trompe l’oeil imitation of architectural elements. Nearly all investigative techniques involve microscopy. The thickness of paint layers is generally too small to identify with the unaided eye.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Often, the only surviving examples of plaster wall finishes are preserved between the paint layers on adjacent woodwork, as shown in the Mississippi Governor’s Mansion example below. In situ infrared and ultraviolet light sources are used in addition to white light to enhance or distinguish paint layer details. Individual samples or layers identified in situ can be further studied in the laboratory by mounting the samples for viewing at higher magnification or by fluorescence microscopy or polarized light microscopy. Additional information about the source of pigments or binder types is sometimes valuable and is provided by outside laboratories using X- ray diffraction, FTIR, and SEM studies.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Historic Finishes Analysis is an invaluable investigative tool in architectural research, for it can precisely determine the chronology of architectural elements and the alteration and reuse of elements, provide evidence of missing decorative features such as wallpaper and carpets, and describe the appearance of the structure during significant periods. Finishes analysis may provide the only physical evidence of undocumented alterations and additions. Evidence documented in the Historic Finishes Analysis is often the basis for the architectural investigations of a Historic Structure Report.

 

Below are examples of in situ and laboratory microscopy techniques common to all Historic Finishes Analysis performed by George Fore. These examples were used to determine the architectural development, the appearance of decorative treatments, or conservation treatments for stabilizing significant finishes.