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lawren423

Help me Update my Tudor!

lawren423
4 years ago

We have a 110 year old Tudor fixer upper. We replaced all the windows and have just finished replacing the rotten wood trims. We hate the brown paint on the wood trim and want to make it more clean and modern. We are the only house on the block with wood trim, brick, stone AND stucco so I can’t really compare my Tudor to other ones on the block. I was hoping to brighten up the stucco with a cream and changing the wood trim to a brownish-gray so it sits with the brick and stone. Any color advice Or color suggestion?






Attaching pic from when we bought our house, pic of the 2 paint samples I tried and pic of what it looks like now.

Comments (68)

  • Anna (6B/7A in MD)
    4 years ago

    The flagstone walkway adds another jarring element. Definitely a challenge. Is there a plan to change that part?

  • lawren423
    Original Author
    4 years ago

    we are getting rid of the flagstone walkway and will be putting in a circular driveway eventually.


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  • lawren423
    Original Author
    4 years ago

    I love the gray one! @cd7733 . I think we would match the stucco with BM cotton balls OC-122




  • groveraxle
    4 years ago




  • lawren423
    Original Author
    4 years ago

    @groveraxle - love this one too! What color is that?


  • Anna (6B/7A in MD)
    4 years ago

    Is that second one Texas leather? I was thinking that would be a nice brown.

  • groveraxle
    4 years ago

    Lawren, I don't know what color it is. I just manipulate the color till I hit one I like. You still have to paint the samples on your actual house in your actual light to make a decision. The only reason I got close on my first rendering is because I used the sample you painted to match the trim.


    Anyway, If you go with the gray you chose, you probably want a cooler stucco color. If you go with a warm color on the stucco, aim for a warmer gray on the trim.

  • cd7733
    4 years ago

    Light gray sample and cotton balls stucco





  • lawren423
    Original Author
    4 years ago

    thanks for this!! looks like one big mess! LOL! What program are you changing the colors in?


  • groveraxle
    4 years ago

    You can't just dump paint from a swatch onto your house and know what it looks like. That's why it's crucial to get samples and paint them on your house or better yet, on a board that you can move around.


    This is probably closer to what cotton balls would look like (but no guarantee):



  • cd7733
    4 years ago

    I'm using photoshop. I played with saturation/hue, levels, light/dark to match the swatch so I could keep the texture of the stucco. I did a quick edit to help give an idea.


    You should definitely paint large boards and place them around different areas to get a better feeling for the colors.


    I don't envy you right now! I'll be in your shoes soon enough with our new build and can't even wrap my head around it, yet. LOL


    Happy color picking! Good luck!


  • User
    4 years ago

    Wondering why you want this house to be "clean and modern" when that's not what this house is...


    Please listen to the majority, here.

  • D N
    4 years ago

    If you don’t like traditional Tudor, why did you buy a 110-year-old traditional Tudor?


    Isn’t it important to honor the spirit of the architecture?


    I hope that you can find a compromise between too dark (for you) and too light (for a lovely Tudor home.) best wishes

  • cd7733
    4 years ago

    Stucco is SW 7014 Eider White

    Half-timbering is SW 7015 Repose Gray

    Complete restoration of a 110 year old Tudor style home · More Info


  • cd7733
    4 years ago

    Stucco Benjamin Moore OC40 Albescent.

    Trim Sherwin Williams 7038 Tony Taupe.



    https://www.miriamsterncolorconsulting.com/neutral-palette-tudor-house/

  • cd7733
    4 years ago
    last modified: 4 years ago

    I wish I could find the colors for this one but my search came up empty. It looks like a more gray version of the Tony Taupe



    Please post a house pic when you're done!

  • lawren423
    Original Author
    4 years ago

    Thanks CD7733, I will!! Will probably take a little while longer. I see how the grays don’t really go with the brick but I have photoshop at work and I will play with it some more! Thanks again for your help.

  • lawren423
    Original Author
    4 years ago

    What do you think of this color scheme for my house? Could we achieve the same feel?


  • jemimabean
    4 years ago

    Honestly, I don’t like it. This is the color that a house in my neighborhood has been painted and it looks murky and totally ruined the design of the house. It seems like you really, really want to go with this kind of color, but I can’t see it ever flattering your house.

  • User
    4 years ago

    Not everything in the world is designed to be painted gray. Muted grayish tones mask clean lines created by dark beams, and the house turns into a large dark mass of mismatching textures without defined edges.

  • tangerinedoor
    4 years ago
    last modified: 4 years ago

    Tudor has dark wood timbers. Categorically not grey.

    I agree with the poster above who is wondering why you'd buy a 110-year-old Tudor if you don't like traditional Tudor?

    You might substantially decrease the value of the house if you take away the Tudor look.

    The samples of other homes with wood with light-ish shades look like fussy every-day suburban houses. The timbers pretty much disappear.

    And the grays clash with the brick IMO.

    I'm not sure what "French Tudor" would be. Tudor is English, 16th century, as in Henry VIII and Elizabeth I.

    The whole point of the timbers is contrast. Wood trim is dark.





    The house is fantastic, by the way; those gables are to die for.

    I agree with posters above that it's important to clean the stucco so you can see exactly what you have.

    The flagstones at the entry are too much: they disagree with the stone work. Maybe change them to a dark grey slate if the weather there is compatible with slate?

  • cat_ky
    4 years ago

    The gray house you posted above is not very pretty and definitely wouldnt look good on your house.

  • kmarissa03
    4 years ago

    Jemimabean, recommend you look into window restoration if you haven’t already. It’s such a shame to see so many original windows torn out and replaced.

  • User
    4 years ago
    last modified: 4 years ago

    I guess a lot of us feel that you should stay more traditional...

    Don't forget, that for everything that you "want" to do, no matter what that is, you will most likely find a photo of it online. That doesn't mean that it's the best, or most tasteful, thing.

    On the other hand, it's your house and if you wanted, for example, purple beams and yellow stucco, then we can't stop you.

    I say enjoy your house no matter what you want to do to it. Personally cannot get behind this look, but hopefully you will find those who can, here.


    Good luck.

  • cd7733
    4 years ago
    last modified: 4 years ago

    Painting the timber facade of a Tudor-style house gray is a nod to the original timber framed structures of the 16th/17th centuries. Just like dark/black trim is! Both gray and black are historically accurate.


    When untreated Oak aged in humid areas it turned black and in drier areas it turned GRAY. The Victorian era introduced the “traditional” black and white scheme to mimic the old darkened Oak of vintage buildings.


    Some traditions are antiquated and some are cherished memories.


    Other Victorian traditions I can live without: entering marriage and becoming my husband's property, forfeiting all moneys to him, and the inability to be a property owner or vote.



    Moot Hall Aldeburgh Suffolk England



    1620s Market Hall from Titchfield in Hampshire on display at the Weald and Downland Open Air Museum near Chichester West Sussex England



    One of eight houses designed by Lewis Bowman for a 1920s Bronxville, N.Y., subdivision



    1920's House Restoration

    https://www.oldhouseonline.com/house-tours/renovating-a-seattle-tudor

    https://www.oldhouseonline.com/house-tours/tudor-revival-style

    “The familiar black-and-white colour scheme is a fashion introduced by the Victorians; originally the oak beams would have been untreated and left to age naturally to a silver colour, and the rendered infill painted ochre.[30]” [Lipscomb, Suzannah (2012), A Visitor's Companion to Tudor England]


    •This infill was then painted (for historic homes) or ‘white-washed’ (modern Tudor-style homes).

    •Historic Tudor period housing which used wattle and daub infill panels were painted red, yellow or pink.

    •These 500 year-old houses now have a very distinctive black-and-white style appearance, because oak frames can turn black with age…

    •Oak has a high natural tannic acid content which causes the timber to turn black when exposed to moisture containing trace amounts of iron. Otherwise oak will turn silver-grey like other timber exposed to the weather.

    •From the Victorian period onward the common black and white design was used with wood blackened and infill white-washed.

    •Fuming Timber to look like oak: Ammonia fuming is a wood finishing process that darkens wood and brings out the grain pattern. [https://federationhome.com/2018/09/11/tudor-style/

  • lawren423
    Original Author
    4 years ago
    last modified: 4 years ago

    For all those asking why i bought a tudor when I don't like tudors - in my neighborhood we have many of them and that's what was available when we were buying. The layout on the inside is center hall colonial which works for us. (But to be honest, this question is not even relevant and I probably should've ignored)


    For those saying to stay traditional and keep the windows... also not really what I was asking... the windows are long gone. They were ugly, not energy efficient, single pained and some didn't even latch. I have 3 little kids at home and they were unsafe (the attic bedroom window, which swung wide open, didn't even close properly and because we are on a hill, its a 4 story drop). Thanks, but no thanks. We called a place that takes in windows from old homes and even they didn't want them. I am not keeping the old tudor look so you can save your key strokes!


    The flagstone deck has already been changed to a slate grey one (there was a drainage issue) and the flagstone walkway will be changed to a horseshoe-shaped circular driveway in the next year or 2.


    For the person who said I can find anything on the internet, sadly no, this has not been the case.

    Thank you cd7733 for all the info!

  • lawren423
    Original Author
    4 years ago

    We are now considering lime washing the brick, darkening up the wood trim and painting the stucco. So far, this is the only pic I found that has me crushing hard!


  • kmarissa03
    4 years ago
    last modified: 4 years ago

    Pretty sure I’m the only person who recommended looking into window restoration. The comment was explicitly directed at the commenter who hadn’t replaced her windows yet. Many people don’t know that properly restored historical windows with weatherstripping and well fitting storms are as energy efficient as most replacement windows with the benefit of lasting longer (being a better return on investment), often being more attractive, and reducing material and manufacture waste, so I like to throw that recommendation out where it’s relevant. Yours may have been too far gone to effectively repair—it’s a moot point anyway since they’re gone. But again, those “key strokes” weren’t directed at you for that very reason.

    Good luck with your house.

  • cd7733
    4 years ago
    last modified: 4 years ago

    You're welcome, lawren423!! The last pic is just as nice as your other ones! Also, good job handling unwanted questioning and negative off topic comments.

    The bottom line is: it's only paint! A personal preference for YOUR home that is completely changeable! I also completely agree with your window reasoning. Antique windows are tricky and can be HUGE safety hazards.

    I truly wish you the best in your color adventure!

  • PRO
    Lori A. Sawaya
    4 years ago
    last modified: 4 years ago

    We are now considering lime washing the brick, darkening up the wood trim and painting the stucco. So far, this is the only pic I found that has me crushing hard!

    Paint it all white.

    Check out Romabio paints Instagram. Lots of examples of exteriors - done by DIYers as well as pros. Its' really that simple to apply. This is Bianco White. I like Avorio more - it's VERY similar to Benjamin Moore's White Dove. https://www.instagram.com/p/B0PbpUep6RY/





  • groveraxle
    4 years ago

    I whitewashed your brick:



  • lawren423
    Original Author
    4 years ago

    Groveraxle - so cool!! Thank you!! Would you mind throwing on a dark trim on the wood - like a dark dark brown (almost black)?

  • groveraxle
    4 years ago

    Dark trim:



  • lawren423
    Original Author
    4 years ago

    Wow! Thank you! I kind of like it!!! I think it could really freshen up IRL! TBD...

  • Jennifer Canel
    4 years ago

    I love the lime washed brick with the gray timbers.

  • intltraveler
    4 years ago

    IMAO...I like the brick white washed - it makes the house look more cohesive with not so many textures/colors. I like the last pic darker trim that groveraxle mocked up. Just add some landscaping and it will look even more stunning.

  • intltraveler
    4 years ago

    Wow - that looks stunning! Great job. Good luck with the landscaping - I just finished mine.

  • cd7733
    4 years ago

    @lawren423!! Beautiful transformation!! Thank you for posting how it turned out!

  • liasch
    4 years ago

    Great results...updated, clean, cohesive look. Congrats!

  • chiflipper
    4 years ago

    Outstanding!!!

  • Allison Rogers
    4 years ago

    Love the new look! I also really like the windows. What are they?

  • lawren423
    Original Author
    4 years ago

    Thanks! They are Pella - Full divided light painted pella brown

  • Allison Rogers
    4 years ago

    Thanks!

  • Debbie Downer
    4 years ago

    I assume the stucco is original old fashioned lime based stucco (vs modern acrylic product). if so it also needs same mineral or silicate based paint as used on stone - modern acrylic (ie plastic) coatings can trap moisture and damage old masonry

  • N8 B
    3 years ago

    I usually have an 'each their own' perspective, but when I saw this, it saddened me. All that beautiful architecture molested by the idea of renewing and lightening something up. I totally understand the need to make houses more efficient, but why try to make a tudor what it's not... sell it and buy a different house! That original brick work had it's own natural colors and was beautiful! So was the diamond lead glass windows in the front that were not spared! I only hope as Debbie Downer mentioned that the appropriate methods were used because masonry is meant to breath.


    Liberties of paint shouldn't give the assurance of improvement. I feel a loss of culture and character when I see all these beautiful thing that lasted the test of time, covered up. It's like people who paint over the amazing grain patterns of non-wormy, American chestnut trim to modernize the interior.

  • Marylee H
    3 years ago

    A 100 year old 'Tudor' building is already pastiche. The fact you have lightened & brightened to your taste, so you can enjoy it more? Good for You!

  • lawren423
    Original Author
    3 years ago

    @N8 B Beauty really is in the eye of the beholder. You're assigning value to old because it's original i guess, and just because it's old doesn't mean it's better or that the original builder wouldn't have chosen what I chose. Also, the glass was worthless (not diamond leaded glass) so your comments seem to be projecting nostalgia on something that isn't reality. Lastly, no architecture was altered... it's still a tudor, one that i am now very happy to come home too. So be happy and not sad. :)

  • Becky Clifford
    last year

    Hi—it looks like this is an older conversation, but can i see what you ended up doing? also, how fid you manipulate the colors? is there a good app? thank you!

  • Debbie Downer
    last year
    last modified: last year

    Re "all those asking why i bought a tudor when I don't like tudors"

    I would ask the same question of someone who bought a collector Cadillac and wanted to make it into a circa 2017 Kia. A quarter sawn oak original Stickley piece and wanted to put white paint on it to make it shabby chic. This is USA so of course people can do whatever they want with their property... while at the same time people will have opinions and on a public forum like this we will express them.