Historic New Orleans House Colors: A Shotgun Paint Guide

Start with the building rather than a color card. Identify wood siding, stucco, brick, trim, doors, shutters, porch floor, ceiling, foundation and metalwork; note which surfaces were historically painted and which remain unpainted. Then identify the building type and style separately through the New Orleans house-styles guide.

Use age, style, existing layers, neighboring historic context and the hierarchy of features as evidence. The result does not have to reconstruct one exact year unless that is the project objective, but it should make the building legible and protect its materials.

The City's HDLC FAQ says the commissions do not have jurisdiction over the color selected for an exterior building, while staff can assist with choices appropriate to age and style. That does not make all painting work unregulated.

HDLC regulates related conditions including painting previously unpainted masonry and some work involving weatherboards or other exterior fabric. The City's Certificate of Appropriateness page lists current process details and exemptions. The Vieux Carré Commission governs the French Quarter through a separate set of exterior-paint guidelines.

Use the HDLC approval guide to confirm the address, district, control level and scope before work. Do not apply one district's answer to another jurisdiction.

Use a restrained hierarchy. A body color can unify the long elevations; trim can clarify openings and cornices; shutters or a door can carry a more concentrated accent. Repeating the same role across related elements usually reads more coherently than alternating every bracket or spindle.

The HDLC exterior-woodwork guidelines note that large areas of highly saturated color can compete with the historic context and that more saturated contrasts can be reserved for selected details. The anatomy glossary identifies brackets, transoms, galleries and other features so the scheme follows real components rather than decoration labels.

A Victorian shotgun may support more articulated trim than a restrained Greek Revival example, but style does not prescribe one paint manufacturer or exact palette.

Exterior paint is a protective coating as well as a visual finish. The HDLC guidelines explain that repeated premature failure can point to moisture entry, inadequate preparation or incompatible coatings. Repainting without correcting the cause can hide deterioration temporarily.

Document peeling, blistering, failed joints, open end grain, leaking gutters, deteriorated siding and previous coating layers. Repair compatible material and resolve water paths before selecting a preparation method. Lead-safe practices and applicable City requirements must be followed where older coatings are disturbed.

Microscopic or carefully documented layer analysis can identify earlier coating sequences and help distinguish body, trim or accent relationships. It is most useful when the project has a defined interpretive goal or when visible layers are confusing.

Earlier does not automatically mean original, and original does not automatically mean the only appropriate present scheme. Interpret the evidence with the building's documented history, material changes and the review objective.