5 DIYs for historic homes

Preservation experts at the National Trust for Historic Preservation say five home projects are usually safe bets for old houses: walls, floors, windows and doors, hardware, and landscaping. (savingplaces.org) The list comes from a May 19, 2023 National Trust article that gathered advice from four preservation trades experts, including Ann Swigart, James Turner, Mary Webb, and David Gibney. The group steered homeowners toward repairs and maintenance work instead of major replacement. (savingplaces.org) For interior walls, the experts endorsed removing peeling wallpaper, doing plaster finishing and repairs, and taking on small trim or paint jobs with basic hand tools. Swigart recommended wallpaper glue solvent mixed with warm water, a perforating tool, and, if needed, a rented wallpaper steamer. (savingplaces.org) For floors, Webb said many homes built before 1950 are likely to have wood under later carpeting, and she suggested tackling refinishing in stages. Her example was simple: pull up carpet one weekend, sand the floor the next, and apply finish after that. (savingplaces.org) For windows and doors, the experts pointed first to maintenance work such as checking and repairing caulking on both the interior and exterior. National Park Service guidance takes the same approach, saying caulking, weatherstripping, and replacing deteriorated glazing compound should come before replacing historic windows. (savingplaces.org, nps.gov) That repair-first approach lines up with the Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for Rehabilitation, which define rehabilitation as making a property usable through repair, alterations, and additions while preserving the features that carry its historic value. The National Park Service uses those standards nationally in preservation guidance and tax-credit review. (nps.gov, nps.gov) The same National Trust list also encouraged homeowners to clean up or revive original hardware rather than swap it out, and to take on light landscape work that supports the house without reshaping the site. Those are the kinds of smaller jobs preservation groups often push because they are easier to reverse if a homeowner makes a mistake. (savingplaces.org, nps.gov) National Park Service weatherization guidance also points owners toward low-cost fixes such as sealing cracks, adding weatherstripping, and reducing air leaks before considering bigger interventions. The agency says about one-third of air infiltration in a home comes through openings in ceilings, walls, and floors. (nps.gov, nps.gov) The practical message for owners of old houses is narrow, not expansive: start with maintenance, keep original material where you can, and make the smallest change that solves the problem. That is the through line in both the National Trust’s five-project checklist and the federal preservation standards behind it. (savingplaces.org, nps.gov)