Painting Allentown's Historic Homes: What You Need to Know
Allentown is the Lehigh Valley's largest city, and it contains some of the region's most architecturally significant residential housing stock. From the elaborate Victorian homes of the West End to the craftsman bungalows in the Midtown neighborhoods to the classic rowhouses that define so many of the city's blocks, Allentown's older homes are a genuine architectural heritage worth preserving.
Painting an older or historic Allentown home correctly requires more than selecting a color and applying a brush. There are technical considerations, health and safety requirements, and aesthetic principles specific to older architecture that matter for both quality and compliance.
Understanding What You're Working With
Allentown homes built before 1978, which includes most of the city's housing stock, very likely contain lead-based paint somewhere in their history. This isn't a reason to panic, but it is a reason to work with a contractor who understands the requirements.
EPA Lead-Safe Certification. The EPA's Renovation, Repair and Painting (RRP) rule requires that contractors working on pre-1978 housing use lead-safe work practices. Anthony's Painting is fully certified under these requirements. This means we follow specific containment, cleaning, and disposal protocols that protect your family, our workers, and your neighbors from lead dust exposure.
If you're hiring a painter for an older Allentown home and they don't mention lead certification, that's a concern. Ask the question directly.
The Architectural Case for Period-Appropriate Color
Allentown's historic homes were not built in a period of neutral, safe color choices. The Victorians were exuberant colorists, deep plums, forest greens, slate blues, ochres, and warm terracottas were standard. Craftsman-era homes embraced earthy tones, natural wood tones, and olive greens drawn from the Arts and Crafts movement's philosophy.
Choosing colors that respect the original design intent of the home produces better results aesthetically and helps maintain neighborhood character:
- Victorian homes in Allentown's West End neighborhoods look best with three-color schemes: a body color, a trim color that contrasts meaningfully, and an accent color for brackets, spindles, and decorative elements. Sherwin-Williams and Benjamin Moore both offer "historic" color collections worth exploring
- Craftsman bungalows respond to earthy, muted palettes, moss green, warm tan, brick red, and deep brown work with the architectural language of the style
- Colonial-era rowhouses often look best in simpler two-color schemes: a softer, muted body with crisp white or cream trim; the door color is where personality can be expressed
Technical Challenges of Older Allentown Homes
Older homes present technical challenges that newer construction doesn't:
Multiple paint layers. A 100-year-old home may have 10+ layers of paint on its exterior trim. This accumulated thickness can cause adhesion failures and cracking when new layers are added on top. Proper prep often means stripping heavily built-up areas rather than painting over them.
Older wood species. Many older Allentown homes have exterior trim milled from old-growth pine, fir, or chestnut, denser and more durable than modern dimensional lumber. This wood can be beautifully preserved with proper treatment but requires specific primer formulations.
Masonry and stucco surfaces. Allentown has a significant amount of stucco and masonry-clad housing. These surfaces require masonry-specific products and careful attention to moisture management.
Window glazing and putty. Older wood windows have glazing compound (window putty) that dries out and cracks over time. Scraping, re-glazing, and priming these areas is part of a complete historic exterior paint project.
Why Experience Matters on Historic Homes
Painting a 100-year-old Allentown home isn't the same project as painting a 1990s subdivision colonial. The prep is more complex, the surfaces are more variable, and the required attention to architectural detail is greater.
At Anthony's Painting, we've spent over 25 years working in older Lehigh Valley homes. We understand what older construction looks like from the inside and outside of a project, and we approach historic homes with the care they deserve.
Do you have an older Allentown home that needs attention? Contact Anthony's Painting for a free consultation and estimate. We bring 25+ years of Lehigh Valley experience and full lead-safe certification to every historic home project.