Historic Paint Finishes Report: The Original Finishes of the Verandah House, Corinth, Mississippi

Hall, Room 100

Finding original woodwork finishes

As noted, nearly all of the woodwork was stripped of the early paint layers on the interior of the Verandah House, however, two locations in the Hall did retain evidence of early paint finishes. One of the locations proved to be the most valuable for this site: under the escutcheon plates on the doors in all of the rooms.

Door to the South Parlor, Room 103: Detail of onsite photograph

Note: Under the escutcheon plate, the later nineteenth century graining finishes were discovered. At first it was believed the earliest of the graining finishes (appears to be an oak straight grain) was the ca. 1857 finish, however, the cross section examination confirmed this was the second finish on the doors, the later ca. 1875 finish. The first finish is a white enamel that is also the finish on the other woodwork.

Hall 100: Other woodwork

Fragments of the original white enamel finish that is seen on Sample: Hall, 100: Door to South Parlor Room 103, sample from under the escutcheon and Sample: Hall, 100: Front Door, Side Light were observed on:

 

Baseboard: Molding

Baseboard: Large fascia

Door Frame (return): Door to the Garden (West)

Door Frame (return): Door to South Parlor, Room 103

 

The distribution of these fragments supports the conclusion that all of the woodwork was uniformly finished with white enamel paint:

 

White: Benjamin Moore 0C-57 Gloss level: Semi-gloss

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