Stonework colour on London terrace?

[cld88]

Hi all,

So happy to find this forum and hoping you may be able to help.

Currently redecorating the front of our London terrace which has some ornate stonework.

The coating on the stonework is in quite poor condition so planning to repair and repaint.

My question is - there's a proliferation of pure brilliant white on our street but I'm sure pure brilliant white wouldn't have been available. What colour would this stonework have been originally? At the moment it's a creamy/off-white that we plan to replicate but our chosen paint (Wethertex, apparently more breathable than the usual suspects) doesn't do samples that are easily accessible.

Thanks in advance!

 

[malcolm]

Paint might not necessarily be a good thing on stone features. The stone is likely sandstone which is porous. Previous painting will tend to be waterproof and will let water in through the slightest gap and not let it out again. The surface of my limestone was destroyed by waterproof paints over many years.

I would be stripping the paint off to get back to the stone and then leave the original stone exposed without any finishes. Removing paint is a contractor job that tends to involve a hot water pressure washer and paint stripper. DOFF is a word to look for to find people who do the process.