There's nothing quite like the heritage streets of Downtown Collingwood. Tree-lined sidewalks, gingerbread trim, and homes that have watched the town grow from a shipbuilding port into one of Ontario's most-loved four-season destinations. So when the owners of an 1890s heritage home on a quiet street just off Hurontario asked us to bring their exterior back to life — without losing an ounce of its character — we knew it would be a project to take our time with.
The starting point
The home had beautiful bones: wraparound porch, original wood siding, scalloped shingle accents in the gables, and intricate trim around every window. But decades of harsh Georgian Bay winters had taken their toll. The exterior paint was alligatoring on the south elevation, peeling around the porch posts, and the trim had lost most of its crispness. Inside, well-loved hardwood floors and tall baseboards were paired with tired, builder-beige walls that didn't do the architecture justice.
Choosing a heritage-respectful palette
Working with the homeowners and a local colour consultant, we landed on a three-colour exterior scheme that nodded to the home's late-Victorian roots without feeling like a museum piece:
- Body: a soft, warm putty (Benjamin Moore Revere Pewter)
- Trim: a crisp, slightly creamy white (Simply White)
- Accents: a deep, moody navy on the front door and porch ceiling beadboard
Inside, we lightened the entire main floor with a warm off-white, then introduced a soft sage in the formal dining room and a deep, library-style charcoal in the home office.
Prep was the real story
Heritage homes don't reward shortcuts. Our crew spent nearly a full week on prep alone: hand-scraping failed paint, spot-sanding to feather edges, replacing rotted sections of porch trim, and re-caulking every seam with a high-flex acrylic-urethane caulk. We used a stain-blocking oil primer on the bare wood to lock down tannins that would otherwise bleed through the new topcoats.
Two coats, brushed and back-rolled
For a heritage home, spraying alone would have looked too uniform. We sprayed the body for an even base coat, then back-brushed and back-rolled each section to bring out the texture of the original wood siding. The trim was hand-brushed for that traditional, slightly buttery finish that machine application can never quite match.
The finished home
The transformation was striking. The new putty body warms up the home in the late afternoon light, the navy accents draw the eye to the gorgeous original front door, and inside, the lighter walls let the home's tall ceilings and original mouldings finally take centre stage. The owners told us they hadn't realized how much detail had been hiding under thirty years of beige.
Why Downtown Collingwood projects are special
Painting heritage homes in Downtown Collingwood is some of the most rewarding work we do. Every house has a story, every trim profile is a little different, and the streetscape only stays beautiful when each home gets the careful attention it deserves. If you own a heritage or character home in our area, we'd love to talk about giving it a thoughtful refresh.
Get in touch for a heritage home consultation, see more of our recent Collingwood projects, or learn more about our team and approach.
