An independent magazine about careful renovation of old houses. It is not a restoration company or a heritage authority, provides no services and has no connection with previous websites on this domain.
Materials
An old house is built from materials that behave differently from today's familiar mixes and boards. Lime plaster lets moisture out, old timber is dense and repairable, plaster mouldings are fragile but can be restored, and tiles outlast decades. Once you understand how each of these materials works, it is easier to decide what to keep, what to repair and what must never be used to cover the old fabric.
Old materials aren't fussy — they simply came to an agreement with each other long before us. Trouble starts when something dense, airtight and from another era entirely gets in the way of that agreement.
How this section works: we describe the traditional materials of an old house in general terms — what is valuable about them and what they should be protected from — with no recipes, proportions or brands. The condition of a particular wall, floor structure or detail is assessed by a specialist on site, and work on heritage buildings is carried out with the heritage authority's approval.
Six materials you are most likely to come across when renovating a flat in an old building.
Frames and doors in old houses are often made of slow-grown, well-seasoned timber. Such wood can be repaired: a rotten section can be replaced with a splice, and a loose joint can be re-made. The main enemies are standing water on the bottom rails and thick layers of paint that hide the wood.
Patterned hardwood parquet can be refinished several times over its life. Individual blocks can be re-laid or replaced with ones matched to the pattern. It copes badly with damp, sharp swings in humidity and heavy sanding by someone who doesn't know how thick the wear layer is.
Lime mortars and plasters were traditionally used in old houses. They are softer than cement, let vapour pass through and allow the wall to dry out. Cover them with a dense cement render or non-breathable paint and moisture can get trapped in the wall, so the finish starts to flake.
Cornices, running mouldings and ceiling roses were cast or run in plaster. Over the years they were often covered with many layers of whitewash and paint, and the detail was lost. Mouldings fear leaks and knocks; restoring missing sections is a job for a specialist plasterer, not a decorator.
A stove in an old house is brick masonry faced with tiles or plastered. Even if it hasn't been lit for years, it remains a heavy structure connected to the flue. The tiles are valuable in themselves, and knocking them off for a "clean" wall is both a pity and unwise.
Doors, frames, skirting boards and radiators in an old house are usually covered with several generations of paint. The lower layers may contain lead, so these coatings are not sanded or burnt off yourself. If the paint is sound, it is safer to leave it and carefully refresh it on top.
This list will feature standalone articles about careful renovation of old houses, written specifically for English-speaking readers of the magazine rather than translated from other language versions.
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| Material | What is valuable | What to avoid |
|---|---|---|
| Timber windows and doors | Dense timber, repairability, the historic profile of frames and panels | Standing water on bottom rails, replacement without inspection, stripping old paint yourself |
| Parquet | The pattern, hardwood species, the option of refinishing the surface | Wet mopping, sharp swings in humidity, heavy sanding without assessing wear |
| Lime plaster | Breathability, softness, compatibility with old masonry | Dense cement mixes and non-breathable paints over a lime base |
| Plaster mouldings | The fine detail of cornices and ceiling roses, the character of the interior | Leaks, knocks, endless layers of whitewash, replacement with polystyrene copies |
| Stove tiles and brickwork | Durable facing, decorative value, thermal mass | Knocking off tiles, altering the flue without a specialist, lighting a faulty stove |
| Old coatings | Protect timber and metal, preserve traces of the building's history | Sanding, burning off or scraping yourself: lead dust is possible |
Caring for timber windows, parquet, mouldings, stoves, old doors and lime-plastered walls, plus a seasonal check.
Ideas for an old flat: keep the windows, bring parquet back to life, keep the stove, fit a kitchen and bathroom with care.
What helps you inspect and gently look after an old house, with no brands, plus protective equipment.
This information is given in general terms, based on the text of Russian Federal Law No. 73-FZ, guidance materials on the preservation of cultural heritage sites and safety recommendations for working with old coatings. Other countries have their own rules for listed or protected buildings. The status of your building and the work allowed are decided by the heritage authority, and the condition of the structure is assessed by survey specialists.