Four Ways to Save Original Details and Character When Updating an Old House

Here are some guidelines to follow if you want to renovate an old house without losing the charm.

wainscoting and plaster details in an entry

An entry in Prospect Lefferts Gardens. Photo by Susan De Vries

by Cate Corcoran

04/01/2025 2

Many homeowners want to save the original details that attracted them to their home in the first place but don’t know how. Here are some guidelines to keep in mind:

Savor original finishes.
If you treasure historic character and don’t want the inside of your prewar apartment or classic Italianate brownstone to look like a new condo, save as much original material as possible. Floors, crown moldings, and original doors and windows and their surrounds are fundamental features that give an old home intact authentic character. Other original woodwork, mantels, built-ins, tile, and plumbing fixtures also enhance charm.

historic details - wood details in crown heights — Restored fretwork in Crown Heights. Photo by Susan De Vries

Gut only when necessary.
Decrepit finishes or old mechanicals are not reasons to gut, but structural repairs might be. A partial gut of some rooms may be needed to update bathrooms, kitchens, or move walls. Mechanicals such as plumbing and electrical can be replaced without destroying finishes. Instead of removing all the plaster in the home, selectively take out sections where the mechanicals go, then replaster.

Keep the plaster.
If plaster surfaces are damaged, skim coat rather than replace them. A plaster expert can ensure a fine, smooth, level, and durable finish that will easily take paint or wallpaper. Be sure to start with a layer of fiberglass mesh, to prevent cracking months later. Skim coating can include pinning ceilings and repairing cracks in crown molding. (Decorative plasterwork, such as making crown moldings look new using a profile mold or replicating medallions by casting, can be pricey.) The cost of skim coating can start at the sum of an extensive paint job. For a ballpark estimate, multiply the total square footage of the rooms (the footprint, not the surfaces) to be repaired by $10 to $30. Skimming only walls should be more affordable than a more extensive scope that includes, for example, pinning ceilings.

border — Early 20th century tiles in a Bushwick bathroom

Repair, don’t replace.
Creaky old stairs can be rebuilt by a master carpenter who specializes in them. If you opt not to match the wood, a coat of paint is all that is necessary to camouflage new treads, and the original banister and newel post can be saved and refinished. Likewise, a finish carpenter with old-house expertise can replicate missing doors, repair built-ins such as dish cupboards, and reproduce and install drawer rails with the correct profile to make wardrobes functional. If any moving parts are slathered in lead paint, you may wish to strip and refinish them. If you have a beautiful old bathroom in need of a plumbing update, or one with a cracked tile floor or exposed pipes, consider swapping in new supply and waste lines by opening up the ceiling below or replacing only the floor, using convincing reproduction tile. Or select a contrasting color of tile for patches such as around faucets or a shower pan.