In Concord, caring for an old house can mean caring for a piece of American history.

That was certainly true when Target Painting was called to work on the historic Daniel Chester French House, built around 1787. French became on of America’s most celebrated sculptors. His Minute Man statue, unveiled at Concord’s North Bridge in 1875, became an American icon; decades later, he created the monumental statue of a seated Abraham Lincoln for the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, DC.

For the home’s current owners, repainting the nearly 240-year-old house was about far more than appearances—it was about carefully preserving the home’s identity. And with the property scheduled to appear on the Concord Museum Garden Tour in June 2023, they needed a painting company capable of completing an exacting restoration on a tight timetable.

They chose Concord-based Target Painting.

Older homes are Target’s specialty. Careful preparation—including scraping, sanding, and caulking—is essential, and aging woodwork can require skilled carpentry before painting even begins. Target’s in-house carpenters allow the company to address those issues as part of a single project with an emphasis on preserving original wood and architectural details rather than simply replacing them. On historic homes, that sensitivity can be every bit as important as the finished paintwork.

At the French House, the schedule was formidable. Work began March 28, leaving just eight weeks before the Garden Tour. The crew finished May 22—ten days ahead of the event.

“The Target Painting crew was phenomenal,” said the homeowners, Ivan Burns and Anne Hayden. “They were considerate and cleaned up every day before they left. The quality of their work was outstanding.”

The French House is the kind of project Nicholas Ross, vice president of Target Painting, believes requires a deep understanding of what makes Concord’s historic homes different. 

“Historic homes require a different level of care,” said Ross. “Our goal is to preserve the original character of the home while giving it a finish that will protect it for years to come.”

Whether you’re refreshing your home or preserving a historic property, Target Painting provides the preparation, carpentry, and craftsmanship the project deserves. Schedule a complimentary home assessment at TargetPainting.com

*This article was made possible with the support of Target Painting.