Sustainability > Maintenance

THE SECRETARY OF THE
INTERIOR’S STANDARDS FOR
REHABILITATION &

ILLUSTRATED
GUIDELINES ON
SUSTAINABILITY
FOR REHABILITATING
HISTORIC BUILDINGS

  • Close-up of the interior of a window painted white and with peeling paint and broken window-opening hardware.
    Not Recommended The peeling paint on an exterior window sill and on the interior of a window indicates that these features have not received regular maintenance. The broken casement window hardware also needs to be repaired to make the window operable.
  • Man using a caulk gun to seal gaps between storm windows and the window frame.
    Recommended Caulking the gap between the aluminum storm window and wood window frame helps maximize thermal efficiency in this historic residence.
  • Containers of green cleaning products in a display case with signs explaining them.
    Recommended Using sustainable cleaning products preserves both the environment and the historic building.
  • Close-up of the exterior of a window painted dark gray and with peeling paint.
    Not Recommended The peeling paint on an exterior window sill and on the interior of a window indicates that these features have not received regular maintenance.
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Maintenance

Recommended
Not Recommended
Maintaining historic buildings regularly to preserve historic fabric and maximize operational efficiency.
Delaying maintenance treatments which may result in the loss of historic building fabric or decrease the performance of existing systems or features.
Retaining and repairing durable historic building materials.
Removing durable historic building materials and replacing them with materials perceived as more sustainable; for instance, removing historic heart pine flooring and replacing it with new bamboo flooring.
Using environmentally-friendly cleaning products that are compatible with historic finishes.
Using cleaning products potentially harmful to both historic finishes and the environment.
Using sustainable products and treatments, such as low VOC paints and adhesives and lead-safe paint removal methods, as much as possible, when rehabilitating a historic building.