1950s Glidden Exterior Paint

The house my mother grew up in was a Ranch style home. It was also the house I spent a lot of my childhood in. The Ranch was built in 1954 and my grandparents bought it in the early 1970s. The exterior was avocado green with matching kitchen appliances. Since then I've seen the house painted bright Weber Bread blue, burgundy and more recently, a subtle peach.

I found a great interview with Atomic Ranch magazine editor Michelle Gringeri-Brown from Stir Magazine. Gringeri-Brown explains that there are three color categories depending on region. Eichler homes were painted in neutral colors, while Ranch homes in Southern California and Florida were brightly painted in vibrant colors, and traditional homes in off white colors with brick or natural accents. From this account it sounds like my grandparents Ranch has seen paint jobs from all three categories. 

For those wanting to be era accurate for their 1950s home, I came across 3 Glidden exterior paint catalogs from 1958 and 1959. I picked them up at an estate sale in a ranch house last summer. The catalogs were from Don's Paint in Garden Grove. 

Endurance Velvet 1958 offered a flat exterior finish for shingles, shakes and siding with 24 colors to choose from. Ready-To-Use colors were deeper hues in the brown, green and red family, while the Dramatone Colors were bright turquoise, lime green and pinks. Selling points included a quick drying time, flat finish and that the paint allowed the walls to breathe.

In 1959 Endurance House Paint offered 16 Ready-To-Use colors and 20 Dramatone colors with a handy guide on choosing the best house colors based on the roof color. With the rise of suburban tract homes, Glidden marketed their different paint colors as a way to set a home apart from the rest.

Spred Glide-On exterior (1959) vinyl latex paint was available for stucco, brick, concrete and asbestos shingle siding. The ready to use colors also came with 1 to 2 lighter complimentary colors as well. The weather-resistant colors are described as “California and Caribbean hues” which, if I had to guess, were for the many Southern California Ranch homes with exterior stucco walls.

What color will you choose for your ranch home?