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This week it’s back down to the single dose, but it’s a knockout. Reader Jerry Martin wanted to know about the paint job on the Old State Capitol. Whew, boy. What seemed like an easy enough question became the detailed subject matter of my nightmares. Let’s just say there was limewash, Mark Twain, a rabid squirrel and fish emulsion. (You say fantasy, I say nightmare.) I’ll leave the rest to your imagination. Read on, faithful troops. Learn something today besides your trusty word of the day. If you’re still jonesing for more traffic trivia of yore, reader Michael Bailey pointed out another tidbit about last week’s thermoplastic striping: it has glass beads in it for headlight reflection. I know. Information overload..aoigphaiuhejhajhdlkjahudy!? Ahh. Not really. There’s so much to go around. Bring it on. E-mail here.

Question: Why did the Old State Capitol get a facelift?

Answer: Out of necessity.

And it wasn’t really cosmetic. It was a necessity to waterproof the building. While undergoing a roofing project in 2001, facility planning and control began investigating and realized the building’s entire surface would need to be replaced to prevent further leaking. The original building used a lime mortar (which allows moisture vapor to pass in and out), but as repairs were made to the Capitol over time, workers likely used a mixture of portland cement and faux stone plaster, which tend to trap moisture in the brick. The $6 million waterproofing project began in 2004 and concluded less than six months ago with Jerry Campbell as the architect and Cangelosi Ward as contractor. (A lime mortar specialist named John Speweik of U.S. Heritage Group in Chicago was also hired to teach and oversee the work.)

First, the building’s original stucco exterior was removed down to the brickwork and was redone with a lime mortar made from limestone, sand and water. A limewash was then applied, which penetrates into the surface instead of coating, but yielded problems like being too transparent. More research had to be done to find another coating that could work like limewash, giving the building color and allowing it to breathe. A product was found called silane that fit the bill. So the majority of the building’s color is actually from silane, not paint. All of the Capitol’s exterior cast iron was painted with a brown urethane paint, dubbed “Dakin brown” in honor of the Capitol’s 1847 architect, James Harrison Dakin. Wood around the windows was painted with an oil-based green paint. The colors were agreed upon and chosen to be as authentic as possible. The paint used on the exterior will have to be touched up over the years, but the new silane coating is anticipated to last for a very long time.

The Capitol also undergoes roughly two weeks of annual cyclical interior maintenance, which addresses any problems with floors, stained glass, electrical wiring and ventilation. Staff members also conduct a daily walk through to check for any problems. “We spend so much of our time on the building on keeping it up and pristine,” says director Mary Louise Prudhomme. “But it’s our greatest artifact.” Next up: the Capitol’s 1855 fence will be restored. Thanks to architect Jerry Campbell and the Old State Capitol’s Mary Louise Prudhomme and Todd Cooper for providing the foundation and details about this project.