In article ,
Wendy Chatley Green wrote:

I walked out of a house where the original stonework
(two-story fireplace with large hearth) had been painted white. I
knew that every time I looked at that paint, I'd curse whoever did it.


It could probably be restored.


Sometimes, though, things are painted because they need to be to hide
flaws or lower grade materials. I know someone who spent a LOT of time
stripping paint off of her redwood entryway only to find that the wood,
while indeed redwood, was just not very attractive. She painted it.


Dimitri