The article is devoted to the study of the building materials use principles in the restoration of monuments of architectural and town-planning heritage. The basic properties of the materials, classification and specificity of their use are indicated. As a result of the analysis, the most important role of the material in the formation of the architectural image of the object was substantiated. It is concluded that the material should be considered not only in the context of technical parameters, but also in terms of architectural and artistic characteristics. Attention is focused on the object authenticity meaning understanding and on the operational properties of the materials for decoration. It was noted that the choice of the materials should occur on the basis of the preceding stage of the material research, as a segment of a detailed survey of the technical state of the structure.