Best Way To Paint Exterior Brick – Homeowner Jane wants to paint her brick house dark red. It looks sad, strange and like an old administrative building. There is nothing attractive about him, except his “good bones”. Hobbyists insist that brick, like hardwood, should not be painted. (They also have this argument about their dark, stained kitchen cabinets.) Who’s right?
Painting bricks seems to some people as sacred as painting painted wood. About ten years ago, interior design trends were a corner. Many homeowners are tired of all the tons of earth and the gravity of the “Tuscan” stage. People who have stained wood in their homes (especially cabinets) now want to paint that wood white. The homeowners wanted spaces that were fresh and light-filled, not dark and cavernous. But most of you have a real job of convincing your significant other that it’s “okay” to paint the wood. There is something about the naturalness of stained wood – and brick – that appeals to many people. But in the last ten years, we’ve seen enough before and after photos to prove that painting wood is a good idea in most homes, and there’s no reason to shy away from it.
Best Way To Paint Exterior Brick
It is similar to bricks. There are some “unpainted brick” cleaners out there, but enough brick houses have been altered by painting them that the “lady’s resistance” is now much less. In fact, if you do a web search for “brick exterior house ideas” most of the pictures will be of painted, not raw brick! You’ll also see some on a Google search (and all the unpainted brick houses that pop up are perfect candidates for a color change!). Given the choice to keep the house reddish-brown or change it to white or cream or gray, many, if not most, people will choose to update.
To Paint Or Not To Paint? Here Are 5 Tips On Painting Brick Walls
But should you paint your brick house just because of design considerations? Are there other reasons for painting or painting bricks? I’m a big fan of painted brick houses myself, so just to get the practical ideas out of the way, I’d like to start with the “can”.
If your brick house is not painted properly, any moisture that gets in can cause the paint to discolor, and in the worst case, can damage the brick over time. You don’t want water to seep under your paint through any cracks or gaps like in windows and doors, so it’s important to prepare your home properly before painting. (If brick is in your home, moisture concerns aren’t an issue, such as a fireplace or feature wall.)
How do you make sure water doesn’t seep under your paint and damage your wall over time? Use a professional painting company to paint your brick exterior. And don’t use the cheapest one either. This is not just self-serving information. Professional painters are usually more diligent than homeowners in finding any cracks or gaps that need to be filled or filled. They will also use appropriate primers that are pH balanced for the masonry, and appropriate paints that protect the brick while allowing it to “breathe.” And they will apply the products with uniform coats that are thick enough to protect the outside of your brick from the elements, but not so thick they break over time. Painting a surface like a wall is much more involved than painting a brick or wood house. This is one area where you don’t want to take shortcuts.
All that dirt and mold you’ve never seen before because your wall was a wash of different shades of red and brown? You realize it now. It is quite possible that you will power wash your home once in a while, although this is true for any painted exterior, not just wall. This is because the dirt and mold that accumulates on the exterior of the house can be more visible when your house is painted. On the other hand, if you’re not happy knowing that your faded, unpainted brick home is like a giant lint trap for dirt and grime, you’ll feel much better with a freshly painted exterior that’s clean. Easy to maintain!
How To Avoid Having To Repaint Your Brick Home Ever Again
Should you paint your brick house? Yes, as long as you understand that this process cannot be reversed. You can repaint and change the color along the way, but there is no way to go back to unpainted bricks. Not if you want to remove the paint with chemicals or sandblasting, but the brick will never look like it was originally, and you will undoubtedly wear the brick.
If painting your brick house is the right choice, don’t let its durability scare you. It’s like rebuilding a haunted house. . . Once you tear down walls, tear up old floors or demolish your ugly kitchen, there’s no going back. But your home will be much better for it!
Painting the exterior can make a dull, drab home fresh and beautiful like nothing else can.
Whether classic or modern, royal home or small cottage, there is nothing like the curb appeal of painted brick. This beautiful house? Here’s how it looked before we painted it!
How To Paint Your Brick Exterior With A Sprayer
Nothing less than a full paint job will transform a home like this. If your home is historically significant, you should leave the brick alone and make small tweaks like painting the shutters, trim, and door. Introducing some contrast will tone down all the dark reds and muddy browns. But small adjustments won’t have nearly the impact that painting a brick face can.
After all, someone chose the color of the brick when your house was built. This color was a deliberate design choice. If you don’t like a design choice anymore (or never did), you don’t have to live with a red house forever.
A key element of good home design is contrast. It is a pleasant combination of light and dark elements, including landscaping, which gives it much of its appeal. Look at the opposite when evaluating homes and you will see examples everywhere. White painted wood siding, black metal windows, copper downspouts and a corrugated metal roof, for example. Or a blue beach house with lots of fresh white wood like windows, porch railings and blinds. Classic Mediterranean look of white stucco houses with red tile roofs. And landscaping, when well designed, adds more layers of texture and contrast.
Brick exteriors often blend into their surroundings. They are of the same medium size (light/dark) as trees and shrubs. And some bricks are particularly “spotty” or busy. You have to work really hard to make features like doors, windows and landscaping pop against a mid-level exterior.
Choosing The Right White Exterior House Paint
But with a brick painted house, designing for curb appeal becomes much easier. Now you can see more of your front door and windows, and if you want to increase the curb appeal even more, a bright front door color or contrasting lights may be just the thing. As for your landscaping, it will look much better against a painted exterior. Now that you can “see” all the leaves and branches in front of your house, you may decide to trim or remove some, or plant some flowers for a pop of color that has a chance to really stand out. !
By the way, that’s what happened to the beautiful San Antonio home. Shawna Percival of Styleberry Creative chose Sheeran Williams “Shoji White” for the facade and “Inkwell” for the doors and shutters. And begonias add a beautiful color to the landscape.
In addition to aesthetics, there is a practical reason to paint your brick house. The paint acts as a sealant to protect your home from rain and other weather changes, while still allowing the brick to “breathe”. The caveat is that the project should be done by painters with experience in painting architecture, who understand the importance of using the right paint products and sealing any cracks that let moisture in.
Back to aesthetics. Is there ever a good design reason why you shouldn’t paint your brick house?
Our Exterior Paint Colors That Compliment Red Brick
If you get enough contrast between the different elements of your house and your existing brick, and the color of your brick appeals to you, you can leave it. The key is that the contrasting elements are noticeable. The thin edges of your white vinyl window just won’t cut it. Here’s an example where design features like pediments, framing around doors and windows, and shutters all have enough weight to minimize wall expansion. (We painted the woodwork in this Alamo Heights home in Benjamin Moore’s “Pure White,” and the shutters in Shirin Williams’ “Tricorn Black.”)
And here is an example where design features such as columns contrast well with brick, but the homeowner chose a lighter and wider look. Designer Micah Pope chose Benjamin Moore’s “Super White” for our paint job
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