We are in the process of painting our exterior brick. Henry and I love painted brick and think it’s such a classic, timeless look. I think a lot of people want to do it, but for some reason are a little hesitant about taking the leap.
It could be that the lack of knowledge and knowing exactly what they are doing scares them some. I can totally relate, so I wanted to give you some tips on painting the exterior of your home that will hopefully give you a little more knowledge and put you at ease. Whether DIYing or hiring it done, these tips will help you.
Prepping
Prepping is a major part that is very crucial in making sure painted exterior brick is done properly. Make sure and clean the brick with a cleaning mixture before you do anything. If the brick isn’t too dirty, a hose, a stiff-bristled brush, and soapy water will work just fine.
After cleaning, make sure and fill in all cracks with acrylic caulk. This will need time to dry before applying the exterior paint. Now, you will want to make sure and cover all the windows and doors with plastic. Use multiple layers if necessary and painter’s tape to secure tightly.
Using the Right Tools and Materials
Like any other job, having the right tools on hand will make the job flow much smoother and easier. You will want to make sure you have a sprayer or roller that can cover large amounts of an area at one time. We recommend using a sprayer. This will cut down on work time, will make it easier to get into all the joints, and will be much easier overall. But make sure to spray at all angles to make sure the paint gets into all of the nooks and crannies of the brick. This is especially important if you have over grouted joints like our house.
If using a sprayer, you will still need a brush on hand for any drips or any hard-to-reach areas. Always keep in mind that before applying a second or third coat, you want to make sure and let the paint dry for at least 4-6 hours.
We own the Graco Magnum and absolutely love it. If you are going to DIY a painting project like this, a good paint sprayer is a must.
It’s also very important to use the right type of paint on your exterior brick. We recommend using either a mineral-based paint or a latex paint made specifically for masonry. Both are fine, but mineral-based should hold up even longer.
Weather Conditions
I don’t think it takes much to figure this one out, but before you start painting, consider the weather conditions. Being extremely too cold or too hot will not be the best condition for painting brick. Windy weather and rain probably won’t work either.
Make sure and check your forecast for a few good days of good temperatures and pleasant working conditions. This will make it much better for the painter and the paint will adhere to the surface much better.
How Much Does It Cost?
We have painted brick as a DIY on a previous flip house but decided to hire it done this go around. Not because it’s difficult, we simply don’t have the time right now. But I will confess, we are spending lots more money having it hired out! As I am writing the check, I’m for sure rethinking our decision on this one. But, with our high roof pitch and hard to reach areas, it would have also been very difficult for us to have completed this job.
When DIYing, you are only paying for the paint and the tools. To DIY a 2,500 square ft home you are looking at around $800 dollars including the paint and a good sprayer. If hiring it out, labor can range anywhere from $150-$350 per hour. I know, it is very pricey!
Most of the time it is broken down by the job, but I wanted to show how they get their figures. They base it on how long it will take them, tools, materials(including paint), and of course multiple workers. A 2,500 square ft home on average would cost you around $7,500 dollars to have the entire brick home painted. That is $6,900 more dollars than DIYing it!
A Year Later
It is now almost a year later and you ask, are we happy with the decision to paint our brand new brick? Yes! We wouldn’t have done it any other way! We absolutely love our white painted brick. Even though at first I was a little unsure if we were making the right decision, it was one of the best we made during the entire building process. It gives our home character and a unique, but timeless look.
This is one area we did spend a little extra on, considering we did not DIY this project as part of the build. It was money well spent. Due to the largeness of our home, I feel like we would have been a little overwhelmed with painting it on our own. I suggest evaluating the size of your home along with your time and budget before making the decision on whether or not to take on this project.
*This page contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase through one of these links, we earn a small commission at no additional cost to you.
34 Comments
Painted brick is so very handsome; love the images. Very helpful info on the breakdown of costs for labor and materials. While we have not yet had the opportunity to paint a brick exterior, we have had the body of our old colonial house painted three occasions over a fifteen year period. It is an expensive, but necessary part of home maintenance. For that reason, we intend our future homes to be either brick or stucco structures!
December 4, 2019 at 4:27 pmHello Pamela! We also love the look of painted brick, but yes, it is lots to maintain and keep up. The things we do to make our homes stay looking beautiful, right!
December 4, 2019 at 6:03 pmWhat maintenance is required and does it start to peel over time?
January 4, 2022 at 3:23 pmCould you possibly recommend a certain sprayer to buy? We will be painting our brick home next summer. Thanks for all the tips? Also did you prime your brick first? Or just layers of paint?
December 4, 2019 at 6:27 pmHello Lori! This is really exciting and I think you will love it! We recommend using one out of the Graco Pro Series …they are little expensive, but worth it. The painter this go around did use one coat of primer then two coats of the paint color.
December 5, 2019 at 3:52 pmAny tricks to using a paint sprayer? I just purchased a Grace and we currently have a hate/hate relationship. My first project was a headboard. Drips everywhere, lots of cleanup in between waiting for paint to dry, etc…
April 21, 2020 at 11:55 pmThey can take a little getting use to. The main thing to keep in mind is do not hold the sprayer in one place while spraying. Keep it moving in long straight strokes. If you hold it in one place, it will run.
April 22, 2020 at 2:37 amBeautiful color!!! Could you please reply with the color paint you used?
June 5, 2020 at 3:27 amHe used sherwin Williams White duck in flat.
September 20, 2020 at 7:12 amYour home is beautiful. We are looking to do a new build next year and by far the less expensive way to go is a standard brick painted white. Only parts of the front will be the brick and other battan and siding. Wish we could do the entire house but also desire wood flooring and other upgrades. Budget matters! Did you have the brick layer over grout as well? What brand and color of paint did you use? This would be helpful to know. Thank you!
December 19, 2022 at 7:03 pmIt’s a bit off topic (I love this post and found it helpful!), but we’re in the pre-design process of our house right now, figuring out what we want, and I’m wondering what this style of home is called? Particularly the sloping/offset curved roof… is there a name to describe that, that would help me in my searches and designing? Thank you!
December 5, 2019 at 3:09 amHello Tonja!
December 5, 2019 at 3:53 pmThis type of home could be considerd an English Cottage style. I hope this helps!
Hello, Question we have Acme Clay Brick on our home, have you ever seen this type of Brick painted in a white? What paint brand and white color paint do you recommend? Thank you!
December 6, 2019 at 3:09 amHi Elvia! We have a couple of articles on exterior paint colors you may want to look at. https://plankandpillow.com/the-best-white-paint-colors-for-exteriors/https://plankandpillow.com/our-top-picks-for-dark-exterior-paint-colors/
December 6, 2019 at 3:48 pmI would recommend using Romabio.
Henry, I called JC Licht and asked if they could mix a white color with Romabio and they said Doing a white color would not work well as the paint itself has a grayish tint to it. They said China White would likely be the lightest possible and white dove would maybe not work. You chose Romabio with White Duck in masonry flat, correct?
June 19, 2021 at 7:36 pmWe would like to paint our new home with the Sherwin Williams White Duck. There are so many different kinds when I went to look at the store. Can you tell me which kind you used and the kind of finish – flat, satin or something else. Love your ideas!
February 24, 2020 at 5:40 pmIn his article he stated he use flat, so that it looks timeless and not plasticky.
September 20, 2020 at 7:05 amHe use flat for timeless he said in his article…
September 20, 2020 at 7:10 amDo you have a good sprayer you would recommend for painting exterior brick and hardiplank?
March 26, 2020 at 4:34 pmYour home is gorgeous! We are building a white brick home and looking at a similar palate. Do you know what type of brick you have and what color is the metal part of the roof? We are having white windows with a cedar roof and some metal and trying to determine the metal color. Thank you!
April 22, 2020 at 1:57 amThank you, but you might be thinking the first picture is our home. We don’t have any metal on our roof. That is an inspiration picture. You can see our completed home at the end of the article.
April 22, 2020 at 2:29 amThank you for this beautiful post. I am very curious about your cedar trim. How did you apply boards over windows & how is the wood protected? We are about to re stucco our home & love your look. Help?
April 27, 2020 at 4:35 pmWonderful read! I am trying to build up the courage to take the leap and paint or lime wash our house. The tricky part is our house isn’t all brick. It is both stone and brick. Have you ever seen stone painted as well? Do you use the same methods and materials as brick?
April 27, 2020 at 7:15 pmYour home looks gorgeous and I love the shade of white you chose. I see above that you recommended Romabio products. Is that what you used on this brick? What finish of paint did you use on the siding (flat, satin, or something else)?
June 13, 2020 at 6:31 pmPer his article. he used sherwin Williams white duck in flat.
September 20, 2020 at 7:14 amLovely exterior, considering doing something very similar for our new construction. Could you share what kind of brick you used? Since you knew you’d be painting, were you able to go with a more economical brick?
September 18, 2020 at 9:22 pmGorgeous!! have been dreaming of painting our brick home for some time and while looking for steps, etc i came across this post. love it, the color and the old look to the brick. Can i change the look of my brick to what you did w the grout? our house is 50 years old ranch style home and we been in it for 20 years. Hate the brick color and cant wait to make a change. Hoping you read this message, M
October 21, 2020 at 7:37 pmHow often , using your recommendations will a person need to repaint. We live in Houston, Texas and I am recommending painting the exterior of our condo building. The Board thinks it will need to be repainted often. Is this a huge worry? Also, could you send a copy of these instructions at the same time you answer?
October 30, 2020 at 2:25 pmWe just painted our brick front house. Not sure how to share photos but it was one of the best decisions we have made. Our house is approx. 28 years old and in a suburban planned community. Thankfully, we received a quick HOA approval and our extremely competent painters transformed our house from blah to bright and cheery. We have a large front porch. Decided to keep the floor as is and love the unpainted brick up against the brick painted walls. Have received amazing reviews from all our neighbors!
November 6, 2020 at 12:16 pmWe are building new and want to paint brick using Ramabio. I’m heading that painters brick is cheaper than other brick and since we will be immediately painting it perhaps it doesn’t matter if it’s discolored so less expensive is great. I wonder, however, if this brick is of a lesser quality or structurally damaged or degraded in some way, any idea about what painters brick is and if the quality is lesser?
December 14, 2020 at 8:16 pmHi, what type of brick did you use?
February 2, 2022 at 8:38 pmRight now it sounds like WordPress is the best blogging platform out there right now. (from what I’ve read) Is that what you’re using on your blog?
February 24, 2022 at 5:29 amI have some old bricks on my home that I want to make look nicer. It makes sense that properly painting them would be beneficial. I’ll be sure to work with a professional painter, because I don’t know how to paint bricks well.
March 14, 2022 at 1:50 pmHi! We are about to paint our home soon. We are thinking about DIYing it since it is not that big. How did you spray near the roof without getting any on the roof? Or did you roll towards the top/edges?
April 25, 2022 at 4:56 pm