Brick homes: to paint or not to paint? | Business

There are two distinct views about painting a brick house.

One view is a newly painted brick house looks fresh, trendy and new. There is anecdotal evidence that well-done, painted brick houses, usually in white, bring in more dollars and sell a bit faster than their traditional brick house neighbors. Cha-ching! These are incredibly positive points for a seller or an investor flipping houses.

The second view is the downside: someone must keep repainting these houses every few years. Also, many homeowners need to consider that natural bricks breathe, and one does not want to seal them up with paint, as moisture can build up, become trapped, and slowly erode the bricks. An exception is mineral silicate paint, as it is breathable. The problem in buying a painted brick house is not knowing if mineral silicate paint was applied or just any glossy paint that sealed up the bricks.

Traditional brick lovers hold the second viewpoint and say, “Never paint brick!” and “Why mess with perfection?” A brick home is extremely low maintenance and classic, and it never needs that messy and expensive paint job every few years.

But what if you have a brick home that you want to update or the natural brick color is not pleasing to you? Say, it’s orange. I suggest a third alternative involving whitewash, limewash or a German Schmear. Say what? Schmear? Schmearing is simply smearing mortar onto the bricks, and it totally changes the look. Schmearing requires a good bit of effort and skill, too. You may want to call in a professional.

Whitewashing and limewashing are suitable for do-it-yourself projects. Whitewashing (adding water to white, latex paint) should be translucent and will mute the bricks’ natural color, giving it a “French Chateau” look. Depending on the ratio of water to paint, the final look can be very translucent to opaque. Before you start your project, test your paint/water mixture on some spare or not visible bricks using different ratios of water to latex paint. It can be three parts water to one part paint for a lighter wash or up to 50/50 water and paint. This water/paint blend will be absorbed into the brick, allowing the bricks to continue to breathe. However, this is permanent, so you must determine if this is a good look for your house.

Limewash is powdered limestone mixed with water. Once applied, it absorbs into the bricks, leaving a soft patina and a chalky residue. To keep the look, limewash needs to be reapplied every few years; in that sense, it is temporary.

Before you begin a do-it-yourself whitewash or limewash makeover project, do online research to learn the step-by-step processes and check out Before and After photos.

With a wash or a schmear, the house will not scream “trendy,” but it may whisper “classic.”