Exterior · 6 min read
Should you paint brick? Pros, cons and alternatives to consider
Painted brick can look striking, but it’s close to permanent and changes how the wall handles moisture. Here’s how to decide, and what to try instead.
Key takeaways
- Painting brick is close to permanent: removing paint later is slow and difficult, and harsh methods like sandblasting damage the brick.
- Brick has to release moisture, so if you paint, use a breathable masonry coating or a mineral paint rather than an ordinary film-forming paint.
- Fix crumbling mortar and the source of any efflorescence first; trapped moisture plus Michigan’s freeze–thaw cycles can make brick faces spall.
- Limewash, brick stain or new trim colors can change a brick house’s look with less risk than paint, though mortar wash is nearly as permanent.
Sherwin-Williams colors in this guide
Sometimes, but think hard first. Painting brick is close to permanent, it adds a repaint cycle that bare brick never needed, and the wrong coating can trap moisture that Michigan’s freeze–thaw cycles turn into crumbling faces. If your brick is sound and attractive, leave it. If it’s mismatched or damaged, a breathable coating can make sense.
Many of Grosse Pointe’s period-revival homes are faced in brick, as are plenty of post-war houses across Metro Detroit. Here are the honest trade-offs, what to check before any coating goes on, and the alternatives worth trying first.
Can you undo painted brick?
Not easily. Brick and mortar are porous and textured, and paint works its way into both. Removing it usually takes chemical strippers, often several rounds, and traces of color tend to stay in the pores and joints anyway.
The fast methods do lasting harm. Sandblasting and high-pressure water strip off the brick’s hard fired face along with the paint, leaving a soft, pitted surface that soaks up water. Treat painting brick as a one-way decision: once it’s painted, the realistic path is to keep it painted.
Why does it matter whether brick can breathe?
Brick walls are constantly taking on and giving off moisture. Brick and mortar absorb rain and splashback, then release that water as vapor through their faces. Unpainted brick handles the cycle well because nothing stands in the way.
A film-forming paint changes that. Many ordinary exterior paints slow the escape of vapor, so moisture lingers in the brick behind the film. The first sign is often blistering or peeling paint. The bigger problem comes in winter.
When water near the face of a brick freezes, it expands. Repeat that through a Michigan winter of freezing nights and thawing days, and the face can crack and pop off in flakes or chunks, a failure called spalling. Spalled brick doesn’t heal; a mason has to repair or replace it.
Which coatings are made for brick?
If you do paint, the coating matters more than the color. In general terms, two families are made for the job:
- Breathable masonry coatings. These are formulated to let water vapor escape while shedding rain. Look for products labeled for masonry and for vapor permeability, and confirm they suit your brick’s condition.
- Mineral and silicate paints. Instead of forming a film on top, these bond chemically with brick and other mineral surfaces, so the wall stays highly breathable and the finish looks flat and mineral. They generally need clean, bare masonry, so they’re usually not an option over existing paint.
Be wary of ordinary film-forming paint, and especially thick, rubbery elastomeric coatings, on any brick wall that needs to dry out. Products vary widely, so read the label and technical data, not just the front of the can.
What should you check before painting brick?
Paint doesn’t fix masonry problems; it hides them for a while. Before any coating goes on, look for these:
- Mortar condition. Crumbling, cracked or recessed joints need repointing first. On older homes, new mortar should be no harder than the original, since mortar harder than the brick can damage it. Ask your mason how long repairs should cure before coating.
- Efflorescence. White, powdery deposits are salts carried out by moving water, a sign of a moisture source such as an overflowing gutter, a misdirected downspout, poor grading or a leaky chimney cap. Fix the source, or the salts will keep coming and push paint off from behind.
- Spalling and cracks. Flaking faces mean moisture is already a problem. Stair-step cracks through the mortar can signal movement and deserve a mason’s opinion.
- Dirt and mildew. Brick must be clean and fully dry before coating. Wash gently, because high-pressure water erodes mortar and brick faces, then give the wall time; brick holds water longer than it looks.
If your home was built before 1978 and the brick or trim has been painted, that paint may contain lead. The EPA’s Renovation, Repair and Painting (RRP) rule requires certified firms and lead-safe work practices for paid work in pre-1978 homes that disturbs more than 6 square feet of painted surface per room inside, or more than 20 square feet outside. See the EPA’s RRP program page and our guide to lead paint in older homes.
What does painted brick commit you to?
Unpainted brick in good shape needs little beyond occasional mortar repair. Painted brick joins the exterior’s repaint schedule: it needs washing, touch-ups and, eventually, repainting, on a timeline set by sun, moisture and the coating.
And when moisture gets behind paint on brick, it tends to blister and peel in patches that are hard to repair invisibly. Our guide to why exterior paint peels explains the mechanics. None of this rules paint out, but it belongs in the decision alongside the look.
When does painting brick make sense?
Painting, or one of the alternatives below, earns its keep when the brick itself is the problem:
- An addition or repair used brick that never matched the original.
- The brick is patched, stained or scarred in ways cleaning won’t fix.
- Its color clashes with everything else on the house, and the masonry is otherwise sound.
- It’s already painted, so keeping it painted is the practical choice.
It usually doesn’t make sense on good-looking original brick, especially on an older home where the masonry is part of the design. On a Tudor Revival or Georgian house, the brick often carries the architecture; our guide to painting older Grosse Pointe homes covers working with it.
Nor does it make sense on brick with an unsolved moisture problem. And if your home is in a local historic district, ask whether painting masonry needs approval.
What are the alternatives to painting brick?
Limewash
Limewash is slaked lime and water, often tinted with pigment. It soaks into porous brick instead of forming a film, so the wall keeps breathing, and it dries to a soft, chalky matte finish. Wiping some off while it’s wet lets more brick show through. It wears away gradually rather than peeling, so it needs reapplying over time, and it’s meant for unpainted, absorbent brick.
Mortar wash (“German smear”)
A mortar wash is a thin layer of wet mortar spread over the brick, then partly wiped or scraped back so some brick shows. It gives a rustic, old-world texture and is a mineral coating rather than a paint film. Because it’s mortar, though, it’s nearly as permanent as paint.
Brick stain
Masonry stain soaks into the brick and changes its color while leaving the texture and mortar lines visible. Because it doesn’t build a thick film, it’s far less prone to peeling than paint, and it’s a good way to blend mismatched brick from an addition. Treat it as permanent, too.
Paint the trim instead
Often the simplest update is to leave the brick alone and repaint everything around it: trim, windows, doors, shutters and gutters. New colors there can change how a brick house reads from the street, with none of the risks above.
Which trim colors flatter red brick?
Red brick is warm, and trim colors that share some of that warmth tend to look settled against it. Very stark, cool whites can look harsh next to it.
- Warm whites and creams: Alabaster SW 7008, a warm, creamy off-white; Greek Villa SW 7551, a gently creamy white; or Creamy SW 7012, a true cream with visible yellow warmth.
- Deep greens: Rookwood Dark Green SW 2816, a dark traditional green, or Pewter Green SW 6208, a deep, moody green-gray, on shutters, doors or window sash.
- Dark neutrals: Urbane Bronze SW 7048, a warm bronze-brown, or Iron Ore SW 7069, a soft black, on windows, doors and railings.
- A confident door: Naval SW 6244, a deep navy, against red brick and creamy trim.
Brick ranges from orange-reds to deep, purplish tones, and screens and chips mislead. Hold large samples right against your brick, outdoors, at different times of day. Our guides to shutter colors and front door paint go further, and our exterior painting page explains how we approach the work.
Questions
Is painting brick a bad idea?
Not always, but it’s hard to reverse. On sound, attractive brick, especially on an older home, leaving it unpainted is usually the lower-maintenance choice. Painting can make sense for mismatched, patched or stained brick, as long as the mortar is sound, moisture problems are fixed and the coating is breathable.
What’s the difference between limewash and paint on brick?
Limewash is lime and water, often with added pigment. It soaks into porous brick rather than forming a film, so moisture can still escape, and it wears away gradually instead of peeling. Paint forms a film on the surface; it hides the brick more completely but is far harder to remove and, if it isn’t breathable, can trap moisture.
Can you paint brick that has already been painted?
Yes, and once brick is painted, keeping it painted is usually the practical path. Wash it, remove loose paint, fix mortar and moisture problems, and choose a coating compatible with what’s already there. Mineral silicate paints generally need bare masonry, and in homes built before 1978 the old paint may contain lead, so scraping calls for lead-safe practices.