Should You Paint the Brick on Your Nashville Home?

Few changes alter the look of a house as much as painting its brick. A tired red-brick house can look like a completely different home. That's exactly why it deserves a careful decision. Once brick is painted, going back is hard.

Here's how we help homeowners around Nashville think it through.

First question: what is the brick telling you?

Before talking about color, look at the brick itself. A few things matter more than anything else:

Moisture. Brick is porous. It takes on water and lets it out again. If you see white, powdery deposits on the face (efflorescence), dark damp patches that linger after rain, or moss in shaded spots, the wall is holding water. Painting over a wet wall traps that moisture, and the paint will blister or peel.

Mortar. Run a key along a few joints. If the mortar crumbles or is missing in places, it needs repointing before any coating goes on. Paint won't hold failing mortar together.

Drainage. Gutters that overflow, downspouts that empty against the foundation, and soil or mulch piled against the bottom courses all keep brick wet. These are usually simple fixes, and they make a big difference to how any finish holds up.

If the brick is sound and dry, you have real choices.

Option one: leave it as it is

Good brick in good condition is low-maintenance. It doesn't need repainting, and plenty of houses look exactly right with their original masonry. If you like the color and the house simply looks dirty, a gentle cleaning may be all it needs.

Sometimes the best answer is to paint the trim, shutters and front door and leave the brick alone. A fresh trim color can change how the brick reads without committing the whole house.

Option two: paint

Paint gives you the most complete change. You choose the exact color, the coverage is even, and the result is crisp and modern. For brick, the details matter:

• Clean thoroughly first. Dirt, mildew and chalky residue keep paint from bonding.
• Let it dry. Brick holds water after washing longer than siding does, especially in our humidity.
• Use a masonry primer. Fresh mortar and brick are alkaline, and a primer made for masonry handles that better than a general-purpose one.
• Choose a breathable masonry paint. Brick needs to let moisture vapor out. A coating made for masonry does that; the wrong product can trap water in the wall.
• Work it into the texture. Brick and mortar joints have a lot of surface area. Getting full coverage takes back-rolling or brushing, not just a quick spray.

Painted brick does need repainting over the years, like any painted surface. It also shows dirt more than bare brick, especially near the ground.

A Goodlettsville brick job we wrote about on our old blog is a good example of the choice. We painted an exterior brick wall in Sherwin-Williams Retreat (SW 6207) using Sherwin-Williams Emerald, after a thorough cleaning to clear dust, grime and moss. The paint kept the brick's natural texture and pattern visible.

Historic overlays: brick is the exception

If your house is in one of Nashville's historic zoning overlays, check before you paint. In a historic preservation or historic landmark overlay, painting brick or stone needs a preservation permit, even repainting brick that's already painted, and the design guidelines generally treat painting unpainted brick as not appropriate. Neighborhood conservation overlays don't review painting. Ask the Metro Historic Zoning Commission before any brick is painted.

Option three: limewash

Limewash is a mineral finish that soaks into the brick instead of sitting on top of it. The look is softer, with some of the brick's color and texture showing through, and it weathers gradually over time. Many people like that it looks aged in the right way.

Limewash suits some houses better than others. It works best on unpainted, uncoated brick that can absorb it, and it's less uniform than paint by design. If you want a crisp, solid color, paint is the better choice.

Choosing a color

Brick has a lot of surface and texture, so colors look different on it than on a paint chip. A few tips:

• Test large samples on the wall itself, in both sun and shade.
• Warm whites and soft neutrals tend to look more natural on brick than stark, bright whites.
• Think about the roof color. A charcoal or brown roof will pull your color warmer or cooler.
• Consider the trim and windows at the same time. Black windows on painted brick read very differently than white ones.

What it takes to do it well

Painting brick is a bigger job than it looks: washing, drying time, repairs, primer, and two coats into a rough, absorbent surface. It's worth hiring someone who has done it many times.

Nash Painting has painted Middle Tennessee homes since 2009. There's no deposit, our written bid shows exactly what's included, and painting work carries a warranty of up to 10 years, depending on the package. To see how we handle it, visit our brick painting and limewashing page, look at recent work in the area, or schedule an estimate.