The weather hasn’t been ideal for photos and the landscaping isn’t at its best right now, but I’m so excited about our painted brick house that I couldn’t wait to share the pictures. I’m a 36-year-old suburban mom and this project has me genuinely thrilled.
In this post you’ll find the full details about painting our brick house white, including:
- Why we painted our brick house
- What type of paint we used
- How we selected the perfect white
- The process we followed for painting brick
- A breakdown of costs
Our house looks so much brighter and more cohesive now, and I’m excited to walk through the entire transformation.
I’ll try not to go overboard with punctuation, but I’m definitely enthusiastic.
Painted Brick House Before & Afters
Below are plenty of before and after photos that show how much the house changed. The comparison is even more dramatic when you look back to how the house appeared the day we bought it; over time we’d already made several updates that set the stage for this final paint reveal.
The painted exterior brightens the whole property and makes architectural details read more cleanly. Removing the old porch and lightening the brick have both added a lot of visual light.
We love how modern and updated it feels. The white paint neutralizes the uneven mortar and the maroon craggy texture of the original brick, giving the house a much cleaner, more cohesive look.
You can see additional photos and a video tour that show the new walkway and the rebuilt portico, but keep scrolling for details about the paint choice and the application process.
Why Paint Our Brick House?
Short version: we wanted to. This is our third brick house and I’d daydreamed about painting one for years. John is more practical and worried about maintenance and mildew, but after researching and hearing from many listeners who’ve had painted brick for a decade or more with little upkeep, we felt comfortable moving forward. Finding a mineral-based masonry paint that breathes made the choice easier.
This house felt like the right candidate because it was built in the early 1980s and the original brick wasn’t historic or particularly special. It had a maroon tone and uneven beige mortar, so painting it felt like an upgrade rather than a loss. Plus, painted brick is fairly common in our city and in many historic neighborhoods, so it felt like a natural direction.
The test swatch immediately softened the brick and neutralized the mortar, which confirmed our decision.
Our neighborhood has a mix of original and painted brick homes, so painting ours also helped add variety and lighten up a stretch of darker facades on our block.
Before the paint job, we’d already completed several updates over the years — removing trees to address moisture issues, replacing the roof and windows, painting trim and siding, grading and seeding the yard, and adding landscape lighting. Those changes helped ensure painting the brick would have a big payoff.
We also removed a rotting deck at the back, added a temporary gravel patio, and opened up a musty sunroom into a covered porch. These projects combined with the paint dramatically improved the overall look and function of the exterior.
The painted exterior unified the different surfaces and minimized visual clutter from vents, meters, and varied materials.
What Brick Paint We Used
We used Romabio’s Masonry Flat Paint (a mineral-based product) and highly recommend it. This isn’t a sponsored post — we paid for everything — and we’ve been impressed by the product’s performance. Unlike traditional latex paints that seal brick and can trap moisture, Romabio’s mineral paint breathes and acts more like a stain with an opaque finish.
Key benefits we appreciated:
- High pH makes it naturally mold-resistant, reducing mildew concerns.
- It can be pressure-washed with low pressure.
- A long warranty (20 years, with many reports of 30+ years of service).
- It remains breathable like brick, so it won’t chip or peel.
- The product is sold concentrated and non-toxic.
- The flat, matte finish gives a refined, historic look rather than a glossy newer appearance.
What White Paint Color We Chose
Romabio offers a limited palette and can color-match to Benjamin Moore or Sherwin-Williams colors. We tested several options and chose Sherwin-Williams Moderne White because it reads as a soft, warm white—neither too stark nor too beige—and it complements our white trim and new vinyl-wrapped sills.
The test pots we ordered were color-matched by Romabio to ensure the final result worked well in different light. If you want the exact formula we used, ask Romabio for their “Richmond White” Masonry Flat Paint — that’s the exact mix on our house.
How To Paint Your Brick House
We hired a pro because of the size and height of our two-story house with a tall chimney, but the process is straightforward and many people can DIY smaller projects. The main steps are:
1. Prep Your House
Move outdoor furniture, remove shutters and hardware, tape and cover windows and lights, and pressure-wash any areas with dirt or mildew. You don’t need to pressure-wash every inch — focus on grimy spots. No primer is required for the masonry paint.
2. Mix, Spray, and Backroll the First Coat
The Romabio product comes concentrated and is diluted slightly with water before use. Spraying is fastest, especially on craggy brick, and backrolling after spraying helps push paint into the texture and evens coverage.
3. Caulk Gaps
After the first coat dries, fill deep crevices or shadowy nooks with paintable exterior caulk to eliminate dark spots. This isn’t mandatory but improves the finished look.
4. Spray the Second Coat
A second spray coat provided the solid, uniform finish. Because the team was thorough on the first coat, the second coat went quickly without backrolling.
5. Paint Non-Brick Areas Appropriately
Use compatible paints for siding, metal meter boxes, doors, or vents. For hardboard siding we used a low-lustre exterior paint to match the matte look of the masonry finish; for other small elements, primer and the correct exterior paint were applied.
6. Clean Up and Return Items
Remove tape and tarps, put furniture back, and rehange hardware if desired. We chose to keep the shutters off because we like the cleaner look without them.
How Long Did It Take?
Our painting happened over five calendar days (four full work days of painting plus travel):
- Day 1: Travel and prep
- Day 2: First coat on front and chimney side
- Day 3: First coat on back and garage side
- Day 4: Second coat on the whole house
- Day 5: Siding spray, cleanup, and travel
That timeline was with a crew of three working long days and using a lift. Smaller homes or DIY efforts will vary.
How Much Did It Cost?
Before final invoices we estimated labor at about $4,500 and materials (seven four-gallon buckets of masonry paint plus siding paint) around $1,900, for a rough total of $6,400. After invoices arrived, the final total was $7,500. Lance, the painter, suggested a per-square-foot guideline of about $1.50–$2.50 for a pro to apply Romabio masonry paint, which typically includes labor and materials and can vary by region and the specifics of your project.
What’s Next?
Midway through the paint week we decided to remove the portico and rebuild the door surround, which led to a whirlwind few days of demo, construction, and rewiring for new lanterns. The new door color is Benjamin Moore Tranquility in a high-gloss finish, and the lighter front has brought much more natural light into the foyer.
Other future plans include resurfacing the porch floor with outdoor tile or stone, refreshing landscaping now that the house reads brighter, and possibly modifying windows for better balance and light. The paint revealed many opportunities and has made the rest of the exterior feel much more intentional.
In summary: we’re thrilled with how the house turned out. The paint transformed the exterior, unified different materials, brightened the curb appeal, and opened up new possibilities for landscaping and finishing touches. Friends, neighbors, and family have all loved the change, and we couldn’t be happier.
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