I guess if you hate it, you hate it, but you'd be going from a very low maintenance finish to something that would require alot more upkeep. In terms of getting that look, all you have to do is paint it. Just saw this on another page:

Cons:
Once you go painted brick, you can never go back.
It looks cheap
You have to repaint it every few years
It peels
It's more expensive then just leaving it un painted

Pros:
You meet a lot of people who ask 'why would anyone paint a brick house'

My 1950s brick house is painted a flat greige color, and I love it! I don't know when it was painted, but after 5 years, we have had no problems. It is one of the nicer looking houses on our street because of the paint. It looks more updated, not cheap. Use a good paint, and have a good painter do it!

Is this the only brick on your house (one wall)? If so, paint that sucker. If however, the rest of the house is brick, then think over what ghunt said very carefully.
Be thankful your home's previous owner did not splatter paint all over the brick while painting the eaves.

I am a vote against. That gray will make it look too flat. Just my opinion.

Brick can be painted. No biggie. What the rest of think about whether it should or shouldn't be has nothing to do with your style or your decision. Do what you want!

Ditto GHunt.

BTW - That brick wall isn't "Faded and Weathered". It was made to look that way from day one, and IMO there's nothing wrong with that brick wall just the way it is.

One episode of Sarah's House on HGTV, it makes me sad I know this and am publicly sharing, but she stained the brick on a house she was doing a medium grey and it looked amazing. You still saw all the "brick" things that make it look like brick, but it was just grey instead. Maybe on their website there is some info on it.

You can definitely paint the brick. People do it all the time. If you want to paint it, it's your house, so I say go for it. There are lots of houses that are painted brick that are lovely, and if that's the look you're going for, then go for it. Bear in mind it will have to be repainted as often as woodwork on a house does, so it will increase upkeep a bit, but since you have siding on a good portion of your house, it won't be THAT big of a deal.

If you decide to paint it yourself, you'll need to make sure you use a brush to get into all the mortar lines, and get in there GOOD: if you don't seal it well, water can get between the brick and the paint and will undermine the integrity of the finish (mortar is porous, so unless it has a water-dispersing agent in it - which judging by the age of your house, it doesn't - it can wick the water in behind the paint). Do multiple coats (2-3) on the brick to make sure you get good coverage and a sturdy finish. Also, you might ask someone in the local paint department (wherever you buy your paint) if they can recommend a primer/sealer to use on brick.

I do agree with the assessment that if this is the only brick on the house, it's fine. If there's other brick that you plan to leave unpainted, though, I wouldn't paint it: it's an all or nothing kind of situation.

Good luck!

Although I love the look of painted brick, it's actually not good for the brick. Brick is a material that 'breathes' (especially the mortar) and when it is painted, any moisture that is between the brick and the next layer of the building can't get out. It will also be hard to see the beginning of any damage because it is covered in paint. So, if there are moisture problems, it won't be evident on the exterior until it is really bad.

I would do the rest of your sprucing up and leave the brick and see how you feel. If you still want to paint it and want to take the risk, then I guess go for it.

I own a painted brick house, which is gray colored. I've lived there 10 years, and we have not had to repaint. And it looks pretty good. However, one day we will need to, and I dread it.

That said, you've got a cute house but I agree that I don't care for multicolored brick - so I agree with the other posts - its OK to paint, just really think it through, and if you do, buy really high quality masonry paint, be sure all the prep work is done first.

I agree with lazy-lurker. As long as you fully commit and use a high quality paint suitable for masonry.

There is really nothing worse than the look of peeling paint, especially if it happens only a year or two after you spent the money (for product and labor).

I would suggest finding a company that makes silicate mineral paint. The binder is not a plastic that will age, but rather a mineral that reacts to form a breathable bond. Also, it has a matte finish, so it doesn't necessarily have to look painted.

Stain the bricks. That will change the color, but staining allows the bricks to breathe and doesn't peel. It supposedly lasts longer than paint, too.

There are lots of places out there who stain bricks and masonry. Google will find them for you.

I have just stained the whole front of a 60's side split and it looks fantastic. Stain is made with minerals and doesn't sit on top like paint, but actually sinks into the brick and changes the colour, which looks natural. You could use a taupe stain and colour your addition to match, which would look wonderful.

Thanks everyone for your input! I'm glad to read that it is perfectly okay to leave it as it is, that it is not faded and weathered (hee hee, I always think bricks should look red, and since the house faces west, I assumed that over the years the afternoon sun has faded away the color).

ValHalla- yes it's the only brick wall on the house.

Paint it or stain it. It will look so much better. Brick offers a great texture. One of the best things I ever did was paint a 1950's flagstone fireplace white. Everyone said not to do it, now all I get are compliments. We took a picture of it and in photoshop tried out different colors. That's the best way to see what would work best. Good luck.

Don't paint it, stain it- cement stain works great on brick, esp for removing that mottled mid-century look.

grew up in a brick house painted white. i only remember having to paint it once in 18 years of living there, and yes, i would have remembered... i was daddy's little helper. we did have to spray it down with clorox sometimes, to get rid of the mildew.

In Belgium all houses are made of bricks and more and more houses are being painted. IMHO it looks great and gives it a much more modern touch

Colellis is right - do the rest of the sprucing up, and make up your mind then.