apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

If I had a red brick house with black shutters that matched my neighbor's, I wouldn't go to the trouble of painting my bricks. I would just paint my shutters and trim.

I'd never paint a brick house - and certainly not Cobalt Blue!

Why take a material that is inherently beautiful and minimal maintenance and make it so that it has to be washed and repainted every few years?

I love painted brick. Love it. Not all brick is attractive.

And what is the consensus on painting brick fireplaces or leaving them raw? I have a brick wall with a huge fireplace in it -- all recycled brick. The bricks are interesting, and some even have old paint flakes on them, but I'm considering painting it all or having it plastered. It's just feeling busy and heavy to me.

But I would never paint a large brick house if the bricks were nice. I might do it to a row house -- just to make it stand out.

I live in one of those red unpainted brick rowhouses in DC--the last one in a row of a couple dozen, only one of which is painted (and it's painted brick red). I like the look of painted brick, but feel like it would be weird to be the only painted house in the entire row. Also, it's free to leave it unpainted, so I anticipate that's how it's gonna stay.

i dont especially like painted brick. i think it looks best natural. i would change the landscape, or add a patio. maybe pain the shutters or something but not the brick.

It also depends on where you live - if you are in an historic district such as Capitol Hill the Historical Society requests that you leave brick houses unpainted.

Apropos of nothing, do people get ice dams in DC? I can't figure out what those thingies on the roof are if they're not heating elements.

If you have the money, I'd paint the brick. That red gets boring after a while, and it greatly restricts the possibilities for shutter and door paint.

It depends on the age of the house. Old brick is lovely. But a lot of post-WW2 brick is tacky and/or fake.

I agree with Rekeben, not all brick is attractive. My old house was part brick, part stucco. The brick had deep vertical scored grooves that had been painted over and over since the house was built in the 1950's. The new owners stripped it. It looks terrible. I have dreams about buying it back and repainting it!

Nice red brick I prefer just like it is. But there are some houses around here that are a really ugly tan color, like a 1970s doctor's office, that I would paint in a second if it were mine.

I know how much work it is to strip that paint off, though. My neighbors had professionals at their house for AGES last summer just to strip the paint off a chimney. I can't imagine how long it would take to do a whole house.

I think it comes down to historic or not. If your home is old/historic and the brick is pretty it would be a shame to paint it. If it's unattractive, or not necessarily appropriate to the style of the house, paint it.

madsarah,
it appears to be a slate roof. Those things are to keep the snow from shedding off the roof otherwise the uncovered door may be blocked by snow. You'll see then often on metal roofs for the same reason.

Re: removing paint from brick: If you did not originally paint the brick, you might be surprised by what you find when you remove the paint. I witnessed this many years ago when the homeowners found their house to be covered with a mishmash of red and yellow bricks. It was really unattractive.

Oh my god, the labor, the expense! i'd just paint the damn shutters and be done with it.

Love this post! That photo is perfect. I like that it is a real, grown-up decorating dilemma...not just "what kind of slipcover should I get my futon." It's informative too!

I have an aversion to brick left as is - perhaps because it's the "cheap" material to use here in Australia, it just doesn't appeal to me at all. Painting bricks can look great, but it can also look absolutely terrible if not maintained properly.

That being said though, my apartment backs on to a brick warehouse - the bricks were painted white only two years ago, the paint has already worn...and it looks fantastic.

I too love painted brick; here in Europe it is very popular. It was quite common to paint brick exteriors as bricks are not considered a "noble" material such as stone. So many historic brick homes are painted, and have been so since early days.

Interesting about brick being "cheap". In Seattle, wood was/is cheap, so brick houses look more high-end to me.

My house is wood but with a brick veneer (*not* a higher-end house, but wood frame is better for earthquake country anyway). I think it's attractive but have to say not having to repaint every five years is even more attractive.

Cobalt Blue you say? HA! Just wait and see how many Holiday parties and neighborhood get togethers you get invited to. Remember: your house DIRECTLY AFFECTS THE VALUE OF YOUR NEIGHBOR'S HOUSES.

I like the weathered apperance of aged, painted brick. I really think it adds to the character of a building.

Painting exterior brick isn't good for it. It traps moisture within the brick causing chunks of it to come off during a freeze. Our office building is painted brick and there are all sorts of pieces that come off and have to be patched each year.

There's a cobalt blue rowhouse on the Hill in NE. Looks awful.

In Michigan in my youth, brick was a status symbol. I wouldn't buy brick unless I wanted it as is. But shutters can easily be changed.

I saw the disasterous results of sandblasting paint off a soft brick not long ago -- definitely don't do that! I don't know what they did about it, but the bricks were really ruined -- looked like they should be totally refaced.

I did paint brick. I know some of you would rather die than see brick painted (and some of my neighbors agree with you!) but I think my house looks a million times better now. Here's the before:

http://i221.photobucket.com/albums/dd68/metromom9/August2007059.jpg

and the after:

http://i221.photobucket.com/albums/dd68/metromom9/October20081002.jpg

As a recent transplant to the DC area, I haven't yet decided how I feel about the rather homogeneous brick styling of the living spaces of the District. I lean towards keeping brick bare, but I admire Lindsey's willingness to think outside the box. I also appreciate the information on how to make an informed decision when thinking about changing a brick facade. Keep up the good work!

metromom- That's a huge improvement. Well done! FWIW, it would look even nicer with window boxes.

I live in a painted brick house, and it's blue, though not cobalt - more of a sky blue with cobalt trim. That's how it was when we bought it, but I love it. It makes my house stand out and gives it a sense of whimsy. Eventually we'll have to repaint, and I don't know if I'll stick with blue or switch it up, but it's fun to have the option.

Metromom:

That looks fabulous!!!

Thanks for sharing!

And I think it is great that you had the gut to do it -- a lot of people warn about property values and such. But yours is a great example of how it improves the curb appeal -- I want to talk my husband into painting our house, and will point to yours!

First I would smoke Crack Cocaine, and then I would paint..
You really need your head examined..if you paint NICE brick!

OK, So what are the little things on the edge of the roof sticking up? I see those on houses whenever I go to DC and still haven't figured it out? Are they for snow?

metromom, your house looks amazing! I love the way new shutters and paint totally transform/update houses.