We painted our exterior brick and our fireplace brick the first chance we got. It's been at least fourteen years and I've never regretted it. If our brick had been attractive, I may have reconsidered but I love the visual texture of brick painted white.

If you're a bit hesitant to paint the brick, I think that painting some more interesting colors on the upstairs windows siding, door frame, and shutters would make a huuuuge difference.

oh, i love the look of painted brick. we have quite a few homes in our area (central pa) that have painted brick, and they always look lovely. while you're at it, i would also paint those black shutters. good luck!

I wouldn't paint. Paint may be the answer to a curbside piece of furniture, but not the brick exterior of a house. For one thing, it is pretty much non-reversible.

Better curb appeal options include:

*Replacing/painting the shutters
*Adding window boxes
*Modifying the entry stoop to include a small porch with fabulous lantern lamp
*Installing round step stones from the front door to curb (or even a more formal walkway with boxwood)

Yeah, Nashville! I live in Murfreesboro.
I don't know much about painting brick, but I love the look of it, especially when it's light yellow or white. For some reason I keep picturing awnings over the front door too.
Good luck with your move!

Hire a contractor that paints brick if you must. They will know what to do, do a professional job & clean up afterwards. Exterior painting is very difficult & takes a long time to do. Of course, I believe there's a small circle of hell for those that paint brick... (not an original line, but borrowed from the handyman from the newspapers- Peter Hotton).

Call me old fashioned, but I love natural brick, especially when its the nice older style brick. I think you could really liven this place up with better colors on the shudders, trim, and pop-outs. You'd be amazed what that can do against nice natural brick like this!

Brandon

I don't see anything wrong with this house - It's a traditional brick Cape Cod. Brick is a nearly maintenance-free building material - If you paint it, you'll have to maintain that paintjob by repainting over and over again.

If you want something "exciting" - perhaps this isn't the house for you.

I don't know about treating brick, but i'd probably start upgrading the curb appeal by repainting the shutters to brighten up the front of the house. Choose a color that complement yet contrasts with the brick. It'll be cheaper and easier than painting or staining the brick. Perhaps once you've tidied and updated the landscaping you'll feel less inclined to change the brick. I'd do several of some sort of evergreen shrub against the house like boxwood, laurel or euonymous, with something smaller and colorful in front of the shrubs.

I've painted our fireplace brick and it looks great. I agree with tallsarah that it's better to hire a contractor to do the job.

I'm a fan of natural brick in general. Instead of covering it why not spruce up the shutters and trimming? That might be all you need to create some interest, and I imagine it would be cheaper than completely painting the exterior.

I think this house looks great as is, and would look terrible painted. The brick is nice, and has a great patina. Painting the brick will irreversibly destroy the original character of the house. The house looks great, and would be better improved with some landscaping and maybe a colorful door. As mentioned above, if you don't respond to the house as is, it's probably not the house for you. Let someone else that will appreciate the brick have it.

Know that I dislike red brick when I say this: don't paint! I won't even paint our huge fireplace because painting brick is practically irreversible. (One day I'll build up some pretty molding/panelling to disguise more of the fireplace.) I strongly recommend going with the windowbox, portico/porch/landing, new shutter paint, and interesting landscaping ideas.

But I also love painted brick houses, so there you go.

I think the brick is great. Try another approach: repaint the siding and/or shudders, change the landscaping, add flower boxes...

Start off small and do your changes in phases. First you can change your shutter, door and trim colors AND upgrade your landscaping. I vibrant door will make all the difference in the world and good landscaping will change the look of the house dramatically.

I absolutely agree with the "don't paint" comments. I would just change the color of the white accents and then do some great landscaping...

I live in Louisville and there are brick homes everywhere ... and when I'm in a neighborhood full of brick homes similar to the one pictured above, my favorite house is always the one that has been painted. I LOVE brick and if I owned a brick home I don't know if I would have the nerve to paint it myself ... but I always appreciate the homeowners who have painted their brick and I've never seen a painted brick home that doesn't look fantastic. I especially like brick that is painted gray.

I think this house is lovely as is. The only things I would change would be the landscaping, color of the shutters, get some window boxes, and the lighting. Check out some episodes of Curb Appeal. The houses look incredible when they only change those things.

We too bought a house in Nashville a few years ago it's half brick half light yellow siding i hated the yellow siding with the brick don't think its goes well together i asked my hubby to paint the brick white to at least match the siding but he said it was a no no, and changing out the siding is to expensive and not worth the investment for us since we plan to move out of Davidson county. I personally like how well yours looks, at least your colors coordinate.

Have yall looked in German Town they have really nice colorful cute houses there although the prices there are really high for less square footage.

Welcome to Tennessee!

I agree with bepsf. 100%.

I like painted brick a lot . . . but I'd suggest not painting this one. I like the look of this brick! I'd put that last on the list. See what you think once you've added color with awnings, shutters, trim, flowers, etc. See what you think then.

If you must, I suggest you stain rather than paint because staining allows the brick to breathe.

When painting brick, make sure to use the proper paint... brick needs to breath, otherwise moisture can get trapped inside the walls & cause mildew / mold issues.

Let me join the chorus of "please don't paint". If the problem is "boredom" with the look, save painting for last. (And if we aren't persuading you, Photoshop a picture of the place painted and see if that doesn't do it -- painting will change the feel of the dimensions of the place and, I think, remove charm and add ordinariness instead. And, as has been said, it's irreversible. I heard about someone who tried to reverse painted brick with sandblasting and totally destroyed the facade of the house. Had to have siding installed, because the "cleaning" process removed and made ugly the underlying brick...)

Instead, you should re-landscape. You could make a porch (one step high, apparantly) that runs from the outsides of the two windows flanking the door, with columns and a roof. Nicer shrubbery and plantings with bark mulch beds and bigger lanterns by the door. Some nice seating on the porch. I like the colors you have, but you could change them: maybe a sage green or grey for what is now white, and dark green or some version of blue or teal for the black. (Something that contrasts nicely with the brick.) Stepping stones or a flagstone or even brick walk curving to the driveway and edged with flowers (tulips or daffodils in spring, maybe iris or daylilies in summer).

If you can't make the house seem less boring without painting it, it's yours (or will be) so you can do what you like. But take the votes here as a hint, painting brick CAN reduce it's market value for resale. Lots of people don't like it.

I hold no fond place in my heart for brick or traditional exteriors, but I think painting this brick is a super bad idea for all the reasons already mentioned.

Clean up and rehab the landscaping as priority #1.

Paint the entry surround and door. If you want to funk it up a bit, choose an unexpected color like chartreuse or lime green, both of which go great with red for the door. Or maybe a bright, dark monochromatic color palette for the surround and door/shutters/dormers.

Seriously, I like the exterior of the house. It's the sad foundation shrubbery and landscaping that needs to change first.

don't paint. i too own a brick house, and in theory, like the idea of painting. But then i remember a house we looked at while househunting. It was painted brick, and only slightly undermaintained... it looked terrible. worn, old and well, undermaintained. We got our house powerwashed which really made the brick's reds and browns pop nicely. Powerwash painted brick and you're just left with more peeling paint.

Leave the bricks alone. Paint the shutters light blue or yellow (or pink!).

I wouldn't do anything that potential future buyers will hate you for. I would never in a million years buy a house with a painted brick exterior. 'Cause you know who's going to get to scrape and paint that sucker when it all starts pealing up? Me!
:)

In short, I believe that it will hurt your future resale potential and value.

Keep in mind that if you paint the brick, you're committing to re-painting it every few years for the entire time you own the house. Do you hate the natural brick so much that it's worth all that time, money, and environmental harm?

I am COMPLETELY with the "don't paint" crowd and think all the landscaping, trim-painting pieces of advice are 100% correct. The windows themselves look like they may be metal, so you might not be able to paint them (but, you'll never have to re-paint them, which is a bonus!).

One thing I'd add: Rip off the shutters -- they're tacky. I hate those dumb "decorative" shutters that could never cover the window that they flank. Thanks for the chance to vent about that!

The super-wide trim around the door seems poorly thought out -- I might also re-consider that, either removing it completely or re-configuring it to something more graceful.

I always hated red brick, until I saw John and Sherry's house at This Young House: http://www.thisyounghouse.com/

They've done some super-cute stuff to their exterior. My advice is to power-wash the bricks and so some other outside stuff and if you still aren't digging it - then paint the bricks.

I agree with not painting, brick is so easy to maintain and there are some types of brick that will not hold paint and it just flakes off. Get bigger shutters, those look kind of whimpy for the size of the window. Also dump the storm door and update the color of the door. Try making the entry way larger with somesort of larger landing and wooden rails. And if that is nandina on either side of the door, RIP IT UP IMMDEIATELY and replace with some azaleas in a nice raised flower bed edged in brick or stone. Larger lights flanking the door would also add some more interest. Also a nice winding path to the door edged with plants would also help.

I'd keep the brick. I don't think it looks bad but I do agree the house could use some sprucing up. I always believe that you should live in a house one year before doing major renovation.

What I would recommend is new landscaping. In addition, leave the brick but build a new entry/porch-do a peaked roof over the front door and have it come out with some thick white square columns and a brick floor with brick steps. This will give the front door more presence and will make a grander entry.

After that, new landscaping would complete the home and it would look fabulous. (At the very least, if you can't afford new landscaping, have a landscape architect create a plan for you and then you can do the planting.)

Here's a link to a picture of something similar to give you an idea of what I am talking about. Scroll down the the last picture to see the porch-this one is flat and I'd recommend a peaked one to match the ones on the second floor and square columns.

http://betweennapsontheporch.blogspot.com/2009/03/welcome-to-seventh-metamorphosis-monday.html

I would paint. Don't give up just because a few readers told you not to paint. You need to really like your house, after all, you are the one who is going to live there.
Just for the record: I love the look of painted brick...

My sister had the same dilemma. Because of cost and upkeep, she chose not to paint the brick. Instead, she listened to dad, who was an architect. He had a rule of thumb: paint the roofline and other small trim the color of the brick mortar. A roofline lighter than the sides of the house keeps it from looking like the house is wearing a hat. Shutters are dark. Pull a strong color from the brick and paint the front door with it. My sister used a salmon coral, and it was dynamite. Changed the entire look of the house, which with its previous color choices, had the ugliest brick in the state. With her new paint job, people stopped my sister to tell her how great the house looked.

Yet another vote - don't paint!

First of all, I love brick and would never paint it for all the reasons listed above. However - when done right, it does not become a maintenance nightmare. There is a house on my street that had its brick painted white 15 years ago, and has not yet had to be redone. It looks great.

No paint on the brick, please! I love magicsbm's suggestions. Lately I have been having fun playing with the free visualizer tool at gaf dot com, as we are in the process of improving the look of a less-than-beautiful orangey brick exterior without painting it.

New siding, trim, and roof shingles really can upgrade the look drastically.

It looks like the house had an addition on the left (the 1-story part) and has two different brick colors so I think that's why negar wants to paint or stain so they match.

I'd look into a stain for many of the reasons stated already. It takes a skilled contractor to apply paint to brick so that it sticks...and once you go paint, it's hard to go back without a lot of expense. Stain will penetrate the brick and wash off gradually and it needs to be reapplied (like a deck) . A good contractor could get the two different brick colors to match.

Another alternative would be to have the brick tuckpointed and cleaned. Removing 50 years of dirt would do wonders for the brick. Make sure you get a quote for removing/grinding out some of the old mortar and repointing not just jamming in new mortar over the old. A reddish mortar that matches the brick (vs. the exisitng grey/white ) would give the brick a more monolithic, cohesive look similar to paint.

Ok, I love painted brick, I really do, but I couldn't justify covering over the natural material unless the brick was ugly (I mostly can't stand yellow or 1980s tan brick), but your house is totally adorable! Please don't paint it! You just can't beat the years of honest weathering and natural color variations on that nice brick you have there. It looks really classy. Window boxes and landscaping are a nice idea to give it some color and punch.

I paid a premium for a brick house (over comparable wood houses) specifically so I wouldn't have to shell about 5 K every 5-7 years for exterior paint jobs.

If the upkeep of painting the brick is within your longterm maintenance budget (and you are willing to lower your asking price when you sell someday...painting exterior brick can be a problem for resale value in my neck of the woods because you are locking buyers into a very costly removal project or regular cycles of exterior painting)...paint away!

If you have better ways to spend your money than upkeep of material that is designed not to need upkeep...paint the door, paint the dormers, get rid of the shutters, get new better looking, more energy efficient windows (woohoo tax credit).

When the roof needs replacing (no instant gratification, but it will need to be done someday, always sooner than you think), get a cool metal roof (awesome looking, very long lasting, great colors).

And whatever you do, add a path to the front door (does the house really not have one, or is the angle of the photo deceptive??).

A house never has curb appeal if there is no way to get from the curb to the house.

I don't know that I've ever seen stained brick. Does anyone have any photos? Maybe before and after?

When I was scrolling through AT & saw this photo, I KNEW this was a Nashville house -- even before I read the caption. This house is located maybe 2 miles from where I grew up.

I absolutely love brick houses, but if the brick is drab or downright ugly (which a lot of brick in Nashville is), then I'm a big fan of painted or color-washed brick. I know lots of folks believe that painting brick is a sin, but I look at it as, hey, it's your house -- you're going to live there and enjoy it, so you should do whatever makes you happy and comfortable.

*sigh* I miss brick, stone & stucco houses. Up here in Buffalo, most everything is sided: aluminum, vinyl, asbestos, asphalt or Z-brick.

i am one of the many who love the brick as it is … i think it would be a pity to paint it.

do something with the garden, and then look at it again in a year or so …

Don't buy the house if you don't really love it, please! My husband and I almost bought a house with a (brick!) exterior that I was NOT into. We got out just in time but lost most of our earnest money. Three weeks later, we found the house of our dreams. Try not to settle, that's all I'm saying.

Other than that, interesting question.

Leave the brick alone. Get rid of those iron railings, put in a small dormer roof and support the sucker with two nice, simple columns.

The perception problem has to do with that piece of wood between the windows and the facia board - the windows are out of proportion. It looks like they enlarged older windows without thinking it through. I'd match that board to the brick and re-evaluate. I'd use the same paint on the shutters.

I'm with tailfin. I saw the picture and knew it was Nashville.
I say live with it for a while and see if you like it.
However, I love the smoky blue color over brick with black and white trim. So classy...

Well, I think I covered this in a blog post earlier this month at http://dckaleidoscope.wordpress.com/2009/04/23/painted-brick-houses/

While I am not a big fan of painted brick (especially because of the maintenance), if you must paint your brick, one of my readers commented on the proper paint to use to not damage the brick underneath and cause structural damage.

I'd be wary of the problems caused by painting the brick, from what I've read.

This is some really great information - you should check out QuestionSense.com. It has some really great information and questions to ask when hiring a painter or as with alot of old home - stucco repair / painting.

http://www.questionsense.com/topics/hiring-an-exterior-paining-contractor

http://www.questionsense.com/topics/hiring-a-stucco-contractor

The beauty of brick is that it is low maintenance. Appreciate that you don't have to paint! Instead, paint your front door a deep red and see what happens. It might even prompt you to go a little wild with the shutters.

You've received a resounding response! I live in Murfreesboro, close to Nashville, and I'd encourage you to drive around our downtown area, as well as similar areas in Nashville. There are plenty of historic homes with painted brick in our area, and I find most of them very attractive. Because you only get one exterior, while inside you have many rooms to decorate, I think doing the legwork of personally viewing houses in your area to see what you like and don't like is the best way to make this decision. When you decide, ask a locally-owned paint store for a recommendation of a contractor. Porter is a great choice in TN.

Is this in East Nashville? It looks just like the houses on my street.

Someone painted the brick on one of them. It stands out like a sore thumb. SO tacky. Granted, the color is pretty bad- whatever orange/tan/salmon mixed is. Looks like they tried to turn it into a ugly suburban house, yuck!

I vote nooooo!

I wouldn't paint the brick. If you are worried about the slight discoloration and serious about staying in your house there are lots of brick restoration options (although I have the feeling it would be expensive). I'll second the call for a walkway to the house and a porch of some kind, and I'd paint the trim and things green... I'm a sucker for green and brick.

http://z.about.com/d/architecture/1/0/e/k/victorian-gothic-fredericksburg-va-2268076.jpg
http://www.flickr.com/photos/vanessa_travels/3012668239/
http://eddieross.typepad.com/photos/uncategorized/2008/10/14/4_cute_house_2_2.jpg

You can stain brick; it can be done in pretty much any color available (it used regular paint tints as colorant).

From the picture it look like you need some tuckpointing, which would minimize the appearance (real or otherwise) of the left side being an addition w/o matched brick. But I think landscaping and painting will really do the trick to turn it into a cute little cottage with major curb appeal.

This home has a very classic style. Paint it, and at best it will just look contrived...

I love those vintage bricks, not too red, not too brown, just a nice mix and a beautiful weathered look.

Don't paint.

I am also thinking about painting or staining a yellowish brick in my house, I am not sure what color to do it, it has a redish-brownish roof, what do you recomend?