The white paint on brick is easy to maintain because white is the easiest color to match. You can apply touch-ups whenever needed, but there is often no need. The chipping and other imperfections can add to the character of a wall and enhance its beauty.
The difference between whitewashing and white paint is a distinction that is often confusing. Whitewash is ivory hydrated lime and regular table salt mixed together to create a translucent coat of color. Although it's called whitewashing, the color doesn't have to be white and in it's traditional form isn't white when applied because the material underneath shows through. White paint, on the other hand, is usually applied in a opaque manner, completely coating any material.
While whitewashing requires less maintenance, white paint create a more neutral palette that puts the focus on the decor of the room — not the wall itself. It's the perfect backdrop for bright colors. It makes the colors pop, but it can also temper a loud interior. It's a brave and rewarding look, worth thinking about if you have brick in your home.
Images: 1 & 2 79 Ideas 3 Linea Studio 4 Apartment Therapy 5 Loft Life






Shaw's Original Fir...
Wow, those are some of the ugliest rooms ever posted on this site - and I've been following AT since 2004. Especially the first photo. It looks like a post garage sale spree. Not that you can't find good stuff at a garage sale, but these pieces look really bad together.
That said, white painted brick can look great. I painted the brick in my farmhouse kitchen and was thrilled with the results.
What is that curvy chest at the foot of the bed? I love it.
Before you slap paint on brick, realize it's pretty much a permanent decision!
When we bought our house, the fireplace had been painted this ugly red color. I attempted to remove the paint (all 4+ layers of it), and got about halfway up when I gave up. It was a massive pain, and getting it out of the grout would have driven me to the madhouse.
So, ultimately, I had to paint it again. Not wanting it to look like I just slapped a coat of paint on it (which often looks pretty tacky), I did a faux finish that made it wind up looking a lot like natural brick/stone. And while I love the new look way more than how it looked before, I still would have preferred the naked brick.
I've got an open-and-shut case AGAINST white brick: it looks almost exactly like the horrible cinderblock walls of my college dorm building, only with 50 years' worth of whitewash.
I hated those walls. Poster putty barely stuck to it, the bricks filtered no noise whatsoever, and didn't keep out the heat or cold.
NEVER AGAIN. (But if if floats your boat for whatever reason, don't let me stop you.)
anyone know the name of the lamp above the table in pic #3?
Love white brick.
I love white brick...pretty much white anything. Can't go wrong with clean, perfect white.
Besides, I HATE the look of unpainted brick indoors. It looks too dingy and dirty.
Not sure how I feel about white brick- but I LOVE how the frames in picture 1 are displayed. I just moved in to a place with exposed brick and can't figure out how to hang artwork on it. Any suggestions? I can't do brick clips because there isn't a "ledge" available. The wall is around 100 yrs old- tons of character, but the mortar is a bit crumbly in spots. Thanks for any advice in advance!
I'm unfamiliar with this, and don't want it, but it could look good in the right surroundings.
I'm gutting my bedroom next month -- it's a hot structural mess -- and plan to paint the brick wall that used to be the outside of the home. I picked BM's Fernwood Green.
Honestly, I feel like unpainted brick looks a lot cleaner (I guess because you don't have a million layers of paint on it?) Painted brick is one of my biggest pet peeves... it's right up there with painted woodwork!
I painted the brick walls in my loft white. I love it. The previous owner had painted the brick walls a peanut butter brown colour, which was pretty much impossible to remove. The facing drywall walls are where I used lots of colour. Now with the white brick walls, everything seems twice as large.
Mmmmm...didn't even notice the white brick in pic#2, just all the booze bottles. Looks like a fun place to hang out...
And I love the dining room chairs in photo #3!
And I think the last photo just looks plain cool--very laid back and comfy--like I'm-on-vacation-and-this-is-the-pad-I'm-renting type of feel.
I had exposed brick in a rental once and while it was "cool", I wish it had been painted because it shed brick dust all the time and was a total dust-catcher that was hard to clean due to the rough finish of the bricks.
I had exposed brick in a rental once and while it was "cool", I wish it had been painted because it shed brick dust all the time and was a total dust-catcher that was hard to clean due to the rough finish of the bricks.
I like the way white brick looks, but I like naked brick much better :)
The chairs in photo 3 are very cool, and I love the last photo!! Very cool.
I have mixed feelings about brick interior walls, period. Some days I like them (painted or natural, depending on the specifics -- some brick is butt-ugly!) Some days I'd wallboard right over them.
It does occur to me that if you have an exposed brick wall that wasis an exterior wall, using some of that special (white or gray) sealing paint (I'm blanking on the name) would probably both give the brick a new look and also reduce the moisture and heat-loss problems the brick might be causing. (I used it on the poured concrete foundation of our old house before we finshed the room, and it made a HUGE difference in the temperature of the space.)
You could also paint over that stuff for a more controlled color.
Besides the weird floral fabric on the backside of the sofa and the cheap-looking floor lamps, I actually kinda like photo #1. But as a rule, I don't like painted brick.
Love white brick. Always have, especially when it's weathered. My husband says I'm crazy since you "don't paint brick", but I think he's crazy!
I like it better on the older, "crumbly" looking brick in pictures 1, 2 and 4 than the modern smooth brick in 3 and 5.
White brick & mortar are available from Acme Brick Company www.brick.com / No need to paint!! / Even better when using white sand / jbufford3@att.net / PE, LEED AP, F.TMS /