Thanks, paintguy1, for your quick response. What about if the problem happens after the paint has already dried completely? For example, when I painted the bathroom myself (the time before this) I was still seeing this happen months after (6-8 months). If this is the case is there anything else I can do to prevent it? Thanks again!!! ~Lisa

You can mask off anything beforehand with builders' paper, plastic bags, tape, layers of newspaper, etc. I'd try strong soap and water first on a test area. Use three kinds of brushes: stiff short bristles, medium stiff long bristles and a couple of old toothbrushes. However if that doesn't work, head to a fireplace shop and buy a hearth-cleaning product there. There are some fierce ones, based on lye. Use gloves and ventilation (if spraying it on, use a mask and goggles). Test in a hidden spot first to make sure it doesn't harm your mortar. Be patient, it's a pain to do. Don't saturate up too-large an area at once, even if it says to let it "work" for a bit. It will be time consuming and you don't want the stuff to dry out while you're working on another area. Have lots of paper towels on hand, and a bucket (not paper or plastic bag) to put the used ones in. They can easily mar other surfaces if they are wet after use. HTH L.

Original Krud Kutter and scrub brush may work well on the brick. Keep the surface wet when scrubbing. The paint streaks are most likely runoff from shutters. Clean the aluminum window cladding with Dirtex and a course sponge to remove chalk. (Most coating failures are due to inadequate surface preparation or application) Repaint with a quality exterior paint like Duration Exterior Acrylic Latex. This is when you choose expensive, best quality paint. There's a learning curve when using the above paint. You may want to hire a pro painter.

Thank you for the quick feedback! The new roof is darker but not black. It’s very similar to the concept picture. The gutters are mostly on the sides of the house. No gutters on the front. The house itself is pretty plain which is why we are wanting to put something more elegant on the front. I’ve had a harder time figuring out the exterior remodel than the interior. Looking forward the hearing all of your advice. (If you would like a little humor, checkout the pictures I posted when I was researching Romabio paint. Someone asked for pictures of interior to get a since of my style. The whole thing is pretty comical in more ways than one. I went a little overboard. )