Post a picture of the brick. A 13 year old brick should look new. Perhaps a power washing would help. i would not recommend painting an external brick.

You can get it power washed and have any loose or chipped mortar repaired, but if it was built in 2006 it should still be in fantastic condition. There are many different colors of brick. If you hate it, you can have it painted or limewashed. Limewash needs to be done by a specialist and is pricey, but weathers better than paint. Paint will need to be touched up or redone every 5-10 years depending on your weather.

Power washing, and apply a sealer.

And I would not let any old power washing company come out and do it, they hire people for cheap and can do some damage if not careful.

"And I would not let any old power washing company come out and do it, they hire people for cheap and can do some damage if not careful"

Definitely! Make sure you hire a brickwork/chimney specialist to do this. It's going to cost more, but how much is your house worth?

Painting brick is possible and trendy, but I would not do it. The problem is that brick is intended to "breathe", and covering it with paint will cause it to possible deteriorate behind that paint. Also, you have to repaint between every two and five years, and the quality of the painting job is what matters on how often you have to do it...and quality job equals LOTS of prep work and cost.

Do you think like the sealer would help make it look newer? As it sits right now, this is the look.

The brick looks fine to me

There are bunch of patches on the brick where some portion are darker and some are light.
Do you all think brick sealer would fix this and make it look a bit even?

This is probably the real color of the brick...not all brick is reddish...in 2009 that was probably considered cool /contemporary instead of the “ old “ traditional reddish colors..without seeing the whole house it would be difficult to say if traditional would be better on your home

Red may not look good with the other stone...paint...shutters?...and trim color..as is ...it all goes together and tonal

You can very successfully paint brick with a mineral paint like Romabio. The "maintenance" thing comes from a place of misinformed. Starting with using the wrong product. Never use regular house paint on brick. Interior or exterior.

Lori, if you read Romabio’s information, they admit repainting is required (granted, may last as long as 20 years, if “applied properly“) and that preparation is critical to a good application. The reality is you have to prep the surface over a few days and then pressure wash and the paint apply the same day. With 4 gallons at over $250 per, and that covering 1000 sqft with one coat, and at least two coats being required, it is a quite expensive product. The paint alone for my house would be over $1,250, before labor, prep, primer (when needed), supplies and such.

The next trick is finding a qualified contractor.

Cost and labor is a matter of perspective.

All architectural coatings and materials have the same disclaimer about proper prep and application.

It's the easiest and cheapest way to transform the look of an exterior, instantly upgrade and update curb appeal, and make a homeowner happy every time they drive up to their house.

As far as contractors, I don't ever go down the negative, defeatist give up before you even try lane. If I did, I'd never get anything done.

Me personally, I would never paint brick. For the simple reason brick is a low maintenance exterior façade. Once you paint it you increase the maintenance of having to maintain the look.

Don't be conned by those who say you never have to repaint or maintain it. The same excuse is used by those who sell plastic siding to go over the brick or other kinds of material.

In fact if I was looking for a house to buy and I found one with painted brick I would skip it.

Brick color of the time period in which your house was built it was normal to have different shades within the same batch of brick colors. So if you see homes with brick that are just one color... those are typically cheaper bricks.

The idea behind this random shade of bricks IMO is so that homes within the same neighborhood look different. If you ever go into certain newer neighborhoods... the homes look like 'cookie cutter' type homes... they all look the same with no character of their own.

Trust me, painting your brick is not worth the trouble you will have later trying to maintain it after it's been painted... which leads to more painting and more painting.

Gosh, I didn't realize so many people had first-hand experience using the correct products - not regular house paint - to change the color of brick.

What products did you guys use and what made you want to change the color?

And what about the "maintenance" specifically was the most challenging, in your experience?

Lori, the reality is that a 20-year surface is the ”ideal” result. I would expect that, in most cases, the finish would be damaged in little ways (natural and manmade) well before the full period was over and need either touch ups or repainting. It’s like telling a person that if they exercise every day they won’t ever suffer from heart disease, you simply can’t tell...and this site is about multiple views andlooking at all sides.

For the OP, I would recommend against paint or linewash simply because they have a partial rock facing on the house. That would require two different products, two different application routines and create an inherent weakness at the meeting of the two. Also, it is unlikely that the two product colors would match exactly.

One of my favorite houses on my daily drive is a beautiful brick farmhouse, painted butter yellow. I think it's been a good 15 years that I know of, and I haven't seen them repaint it, yet. I think it's getting close to needing it, but that's pretty good wear and tear for paint. The white wood trim is much more in need of painting than the bulk of the house, too.

Come to think of it, another favorite house is brick, with carved stone window and door trim - all painted white. Also gorgeous.

I think the bigger question is, would painted brick be right for THIS house, and what color? Which would be an easier question to answer with pictures of the house from further back. Maybe grab a few today, OP?

For the OP, I would recommend against paint or linewash simply because they have a partial rock facing on the house. That would require two different products, two different application routines and create an inherent weakness at the meeting of the two.

No, it wouldn't.

But it's beside the point because I wouldn't paint the stone. It's a good color and (apparently) doesn't have an issue.

OP needs to find out why the brick is looking splotchy. Is it a problem or is it the natural patina of the brick. If it can be fixed, then don't paint it. If it can't, do something about it.

Pure speculation and urban legend about application and maintenance issues aren't good reasons to live with ugly brick

For the OP, I would recommend against paint or linewash simply because they have a partial rock facing on the house. That would require two different products, two different application routines and create an inherent weakness at the meeting of the two.

I'm confused. My understanding was that the OP was asking about painting the BRICK. Not the stone. In which case, this would be irrelevant, anyway. It would just be important to choose a color that compliments the stonework.

Painting brick is an expensive proposition in more ways than one. Doing a poor job not only increases future maintenance costs, it also reduces the pool of potential buyers. Whenever I see painted brick especially on a newish house, I wonder what other issues is the owner trying to hide?

Doing a poor job not only increases future maintenance costs

And, of course, the goal is to do a poor job. Makes perfect sense. Kind of like believing it's 1973 and that "painting brick" means running down to Sear's to buy some Easy Living satin latex and slappin' some up on the groovy split level.

Lori...didnt see any constructive advice hidden in that last comment?

It's not constructive advice if the comments are based on nothing but speculative opinion, hearsay and assumption.

...says the person assuming. Sorry if factual data offends.

What facts? I asked for clarification and got nothin'.

The “maintenance “ is usually weather and climate related. Your contractor can discuss products and brands, and advise you as to what works good where. I happen to live in an area where there are a multitude of brick homes and my contractor paints houses in some pretty ritzy areas (outside wash dc). We are not ritzy, we just had ugly brick. We went with his recommendations.

The “maintenance “ is usually weather and climate related.

This is more specific to what I'm getting at, my point.

A lot of fearmongering about the alleged high maintenance of painted brick but no one ever shares first-hand instances of what that means.

Like, "I live in the Midwest and painted my brick house in 1995 and we've had to repaint twice".

Where is that kind of feedback from people who have actually done it and lived with it?

If it were true, wouldn't there be more evidence of people with this experience? Not just talking about it but also sharing pictures of where their painted brick failed on their house and wondering why it didn't hold up.

If painted brick fails within a short number of years, there's a reason for it. The wrong product was used. Proper prep was skipped. It was too hot/too cold. It was applied 30 freaking years ago with product not manufactured any more, etc. There is always something that's the root cause.

Maybe I've missed it but I haven't seen any threads like that on the forum.

Instead, when painting brick comes up all I see is a lot of speculation and unsubstantiated opinion as to why it shouldn't be done.

Obviously, I take issue with that. Because it's not sharing truthful, factual information. It's just perpetuating urban legends and wives' tales about the results of painting brick.

Correcting the misinformation is an issue and I will always push back whenever I see it because I understand the situation from a homeowner's perspective.

Which is they have a brick house and they don't like how it looks. It makes them unhappy.

Expecting them to live with it because it's brick and brick is allegedly maintenance free and thus buy default all brick is always good is ridiculous.

It's 2019. Invest in the right product. Follow the instructions. You don't have to live with fugly brick just because it's brick.

Brick is not maintenance free, as it will need to be repointed sometime in its life.Just had my chimmney repointed because you could see right through it.

Funnily enough, the 3-9 year term for repainting required is from the brick industry, so calling it misinformation is a riot. You have mentioned a single product by name and it seems you are trying to make it’s touted advantages apply across the board. The cost data I provided is a fact, not uninformed speculation. The difficulty in finding a company approved contractor is also factual, just try.

Paint on brick is a perilous high wire act, with a fall resulting in expensive repairs or redos. It is also nearly irreversible, and thus a serious risk to a owners ability to sell. You have to examine all sides.

the 3-9 year term for repainting required is from the brick industry, so calling it misinformation is a riot.

Where's the link? Or are we talking about more "facts" with nothin' to back it up?

Does the link from the "brick industry" speak to specific substrates, product and application or is it more super vague, general, I think I heard that somewhere misinformation?

There's more than one product to change the colors of brick. I talk about Romabio because I like the colors.

I have about 30 different brands of architectural coating products I specify, a few specialize in brick, stone, masonry.

ETA: I do agree it's nearly irreversible and you do have to do your homework before deciding to do it.

My contractor said to expect touch ups about 5 years in, and repainting in about 10 years. I have a small rancher, and they spent 2+ days prepping before starting to paint, to include mortar repair, some repairs to the chimney and power washing. We used Behr products.

....

Here is Romabio white wash. This is made specifically to be applied to brick to change its look. There are videos which show how it is applied. I have never used it. It does get many 5 star reviews.

You can brush on one coat and leave it if you want a uniform opaque covering. You can remove some it if you want that whitewashed brick look. You have to trust the person who is applying and removing the product has had experience doing this and the final look will be what you want. It is a risky since once it is applied it can't be remove it completely.

This product appears it will wear away in time. If you want the whitewash look then more of the brick face will be exposed from weathering. It does not seem it would have to be reapplied every 3-5 years. Worst case it gradually wears away which may actually look better. It should not peel unless it was improperly applied.

Here's the link: https://www.progressive.com/lifelanes/household/painting-brick/

To be clear and so we're all speaking in proper context, the 3 to 5 year recommendation is about REGULAR HOUSE PAINT.

Which I have repeatedly stated that regular house paint is not the best product to use to change the color of brick. 30 years ago there wasn't the range of product to choose from like we have in 2019.

Also, from the same article. And, again, to ensure everyone has proper context...

"The Brick Industry Association also advises using a porous paint for exterior brick walls, so the brick can breathe."

" Zumeta recommends looking into having your brick professionally stained, rather than painted. Although it can be more expensive, a brick stain penetrates the pores of the brick, unlike paint, which simply sits on the surface. It creates new color without some of the long-term risks that come with paint."

In addition, the article speaks to the substrate. Which I also mentioned earlier in the thread because it matters.

Bottom line is it's not okay to make sweeping, generalizing, fear-mongering comments about the pitfalls of painting brick without specifying product and substrate. The details matter.

Lastly, from the article, this is bad advice. Which makes me question the article overall. I wouldn't use Super Paint exterior on normal substrates let alone brick unless the budget was Super tight for painting normal exterior substrates. JMHO:

“Choosing a high-quality paint is vital for painting brick successfully,” says Watson. Both Watson and Crocker recommend using specific masonry paint products for painting brick, starting out with a conditioner and a primer, and then using a breathable latex exterior or interior paint, like Sherwin-Williams’ SuperPaint Acrylic Latex."

Lori, it isn‘t fear mongering to state, as I did above, that “painting brick” has issues....as you noted. The posting asked about painting as a whole, not with a specific product. You complained about my generalization...and later made a number of generalizations in a similar vein.

You commented with a specific brand choice, which I highlighted the cost of, which you complained about me doing.

I’m sorry you dislike my comments, but they are all factual, not unsubstantiated. There are exceptions where “painting” or “staining” and ”washing” brinks may work for the long term, but this forum is best at showing all sides, not the best and only answer In one poster’s opinion.

@North Texan

We're never going to find common ground on this one.

Good grief people, women color their hair every 6-8 weeks and you are worried about 5+ years??? How often do men shave? Come on, there is NO SHAME in maintenance. Who TF cares if you need to repaint every so often??? Where is the crime? Ugly brick is ugly. Paint over it.

We're never going to find common ground on this one.

Shady, it’s fine, as long as the person knows the expectations. Chill.

We painted the brick on our old ranch (25 years old when we bought it) over 20 years ago. We too heard all the expert opinions re: needing repainting every few years, destroying the brick and so forth, from professional painters as well as those who did not have painted brick homes themselves, but just knew it wouldn't work. We did it anyway. Painting the brick helped transform our dowdy house into a charming home, we received immediate compliments from neighbors and passersby and continue to do so today. We are not experts or professional painters but we have actually painted our brick house.

Technique and Paint Used:
After a light wash down (hose and a little scrubbing), and a week to dry, we used a water based acrylic house paint, two coats. We rolled it on, then immediately push-brushed it in on every square inch, using the brush particularly (several, they wear out) to push in the paint on the mortar. It took many hours, and after 10 years we brushed on another coat (same type paint and color). That (second) time was much quicker. Now another 10 years later it all still looks great (24 years total). The brick looks great, the mortar looks great. We live in an area with lots of rain, very hot humid summers and to 19 degree winters (but little snow). There are many painted brick homes in our area, several painted when new. Suggest avoiding white, I've noticed (dirt) stains at about a foot above ground level on those houses and in areas with heavy traffic, white seems to show exhaust stains pretty quickly.

One thing I left out. Our brick is "old Chicago" which is large and porous and rough. Other brick (more dense or a slick finish) might not have the same result.