You can't just paint the entrance without painting all the siding. The red door doesn't work with your orange toned brick.

Regarding your question about laying something over the marble, in our last home the previous owners laid ceramic over ceramic and we lived there for over 25 years - no cracks. It will be a pain though for anyone down the road who is updating, but you could ask a pro to be sure (will need a transition piece at doorways). The area where closet was will have to be filled in and very level. If it were me, I’d bite the bullet and remove the marble and try to match up to your wood floor or use a more casual, rustic feel. You may look back and wish you had, especially if the marble looks patched.

If you're planning to go ahead changing your porch/portico, consider creating a wider porch floor with a totally new roof supported by posts that have a more "balanced" visual. You have numerous options depending upon how much you might want to enlarge your front porch, including but not limited to: * You could create a porch the full width of your home with a shed roof beginning just below the upstairs windows and only add a small gable within the shed roof over the front entry door. My personal preference would be hip corners for each side of the porch roof. https://www.flickr.com/photos/frontporchideas/12329191664 * A forward facing gable porch roof could share a center ridge line height with the main house roof ridge line but would be at a right angle to it. You could have the gable roof cover the upstairs window and leave the front of the gable open so the window view is below the porch roof. https://www.pinterest.com/pin/145381894191248234/ * You could use creating a new forward facing gable for the porch to "bump out" -- enlarge -- the room above it so the space above the porch within the gable is included in that room. https://www.thisoldhouse.com/narragansett-ri-idea-house/21019432/in-fine-detail-2018-idea-house-finale * More ideas: https://www.front-porch-ideas-and-more.com/porch-roof-designs.html

How long has it been there? We have Chicago brick several places in our home, outside chimney, house half bricked in it, inside accent wall or two..and it's dusty and chippy, chimney is literally falling down in process of being repaired...I am a bit amazed it is holding up to being walked on. Regular sealing would for sure need doing. If you seal it do you have to strip and begin fresh every time or just keep building the sealer up? Stripping it would not be a thing I would sign up for even once.