Hi Dmaull and ptaylor, Unfortuantely we never got around to whitewashing our house, but, I did an enormous amount research on the subject and discovered that you do NOT want to paint brick. Why? Because the paint doesn't allow the natural breathing to occur with brick. Brick is partially pourous and paint changes the game... Instead if you are going for that aged look then you want to use a product that simulates lime washing. Lime washing is the actual technique used in the 1700 and 1800s to protect buildings (including brick). Some still practice this today, but it is messy and potentially dangerous (your working with slaked limeor calcium hydroxide a natural chemical. The reason however you want this kind of finish is that it allows the brick to "breathe". Unfortunately the lime wash eventually wears off so you have to reapply ever few years. What I did find however was the ultimate solution I planned to use (until we deferred the project). It's a modern product that produces a finish identical to lime washing but is PERMANENT! It works at the molecular level and the minerals in the product permanently bind with the brick. What this means is that you do it one time and one time only! Additinoally the brick can literally be power washed later with NO ill effects on the white washed finish since it is permanent! Below are the notes I made to myself for later reference when I was ready to proceed. You'll want to contanc this firm and research the product yourself, but I am 100% confident that this is the BEST way to achieve a permanent, old world, white wash finish on your brick! Hope this helps! bradesp Jeff at Eco House 877-ECO-HOUSE Must apply in 46 degrees or warmer - needs four hours in 60 degree weather to fully dry-out Apply Primasil first as base "coat" Then apply one coat of Salizur. Will need to mix pigments to desired color and translucency. http://www.eco-house.com/silazur.htm Eco House can't ship if temperatures are going to freeze. Products can easily be sprayed. Will need to custom mix and keep mix "suspended" during spray.

Yea you can probably buy a cheap moisture meter at Home Depot, The gauge on it shows the safe range. You can also read the cans of paint you are using to determine the level of moisture content that is safe to paint over. Some painters paint the next day after a power wash and others insist on waiting a week. For me, it really depends on all the factors. A quick wash just to remove surface dirt will be dry a lot faster than if I'm really impregnating the wood with water to remove some stubborn mildew. Also, depends on the substrate. Wood is porous and will take longer while vinyl, plastic, etc could be dry enough to paint in a few hours.

Here's the front porch with the new porch light:My brother Kevin bought the red mailbox in Palm Springs the last time we were there - it is difficult to find interesting mailboxes, but I think this one is okay. The porch light is new, and I bought it and installed it temporarily before the painters started because I wanted to get it fitted in first. It is from Kuna, but I bought it at Lowe's, and it was the first one (and only one) I found that has LED lamping and motion detection with a modern design that I found acceptable. It's not the greatest or most interesting design, but I am okay with it, and it is infinitely better than what we had before (see photo way above). This sconce does much more, however, and I have decided that I like the added features. First, it has an additional security camera that only starts recording when someone approaches the door, and it makes a doorbell sound outside as well as on my phone to let me know that someone is at the door. I also see the photo/video of the person on my phone. The other two security camera that we have are hardwired to a screen just inside the door, and these cameras start recording when a moth flies by or when a cat walks on our driveway, and so they are a bit too sensitive, but I think I might be able to adjust that. The old security cameras are not equipped with WiFi (I didn't have a Smartphone when we got them), but the video screen does have a memory stick that saves the videos, although we have to take it out and download whatever we want to keep. The video screen also has an intercom so that I can talk to someone at the door if I want to, whereas the light does not. We used to have a clear window in our old door, but when we got the new door, we had to get the security cameras so that we could see who was on the front porch without opening the door. We've not had any Jehova's Witnesses visit us since we put up the security cameras. I don't like the look of the security cameras, but I am pretty much stuck with them.

There comes a time in the life of every homeowner where they look back at the exterior of their home and say “I can’t believe I live here.” Huge black mildew streaks stretch over the expanse of the roof, with little sprinklings of greenish mold thrown in for good measure, not to mention the moss fuzz. Pollen has built up so much on the deck that the family only has to think about it to start a cacophony of sneezing. Something has to change. And that’s when smart homeowners pick up the phone and call iTrust Home Services for a thorough soft wash. Many contractors will lead their customers to assume that pressure washing is the only exterior cleaning method to make their homes healthier and more attractive. Pressure washing certainly has its place in some cases, but the process comes with a number of potential problems, such as property damage caused by the high-pressure water. Pressure pumped out of these machines equals about a hundred times the force of a typical garden hose. If used incorrectly, a pressure washer can dig into wood, corrode brick and crack mortar. It can also damage paint that wasn’t intended for removal. Lastly, this technique has a number of safety hazards attached to it, due to water velocity and the harsh chemicals used. In most cases, the same results can be achieved more safely and effectively using the Soft Wash method. Soft Washing incorporates designated low-pressure nozzles at the tip of a pressure washing gun/wand. Combined with biodegradable chemicals that remove biological elements (i.e mold, pollen, dirt, moss) and any other stains, Soft Wash cleans without causing damage to a home’s surfaces. We at iTrust use a special sodium hypo-chlorite solution to kill all mold spores, mildew and other organic material that has infiltrates exterior surfaces on the sides of the house, soffits and gutters. The utilization of high volume, low pressure application eliminates the additional damage and water penetration that traditional pressure washing processes result in. Additionally, this process is safe for animals, humans and plant life. A Soft Wash system not only cleans roofs, decks, patios and fences but it also maintains paint and masonry longer. Both soft washing and pressure washing are performed with a commercial pressure washing machine, but the main differences come from the intensity of pressure applied and the type of chemical used. A Soft Wash (or pressure wash if so desired) should preferably be completed by professionals like iTrust that have experience with how to safely and effectively achieve the best results. -iTrust Home Services is a home services company located in North Fulton, Ga. We specialize in 2 residential service areas: Automation & Electrical- Painting and Restoration. Learn more at itrusthomeservices.com. Sources- http://itrusthomeservices.com/2018/04/26/soft-wash/ https://www.angieslist.com/articles/soft-wash-better-regular-pressure-washing.htm http://www.house-painting-info.com/articles/using-a-pressure-washer/#.WtjZbi-ZO8g