our neighbors (as of Jan 1) had their home painted as it was built, it took three coats plus primer and was painted by hand looks very pretty but i'm sure it added substantially to the cost of the build

I'll have to check that out, worthy. These homes were traditional, but the glazing or enamel could have been, also. Zippity, I'm thinking that is probably the case here, too. Maybe my love for the look isn't that unusual! Thanks for the responses.

Beware of painting brick. Once you do it, it will have to be maintained--unless you like the look of peeling paint. Don't laugh! Lime-washed, mortar-washed and white-washed homes have been popular looks for centuries.

I have a painted brick house we built new. I researched brick choices that were already the color I wanted (white) and felt they looked too commercial. So we painted. Overall it did cost more, but the cost of painting was somewhat offset by the fact that we could choose a brick that was "on sale" and ugly grey mortar which is so much less than the pretty taupe and cream-colored mortar. We've been in our house 4.5 years and no peeling yet.

Hi, jboling_gw,

We actually painted new brick on a project recently because the owner wanted a weathered look. New brick was painted and then power washed to give it that "been there forever" feel. It was more expensive because of the processes involved -- first the brick, then painting, then washing.

Private Residence · More Info

Glazed brick would work, too, but that would most likely give you a more uniform color like a tile. It depends what you are going for -- a cleanly painted look, or a weathered?

Good luck with your project!

Best,

Amy