I agree the red and gray were lovely. 6 coats of new paint seems excessive. When in a hole stop digging!! Since it's all new is it possible to power wash/sand blast the brick back to it's natural color? Paint is just not a long lived looks great solution to brick.

You had the left, you WANTED the right?

And now you are.....HERE?

What you REALLY wanted is down here.....

You DON'T want that inspo you posted.

WHAT WHITE paint color are you using?! I hate to say your inspo or whatever that photo is, does not exactly look "elegant warm" and it's a darn chilly white on my monitor, leaning greenish.

Stop digging the hole.

You need a white with a lot more warmth. What is done is done, and I doubt you can successfully blast the paint off the brick.

What is the white, so someone can HELP you?

I would NOT do a pale gray . Brick looks 100% horrible in gray. Any gray, jmo.

Painted brick below, and a lot warmer white.

" (One other note … the newer cedar shake has deep grooves that cast shadows when you look at the house from a certain angle, so the color doesn’t even look consistent from a certain perspective. The painters put 6 coats on the new shake and it’s improving so I have hope that if I continue to add coats this can be mostly resolved.) "

6 coats of paint is way overkill and cannot possibly make it look better. Why use a striated shake and then fill in the striations? Hire a better painter, as you are setting your self up for a real mess with that. Strip the brick now while paint is still fresh if at all possible. I would strip the shakes as well and use a different color with a quality painter not a hack that would even attempt to use SIX coats of paint.

!!!! ^^^

I'm asking is he using paint or ceiling "whitewash" lol

In terms of paint - i think you need a little more color to warm it up, it does seem a bit icy. One approach is to just wait and see if you get used to it.

If you want to look at colors, a few suggestions: There’s a brick home up the street from me that is painted SW tony taupe - its a griege and has a nice warm linen look. Pale Oak could be another option. here’s a house painted BM swiss coffee with pale oak trim

FWIW I live in a neighborhood with homes that are from 90-125 yrs old - TONS of them are painted brick and they look great, and don’t seem to require any more maintenance than the other homes - folks on here are against painting brick due to excessive maintenance but i’ve lived in the hood for 20 years and just don’t see it

There was a reason for the 6 coats on the new shake. There is old and new shake on the house. The old was flatter in texture (likely from old paint coats) so this paint had an entirely different appearance on old vs. new. The SW rep recommended a high build primer to help improve the look but it didn’t fully work. At this point my options are to paint all a much warmer white and add shutters on the back of the house or re-side the upper story altogether.

I think the house painted in a warmer off-white will look fine.

Tell us what paint color you used??

If your siding truly was cedar, (and there are fiberboard products out there milled to look like cedar siding with no actual cedar in the planks) professionals know NOT TO USE paint on a wood that holds so much oil. Cedar should only be stained not painted. You don't place 6 coats of anything on any material and expect it to not peel off. The variations in the rough cedar is a desireable appearance.

You may have bigger problem. You cannot successfully apply acrylic paint to the brick and not expect the paint to hold the moisture in the brick and cause it to crumble.

Masonry Paint or Lime wash are the only products that can be used on brick.

The first photo is what it is now, a chalky gray-white, which OP does not like.

The house was beautiful, and I am very sorry to say, it isnt anymore. I agree with the others, please stop with the paint. 6 coats, is bound to start peeling off before long. Its just way too much. You will have an even bigger mess. The brick should never have been painted. If it is painted, it needs a special paint that is just for brick, so the brick can breathe. If it cant breathe, then, eventually, it is going to be a peeling mess and the brick itself will start spauling and look really bad. If possible, get as much paint removed as you can, and then, decide on what you are going to do, because, right now, its a mess. Please do not make it worse by adding more paint.

There was a masonry primer applied. I believe the painters did it “right— I went with a reputable company — But the color is horrible and we obviously we have the added issue with the color issues on the shake. At this point I fear what’s done is done, and am open to paint color suggestions that could improve this. Thank you!

My guess is many will ask how any "reputable" company steals your resources with six coats of paint?

And you still haven't told us WHICH white made the mess?

At this point, maybe go all in, sand blast the brick, and re side the entire house. More paint is just going to be glop, and yet more labor and materials.

You need to pause this project, perhaps for months. Stop what you are doing.

1. Don't do anything else until your roof is on. That will change everything once again.

2. Blasting your brick to remove paint is just going to damage the brick. Once you paint, you really can't go back.

3. Tend to the cedar issue. Get technical advice from the manufacturer. Really understand what kind of damage has been done to this material and how you need to rectify it before you do any more painting. Does it need to be replaced?

Get estimates for what the long term repair costs are for the damage done to the cedar. Then figure out what to do.

Yes, you need another color home, but that is the final step in rectifying the situation.

I think grey painted brick homes can look fine if they are the right color grey. Cream is beautiful too. But you are not there yet.

What paint color did you use with the 6 coats?

I used a custom color that was used on a family members’ home. I KNOW that you can’t just use any old color. I did take a board painted with the color around my home to test in different light conditions and it looked really nice. The problem is my materials are different and I was foolish to not realize that the appearance on the different materials would change everything. What looks serene on their home looks jarring on mine. I do also take issue with the fact that no one at the painting company pushed back on painting the cedar… I had no idea we would run into this problem. I would have paused or chosen another color had I known the risk.

I’ve asked for a quote for hardie plank to replace the cedar. I fear the cedar is too far gone. If it’s replaced, I can paint the brick to match.

Also, the 6 costs were ONLY put on the “new” cedar (from the addition 15 years ago). This was in an effort to have the color match the rest of the house. Right now if you look at it from one angle it matches… and if you walk 10 steps to view from the other direction it does not (that’s shown in one of the original photos i posted).

I would not match the brick and siding colors were it me. I would want some contrast.

I'd consider darker colors for a repaint, and the colors used here are just to give an idea.

Maybe paint the different materials different colors. Enough different that the difference is clear, maybe just a small difference, or maybe a lot.

Landscaping can make a big difference. You are seeing the newly painted house, but it's set against a sea of bright green which probably influences the overall look.

Shutter info: https://www.lifeofanarchitect.com/residential-architecture-101-shutters/

And get out of the car to take pictures :)

I looked up your shingle selection and it has a lot of red and brown in it if I am correct.

I would go a Charcoal gray roof to tie in the shutters.

Paint the door a focal color like Eggplant, Teal, or something else you like that is eye-catching.

I don't have software but here is a sketch:

I think your'e overthinking and no one will notice what you're talking about. It's a beautiful home.

When painting the exterior of a house, a white paint will look stark/cold - the "white" you use needs to be a warm white - it will still be white - but not cold/blinding white. I agonized over this when I decided to paint my colonial home "white" - I wanted a creamy, cozy white - not a stark/cold white.

I would decide on your new roof color - and then determine what color to paint over the current bright white.

It's really unfortunate about the cedar - I really like the look of "worn" cedar shake that has dimension to it + texture.

I think I would take some time and breathe…get the new roof on, then paint the front door a color that you love. There’s nothing wrong with a classic white house. Don’t worry, the house will need painting again at some point, and that would be the time to change it!

I would leave it for a bit. I don’t dislike it and I would stop adding anything kore and see if it grows on you

Stop. Breathe. Relax. I agree with those who suggest stepping back and not doing anything now. Take your time, gather information, then make an informed decision about how to proceed.

personally, i like it. love a white colonial with black accent. i think you need to update the landscaping a bit and add other details- brass door handle, knocker, sconces, lighting to add interest and warmth.