We Painted Our Exterior Brick!
But it’s not what you think. Many people ask us if we’d ever paint our little brick ranch but the truth is that although we heavily considered it back when we got it, we’ve grown to love the look of our home’s exterior and completely appreciate the lack of maintenance. See, brick ranchers are known for their durability and ease of ownership (no siding replacement, re-stuccoing, or repainting- ever). Plus here in Richmond if you paint a brick house any medium or light tone (and you know we’d want a tan house with white trim, right?) green mold will start popping up, which requires a thorough scrub down with bleach at least once a season. Can you imagine scrubbing the entire exterior of your house? No thanks.
But back to the matter at hand. If we didn’t paint our brick house how the heck does that title make sense? Well, our sunroom was added about twenty five years after our house was built so it was tacked on in a way that it partially overlapped some of the house’s existing brick exterior (which then became interior brick in the sunroom. See, here I am (on the first day that we laid eyes on our house, incidentally) modeling in front of the sunroom:
But after a while we realized that painting the brick wall inside the sunroom to match the soft tan color on the rest of the walls would immediately make the room feel more cohesive and balanced. So we whipped out some exterior latex paint (since our sunroom isn’t temperature controlled) and got her done. Other than using an exterior paint, we followed the exact same brick-painting tips that we outlined here, so be sure to check them out for the play by play. And here’s the result:
At first we worried whether seeing the same unpainted brick just beyond the glass door to the left of the wall would be weird, but looking back we realize it looked weird before, when the random brick wall carried over a few feet into our sunroom.
Now the days of pre-painted brick are long forgotten. But we do have another mini-update to share regarding this very spot…
…so stay tuned over the next few days to see what we did (hint: it’s not a baby).
p.s. psst, have you updated your bookmarks / reader / blogroll / outgoing links / Twitter/ Facebook yet? If you’re still heading our way using old TYH methods, they won’t last for long so don’t forget to make the switch! We’d hate to lose a single one of you DIY-lovin’ dudes and dames.
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Comments
Hey Jessie,
Nope, we’re just crazy enough to have two dogs! A concrete one in our living room and the ceramic one you see above (snagged for just $29!). I’m weird, what can I say. I just can’t say no to a life sized animal that never needs to be walked or fed.
xo,
s
I love the way the painted brick looks. The contrast of the clock next to the window is really unique. I love it!
I have to agree the painted brick is much better than the original brick colour flowing into the sun room. It defines the space better. LOVE the colour.
Love the painted brick, never really commented before but I had a quick question. What is in the white basket between the ceramic dog and your teak chair? Is that a Burger bed? It seems awfully high for him to get into.
Hey Loren,
Good eye! That’s a big leather trimmed basket for blankets that we use while we’re lounging on the daybed if it gets too breezy, but Burger is known to jump in there and make himself comfortable when the mood strikes…
xo,
s
our home is brick, too — and yes, relatively maintenance free – except for the dreaded tuckpointing! Ugh, we’re getting ready to start requesting bids – fortunately, it looks like it’s just going to be needed on the front of our house (previous owners had recently tackled the sides and back).
It came out great you guys! Really makes the sunroom feel more like an interior space…..amazing how much a little paint can change the feel of a room :)
Hey! I was just wondering where you got that fabulous day bed that you put in your sun room. I have been looking for one and I love that one. Didn’t know if where you bought it had some still or if you knew another place I could find one like it. Thanks so much – love everything you do!
Hey Courtney,
It’s actually from West Elm. We have an entire room by room source list located on our House Tour page (at the top you’ll see the link). Hope it helps!
xo,
s
Hi there-
I love the way the painted brick looks! I saw that you said that you used an exterior paint since the room is not temperature controlled. We have a room off of our kitchen which is our home’s side entrance–we use it as a mudroom, but it is really a porch/sunroom type space as it is not temperature controlled either. It has wood paneling, and we wanted to paint it a cream color to match the cabinets in our kitchen (since the room is right off the kitchen we thought this would be the best solution). Would you recommend choosing an exterior paint for this project? We have storm windows and doors protecting it from the outside, but there is no direct heat in that space so it tends to get cold and, at times, slightly damp (after a lot of heavy rain). Thanks for any advice. Just discovered your site and LOVE it.
Hey Em,
We would recommend using exterior paint just because it’s made to hold up to higher and lower temps without cracking and peeling. Just be sure to get ample ventilation when you apply it since it can be super stinky compared to interior stuff. Hope it helps!
xo,
s
Hey
I am just finishing up the second coat of paint on my brick sunroom (similar to yours). Mine is not temp. controlled either and all of a sudden today it just dawned on me that i should probably be using an exterior paint. Ugh. Can’t believe I didn’t realize it before….but what do i do now?? Help please!
Hmm, we would just leave it if you’re already on the second coat. Regular interior paint is pretty flexible and meant to be durable in many temps so here’s hoping it’s fine. It’s definitely not worth repainting two new coats right now since your first two might be just fine (and if the walls look a bit worse for wear after a few years then you can redo it). Hope it helps!
xo,
s
quick question about painting brick: we have a bedroom that has one brick wall (actually the backside of the fireplace in the living room). The previous owners painted it a nice tan color, but the other walls are white drywall. We would like to paint that room, probably a fairly neutral color; do you think we should leave the brick a slight shade different from the other 3 walls, or paint all the same color? Just kind of looking for advice, also I fear that the “accent wall” concept will be dated soon.
I would paint them all the same color! Our den has two brick walls and two paneled walls and by choosing to keep them the same tone really unified the room. Hope it helps!
xo,
s
you painted your dog that used to sit in your living room – duh! looks awesome!!!