I have painted many brick homes. I usually find a reason to do this as there are very few brick homes that look good with natural brick. Let me explain myself. I usually renovate older homes and the brick that was used back then wasn’t as pretty as the brick used today. I also like the fresh clean look of painted brick. The home I am featuring in this blog was in terrible shape, the brick had many mortar cracks, and we all know that when you do a mortar patch it never matches the existing mortar, and stands out like a sore thumb! Well to be honest, I would have painted this home whether it need mortar repairs or not, the natural brick just wasn’t attractive.

A quick FYI about mortar cracks, they are ok if they run in a”stair step” fashion, of course they need to be filled (re-pointed) to keep moisture out. If the mortar cracks run horizontally then it is can be an indication of a shift in the foundation, a more serious fix, and a whole other conversation.

I will let you decide which is better, painted brick or not. I realize the “before” picture is not a fair comparison as it was taken before it was renovated. However ,you must admit the painted brick “after” picture really brings the home back to life! It is an updated 50’s ranch! Stephen