Expert: Nazim Nice - 10/23/2009

Question
I would like to repaint the exterior of my newly purchased home.  Unfortunately, the entire first story consists of painted brick.   (The second story is stucco, wood, Hardiplank, and a small amount of brick.)  The brick is not of a good enough quality to be returned to its original unpainted state, so I'm trying to figure out our best option for painting it.  Should I attempt to faux paint the bricks to a brick-like appearance, or should I stick with the current painted look but in a different color?  (I wish they had never been painted, but I'm not sure a faux finish would be worth it or desirable on such a large area).  Is there another option I haven't considered?  Finally, what colors would work with the design of the house?  I had thought of using more natural shades such as Sherwin-Williams' Likeable Sand on the brick, Brevity Brown for the trim, and Heavy Cream by Behr for the non-brick base, but I would very much appreciate your suggestions.  I can email you a picture of the house.


Thank you very much!

Felicity

Answer
Hi Felicity,

I think you are on the right track with the colors  . . . I looked up those colors and to my eye I think there is just a little too much red in them.  Sherwin Williams has a good Exterior Preservation Palette (it is not in most fan decks though).  But take a look at those colors, which I have found are some of the best colors for the exterior (hence the name).  Take a look at SW2808 Rookwood Dark Brown for the dark trim.  Roycroft Vellum would be a nice color for the stucco panels.  I would then paint the brick and the wide siding that I see on the right side of the photo the same color, something like your Likeable Sand, but with less red.  Like Roycroft Suede SW 2842.  Test these colors before you commit to them! But take a look at that Exterior Preservation Palette because they are really good colors and it is harder to go wrong with these colors.

Good Luck!

Nazim Nice
Principal / Architect
http://www.motion-space.com
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