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 ranches 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.
Marelis says
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 :)
Courtney says
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!
YoungHouseLove says
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
Em says
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.
YoungHouseLove says
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
Holly says
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!
YoungHouseLove says
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
megan says
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.
YoungHouseLove says
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
Charla Balogh says
We have a sunroom identical to your tacked on to the back of our house! We are in the process of removing carpet glue from the cement in order to paint the floor like you did. I’m curious — is the outside trim painted or was that the original color? Ours is a big white monster off the back of our house. We are about to replace the 2nd floor trim and siding and we are contemplating painting the brick. My big hang up is the big white sunroom! I’m wondering if the vinyl around all those large sliding doors can be painted and if so, how it would hold up. Any thoughts?
YoungHouseLove says
Hey Charla,
Ours is the original color, so it wasn’t painted. In general, painting vinyl isn’t recommended but you can visit your local home improvement center to see if they have any new enamels or oil-based products that could work. Good luck!
xo,
s
Amber S says
Love the brick and I love love love that large clock. Remember where you bought it? I’ve been somewhat searching for a large clock/outside art for our patio.
YoungHouseLove says
That was from Target a while ago.
xo,
s
Linda in Denver says
I bet you can find one in a Goodwill store!!!
Linda in Denver says
I am doing a tear out of carpet an restoration to Oak floors. I have some really ugly half bricks in the kitchen that are an orange/rust color. I want to paint them. The gally-style kitchen is rather small but I am doing with what I have. There is only interior light in the kitchen, anyone have any ideaas of what color to do the bricks?
YoungHouseLove says
I would do something light to make it feel open! Like white or cream or a soft celery or pale blue!
xo
s