7 of the Best Home Exterior Brick and Paint Color Combinations
Natural red brick can look new and fresh when paired with the right paint color
Natural brick homes come with a dominant color built-in. However, most brick houses still have doors, soffits, trim, and possibly siding that will eventually need a fresh coat of paint to maintain the home's curb appeal. This means you'll need to find the best exterior brick and paint color combinations that will complement each other without taking away from one another’s charm. So what color should you paint a brick house?
To help you decide, we've put together a list of the best color schemes for brick houses. Some of these colors work with brick as an accent, while others are more neutral. Some complement red brick, and others pull from the brick. Find your favorite or work with an exterior painter near you to narrow down the best paint color for your brick home.
1. Black
The pairing of black and brick is timeless and modern all at once. Darker colors like black offer high contrast with any brick color, helping to emphasize a home's details for a sharp, crisp look. Black and brick are a sophisticated and classic combination for any home style. Shades of black range from deep and pure to light velvet tones, some of which are borderline navy or purple.
For inspiration:
Sherwin-Williams Tricorn Black
Benjamin Moore® Onyx
Benjamin Moore® Raccoon Fur
Benjamin Moore® Soot
2. Creamy White
White trim is a popular choice for exteriors that's always in style. However, a clean, cool white can look too harsh against a red brick exterior. Instead, go for warm, creamy off-white colors. These neutral shades wouldn't be mistaken for white if used indoors, but outdoors they coordinate beautifully with the earthy tones of red brick.
Try creamy whites on doors, columns, trim, shutters, and other architectural accents.
For inspiration:
Benjamin Moore® Swiss Coffee
Sherwin-Williams Westhighland White
Sherwin-Williams Creamy
Benjamin Moore® White Dove
3. Warm Greige
Greige is all the rage, and it's likely not going anywhere soon. This understated neutral combination of gray and beige pairs well with brick's warm, earthy tones. One great way to use greige is to find a shade that matches the grout color between your bricks. Greige trim can provide a muted look that helps brick stand out and play the focal point in your home's façade.
For inspiration:
Sherwin-Williams Gateway Gray
Sherwin-Williams Keystone Gray
Sherwin-Williams Mindful Gray
Sherwin-Williams Functional Gray
4. Sage Green
Red and green are complementary colors that can balance each other visually. However, you need to be careful when pairing red brick and paint in any shade of green since many shades can clash and end up looking like a Christmas decoration.
To avoid this and bring out the color of the brick without overwhelming it, try a very toned-down, muted shade of green like sage on sidings, shutters, or entry doors. Sage can range from delicate, beige-like shades to muddy, earthy tones, any of which pair well with the natural tones found in red brick.
For inspiration:
BEHR® Simply Sage
Sherwin-Williams Svelte Sage
Clare All The Sage
Dunn-Edwards Wishing Well
5. Light Blue
Speaking of complementary colors, blue is another nice coordinating color for a red brick home. You can use blue in different ways. Light, airy shades of blue-green can make your front door pop. Meanwhile, muted blue-grays create a cohesive look when you use them on shutters and trims.
For inspiration:
PPG Vitamin Sea
Benjamin Moore® Tranquil Blue
Benjamin Moore® Harbor Fog
Benjamin Moore® Colorado Gray
6. Navy Blue
If you're looking for a darker color but don’t want to use black, you can turn to another category of complementary blues. Navy blue is unique in that it serves as both a neutral shade and a pop of color. The bold blues offer deep contrast with the red tones of a brick home.
Unlike some other combinations on this list, brick often takes a back seat when paired with navy. The red tones of brick tend to look more subtle and nuanced against navy highlights. You'll find dark navy blues in a range of tones that you can use for doors, shutters, and siding. Some feature grayish undertones, while others skew more toward dark green.
For inspiration:
Sherwin-Williams Naval
Sherwin-Williams Dark Night
Benjamin-Moore® Hale Navy
Benjamin-Moore® River Blue
7. Rich Purple
Not all exterior bricks are the same. You may notice some unique undertones in the red bricks on your home's façade. Some bricks carry purple tones, which you can highlight with a bold trim or front door paint color like purple. A deep purple adds dimension to otherwise neutral brick. To create a hip home exterior that stands out in the neighborhood, try pairing brick with sophisticated purple paint.
For inspiration:
Sherwin-Williams Plum Dandy
Benjamin Moore® Tulsa Twilight
Benjamin Moore® Passion Plum
Glidden® Blackberry
Cost to Paint a Brick House
The cost to paint a brick house can run anywhere from $3,500 to $10,500. This wide range is largely due to variations in price based on home size and location. The materials you choose can also impact costs. The range of options includes standard paint, whitewash, and limewash, depending on your maintenance needs and style preferences.
DIY vs. Hiring a Pro
Consider the size of the job and the skill required when deciding between DIY and hiring a professional exterior painter. It’s best to leave a large job, like painting the full exterior of a multi-story house, to the pros. However, if you have the experience, tools, and time, you can paint small sections of your brick house to save a bit of money.
Nick P. Cellucci contributed to this article.
Frequently Asked Questions
Painting a brick house is a good idea for modernizing an older home’s outdated look and protecting the bricks from water damage or extreme weather. That said, if you’re not 100% sure whether or not you should paint your brick house, take more time to think the decision through. Once you paint brick, there’s no going back. It’s also a tricky job that requires choosing the correct type of paint and finish.
If you’re painting a brick exterior, you can expect it to last three to five years before needing a fresh coat to keep the painted brick fresh. You can extend the life of your exterior paint by keeping up with maintenance and choosing high-quality materials from the start.
When it comes to how to paint a brick chimney, consider that standard paint can seal in moisture and cause serious chimney problems. Instead, use a vapor-permeable sealant. You’ll first scrub and sand the chimney; then, you can patch any gaps with caulk and apply the sealant. We recommend hiring a pro for this job since it entails working on the roof, which comes with a lot of necessary safety precautions.