Boosting Your Brick with Paint

How Paint Colors can Compliment your Brick

When it comes to exteriors, brick is classically one of the most used and beloved materials.  Brick is known for its low maintenance, durability, and timeless look.  It is also known for its color options, with even more variations available today.  Brick can range from a classic, deep red to a more updated beige, and lots more brick in between.  One great trait of brick is that the siding and trim paired with it can either compliment the brick color or tone it down.  When painting with brick, the first step is to figure out the look you’re trying to achieve.

Paint Color Options for Brick

One option for brick is to create a more muted, monochromatic look.  To achieve this look, it is usually best to pick one of the tones in the brick, more often a medium tone, and use that color for the siding and trim.  If you go too light or too dark with your siding color, too much contrast is created and your monochromatic look is ruined.  If you prefer neither your siding/trim nor your brick to stand out, this is the way to go.  The end result will be a very uniform, cohesive look between your brick and, well, everything that isn’t.

On the other hand, if you’re in the mood for some drama and some contrast to your brick, go dark!  Pair dark siding or garage doors with some light trim, and your home will be eye-catching for sure.  Depending on the color of your brick and the look you’d like to achieve, you need to determine if you’d like your accent color to be warmer or cooler in tone.  

For instance, a home recently paired Gauntlet Gray SW 7019 (siding & garage doors) and Dorian Gray 7017 (all trim) with a warm-colored brick comprised of tans, beiges, and pinkish browns.  The saturation in the Gauntlet Gray provided a nice, dark contrast to the brick, but maintained the overall hue of the home for a very pleasant “wow”.

In a more dramatic example of contrast, a home with a more traditional reddish-orange brick can be paired with a dark, cool color such as Grizzle Gray SW 7068 on the siding for a truly sensational “wow”.  Add in a crisp, clean white such as Nebulous White SW7063, and the result is stunning.  What was once a drab paint combo, and let’s be honest, a bit predictable, became the envy of the neighborhood.

Last but not least, throw in a fun color for your front door and your home is a winner.