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See this article from the September 2007 Hill Rag on painting brick -written by Nancy Metzger:

Look Before You Paint

By Nancy Metzger

A fresh coat of paint can make a tired house look sharp and wellcared for, but sometimes the gains in appearance are both temporary and expensive. This article focuses on brick houses: frame houses need to be painted to protect the wood, and stone houses, foundations and trim should never be painted.

All of our brick houses started out as some variation of a red-brick color until the early 20th century when tan, cream and other light colored bricks became fashionable. Judging from the large photo in the CVS window at Seventh and Pennsylvania that was taken about 1890, painting common brick houses was popular even then. (Pressed brick houses were never painted unless with a linseed oil and red iron oxide to make them a more uniformly red brick color.) The question is, regardless of the reasons the houses were once painted, why should you paint a brick house?

Here are some things to think about:

1. If your house has never been painted, please don’t be the first to do so. If you’re thinking of painting because you feel the house is “dark” or “gloomy,” try freshening up the window sashes, cornice and door with a new coat of paint; invest in some complementary, colorful landscaping, and then spend the rest of the savings on a trip to Italy. Repeat every five years.

2. If your house distresses you because past repairs to the brick walls were really atrocious and you’re left with the visual reminders of non-matching mortar or sloppy workmanship, a coat of paint in a color that matches the brick might be the way to go. Matching the bricks makes color selection much easier. You won’t come home to find that the warm gray turned out to look violent violet when applied to the house.

3. If you’re considering painting because of “moisture problems,” you’re not addressing the issue. If the exterior paint is lifting off a building, it is likely that moisture is pushing it off . That’s your clue to take off the paint and assess the problem. Bricks don’t need sealing; they need to breathe, so any coating, paint or sealer that impedes breathing just compounds the problem by trapping the moisture. With moisture problems the first step is to check the roof, the gutters and the drainage flow away from the house. The second step is to have an experienced brick mason check the mortar joints. Many of the houses on Capitol Hill are now over 100 years old and the lime-based mortar may be starting to disintegrate, even though that’s not immediately visible. The mason will test the integrity of the mortar with a chisel. Sometimes it’s just a patch that needs repair but other times an entire wall needs repointing. If this is what you need to do, the Capitol Hill Restoration Society brochure “Repointing and Paint Removal” will give you pointers on the entire process.

4. After the repairs are made, it’s decision time again if your repointed wall was previously painted: To paint or to remove the paint? In general, there’s the all-at-one-time chemical paste removal system, and then there’s the let-it-weather-off approach. Painting the façade might be initially cheaper but opting for the natural look will be cheaper in the long run. Because of the possibility of damage to bricks, the Historic Preservation Office requires a permit for chemical paint removal and major repointing efforts (but not for painting a façade). They want to know the contractor and the methods and materials he’s planning to use. The mortar should be of the same color and composition as the original and sandblasting should never be used to remove paint. The let-it-weather-off approach requires vigilant attention to periodic repainting of the woodwork – true for all homeowners – so there is contrast between the crisp wood trim and the softer appearance of the brick. The let it-weather-off approach, by far the gentlest on the house, might also garner you another trip or three to Italy with what you save.

Several CHRS brochures will help you as you consider what to do. You can read them at the SE and NE libraries or order them for $3 each (nonmembers) from CHRS office: 202-543-0425; CapHRS@aol.com.

• “Repointing and Paint Removal,” A Capitol Hill Restoration Society Case Study
by Marie Fennell, AICP.

• “Capitol Hill’s Unpainted Ladies,” by Judith M. Capen, AIA

• “Red Brick, Brown Brick, Pressed Brick, and Common: Capitol Hill Brick,” by Judith
M. Capen, AIA

• “The Hows, Whens, and Whys of Getting a Building Permit,” by Judith M. Capen,
AIA, and Nancy Witherell.

Nancy Metzger is the chair of the Capital Hill Restoration Society’s Historic Preservation Committee. Visit CHRS on the Web at http://www.chrs.org .
[http://capitalcommunitynews.com/publications/hillrag/2007_September/88-89_RAG_0907.pdf]

Posted by Scott Roberts