I know. I know. Painting the exterior of a brick ranch home can indeed give it a fresh, modern look. After all, we are now so accustomed to seeing vinyl siding on brand new homes- the array of colors! And changing those color of vinyl siding is relatively easy. Whereas bricks are always the same color and I’ve found that people have very definite opinions about what color of bricks they like, and what color they hate. Some brick coloration does look more dated than others and the foreclosed house down the street just had some flipper paint the brick and it looks so new! I get it. I do. But before you jump in, let me ask you to seriously think about it.

First, painting brick is permanent. You can repaint and change color, but you can’t really ever unpaint the brick. Once it’s painted, it’s going to need to be painted for as long as it stands. One of the best things about Huber brick ranch homes is their ease of maintenance. With brick, there is very little to maintain on a regular basis. You will need to check the mortar for cracking, and check the bricks for crumbling. but that is rare and usually takes many decades before we see serious issues in the integrity of brick structures, One of the selling features of a brick home is its low maintenance, by painting a home, you have just added to the list of chores a new buyer has to worry about- why do that?

Secondly, bricks breathe. The beauty of brick is that it will adjust its moisture levels to the weather, and we have lots of weather in Huber Heights Ohio! We can have 50 degree temperature swings in 24 hours. Brick can withstand freeze, thaw, heat, moisture, snow, drought, but only if it is able to breathe. If you don’t use the correct type of paint- silicate- it would be like wrapping your home in plastic, causing the bricks to decay and crumble. Let those bricks be free!

Speaking of moisture, we have a lot of rain in Huber Heights. In addition to being a problem for painted bricks, the paint itself is susceptible to moisture damage which can cause paint to flake and chip. Huber brick ranch homes are built with the bricks fairly close to the ground. Those lower bricks are particularly susceptible to moisture problems so you will need to be especially vigilant about monitoring the exterior paint and applying touch up paint as needed.

If the paint was applied properly, it should not flake or chip for years, but even if the paint doesn’t peel and flake, it is going to show dirt within the first few years so you will need to plan on washing the paint on a regular basis to remove dirt and mildew, and by regular basis, I mean every few years, forever.

Here’s one other reason not to paint your brick ranch. in today’s seller’s market inventory is so low that buyers can not afford to reject your home because the color of the brick isn’t their first choice. If they like everything else about your home, they are going to have to put in an offer or lose the opportunity to buy it. If you want to increase the curb appeal of your home, there are plenty of less-expensive, less-permanent ways to do that. Painting the brick is one more expense you don’t have to make in order to sell your home, and can remove the low maintenance benefit that people love about brick homes.

Ultimately of course, the decision is yours. It’s your home, do what you want. But please consider all the long term ramifications of painting your Huber home, and if you do decide to paint the brick, use a trusted professional.

Want more tips on how to prepare your Huber home for sale? Need some advice on increasing curb appeal to sell your home? Give me a call and let’s discuss the best course of action for your needs!

Photo by James Coleman on Unsplash