Why We’re Limewashing Our Brick Home
Looking for an easy way to update your brick exterior? I found an incredible solution and am sharing why we’re limewashing our brick home! A special thanks to Romabio for sponsoring this post.
Our Almost Farmhouse.
I snapped this pic the day we put an offer in on our home.
It was a fixer for sure, complete with Hershey’s kiss shrubs, yellow trim, and orangey brick stamped with leaves and critters footprints.
We’ve been here four years, living with this ugly exterior.
Over the years we’ve made huge progress on the interior of our home, but the exterior was put off again and again until we could finally attack the daunting task of making this over.
It’s not a very good feeling to pull up to your home saying “Blech!” until you cross the threshold.
This year that’s all about to change!
I found inspiration at Lauren at Blesser House with her brick she lime washed last year.
I couldn’t get over how beautiful her home looked!
After reaching out to Romabio, I ordered some samples to try on our brick. What I found out was exactly what I had been looking for!
Why We’re Limewashing Our Brick Home
The amazing thing about painting a sample patch is that the finish is completely removable within 5 days!
So if you change your mind – it’s easy to wash off. But that wasn’t the only selling point that convinced me to give it a try.
Romabio offers a product that is user friendly, as well as environmentally friendly. Lime wash is known for becoming part of the masonry surface it is applied to, unlike paint which sits on the surface of the brick.
After wetting the brick, the lime wash is drawn in and calcifies the longer it sits. Which is why we’re lime washing our brick home. We wanted a technique that was easy to apply, offered coverage and didn’t harm the brick.
I ordered Romabio’s Avorio White and Nube Gray and applied them next to our garage doors to see which coloring we liked.
And one appealing element of lime wash is the weathered look you can achieve in application, so I painted each color in solid and then a second patch in the weathered look.
The weathered look is created with a thinner dilution rate and strategic removal with water, and I LOVED how that looked.
Until I saw this!
That chalky solid color from Clare and Grace Designs had me swooning!
Since our main goal is to cover that ugly orange brick that is mottled throughout my exterior, I opted to completely cover it rather than try and memorize the dark bricks and try to have just those exposed. An impossible feat!
So our final choice was Nube Gray in a solid application.
Our Color Scheme
- Brick: Romabio Nube Gray
- Dormers and Siding: Collonade Gray from Sherwin Williams
- Trim, Soffits and Fascia: Origami White from Sherwin Williams
- Doors and Shutters: Tricorn Black from Sherwin Williams
We’ve started with addressing some repairs needed to the fascia.
We hope to wrap these areas one day, but for now, we are painting them.
Also, we’ve started painting the dormers and it’s neat to see the transformation slowly happen!
We have quite the workload ahead of us and a few of those tall peaks are quite daunting, but we are ready to get Romabio’s incredible masonry brush working overtime!
So, if you are living with a house that makes you want to keep on driving by, follow along with this transformation we’re embarking upon.
And be encouraged that this is a DIY-able task that you can take on – which is why we’re limewashing our brick home ourselves!
If you want to check out Romabio’s product – they are now available in select Home Depot Stores, and also online!
To see the reveal of our Almost Farmhouse, head over to this post!
UPDATE!
This has sparked something new in us. Since we moved to Birmingham, we limewashed another home.
But a door of opportunity opened up. We are now starting our own limewashing business.
We understand that DIYing isn’t for everyone, and we want to help you create a house you love coming home to!
If you are in the Birmingham, Alabama area, and are looking to have your exterior updated, then please reach out to us for a free quote.
So while this post is about Why We’re Limewashing Our Brick Home, almost 2 years later, we are now extending our knowledge to others!
We are happy to help! I will even assist if you have trouble selecting colors.
You can find us on instagram. Just send us a message and we’ll be in touch soon.
Pin This For Later!
Check out our other Limewash Posts
LIMEWASHING YOUR HOME FOR CURB APPEAL
10 TIPS FOR LIMEWASHING YOUR HOME
LIMEWASHING YOUR HOME – DIY OR DIFM?
LIMEWASHING TERRA COTTA PLANTERS
HOW TO INSTALL AND LIMEWASH A BRICK VENEER WALL
LIMEWASHING A PAINTED BRICK FIREPLACE
HOW TO LIMEWASH A BRICK HOME
It really depends on many factors, like dilution rate and environment, as well as how much you distress it. For example a heavy distressing in a wet environment like the NW will see weathering quicker than an almost solid application in the dry, hot south.
But I’ve heard of homes that still look great 15 years later! We are one year in with our current home and it still looks the exact same as when we applied it.
Hi Jennifer
I heard that had to reapply lime wash about every 5 years?
Do you know?
Thanks
Nora
That’s a steal!
If anyone is interested in trying out this product, I was just in a Home Depot and the $30 quarts are on clearance for $3!! Select stores only. Can’t beat that, I purchased a few to save for my summer project.
We haven’t had any fading or weathering just yet, even though, I sort of want to see it! 😉
Romabio has a great FAQs page that perfectly describe which weather conditions you need to watch out for. And as far as the 5 days goes, that’s a great out if you decide to change your mind and it can be removed with a pressure washer, but by 5 days, normal rain won’t wash the limewash away. Hope that helps!
It looks great but have you had any fading ? You stated that you could wash it of before 5 days. Do u need to make sure that the weather is going to cooperate ?
Hey Jenny! Thanks for reaching out! Yes, the smallest sample is the $30 container. But there are lots of other things you can do with the leftovers. I limewashed some terra cotta pots and they were beautiful!
We are contemplating using the Romabio masonry paint on our home. When you say you “ordered some samples”,, are you referring to the $30.00 container, or are there smaller sample sizes I can get somewhere? Love your transformation!
Great question, Lisa! Actually, we were wrong to apply it to a horizontal surface. It is meant to weather and patina, so it has worn away. To slow this process, you can apply a mineral hardener they sell.
How has it held up on the steps?l