Exterior Brick Painting in Northern Virginia
Brick is among the most enduring building materials found across Northern Virginia. Colonial-style homes in Manassas, Fairfax, and Centreville, mid-century ranches throughout Prince William County, and townhomes in established communities from Burke to Herndon all feature brick — either as full-facade cladding or as partial accents in combination with siding. When homeowners choose to paint that brick, the result can be transformative: a dark red colonial becomes a crisp, modern white farmhouse; a dated 1970s ranch becomes a clean, updated residence.
At Edwards Enterprises Custom Painting & Repair, brick painting is a specialty we handle with the seriousness the material demands. Brick is not like wood or vinyl — it’s porous, it has mortar joints, it breathes, and it reacts poorly to the wrong primers and coatings. Nearly 30 years of working on Northern Virginia homes means we understand exactly what brick painting requires.
Why Brick Is Different from Other Exterior Surfaces
Brick presents unique challenges for painting that make proper product selection and preparation critical:
Porosity: Brick is highly porous, absorbing significantly more coating than smooth siding or trim surfaces. This affects the amount of primer and paint needed and the technique required to achieve complete, even coverage — including into the mortar joints that make up a significant portion of the overall surface.
Breathability: This is the most important technical consideration in brick painting. Brick walls need to breathe — to allow moisture vapor to pass through from inside to outside. A non-breathable coating traps moisture inside the wall, which can cause spalling, efflorescence to push through the coating, and eventually significant damage to the masonry. We specifically use vapor-permeable masonry coatings that protect the exterior from water infiltration while allowing the wall to breathe.
Mortar joint condition: Mortar deteriorates over time, and gaps or crumbling mortar in a brick wall create both aesthetic and structural problems. We inspect mortar joint condition during our estimate and flag any areas where tuckpointing (re-pointing) is warranted before painting. Painting over failing mortar just hides the problem — it doesn’t fix it.
Alkalinity: Fresh or recently wetted masonry is highly alkaline, which can cause certain paint products to fail. We ensure adequate drying time after pressure washing and use masonry-specific primers that are formulated to handle the alkalinity of concrete and brick.
Common Reasons Northern Virginia Homeowners Paint Brick
Brick painting has become increasingly popular across Northern Virginia in recent years, driven by a few distinct motivations:
Aesthetic modernization: Older brick homes — particularly those from the 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s — often feature brick colors and textures that feel dated. Painting the brick white, light gray, or another current color can transform the home’s appearance dramatically without the cost and disruption of residing.
Unifying mixed-material exteriors: Many Northern Virginia homes have combination exteriors — brick lower story with vinyl or wood siding upper story. If the brick color and the siding color aren’t working together harmoniously, painting the brick can bring visual unity to the facade.
Covering damaged or discolored brick: Brick that has been patched, repaired with mismatched materials, or stained by previous work sometimes has visual inconsistencies that painting resolves cleanly.
Improving aged or weathered brick: Very old brick that has weathered unevenly, developed staining, or lost its original appearance can be refreshed significantly through painting.
Painted Brick Is a Long-Term Commitment
We want to be upfront with every homeowner considering brick painting: it is not easily reversible. Brick is porous, and once paint soaks into those pores, removing it completely is extremely difficult. The decision to paint brick should be made with the understanding that the home will require ongoing repainting of that surface going forward.
That said, many homeowners make this choice with full awareness and are thrilled with the result. Painted brick, well-maintained, looks sharp and holds up well in Northern Virginia’s climate with quality masonry coatings and proper preparation. We’ll have an honest conversation about this during the estimate.
Our Brick Painting Process
Pressure washing: All brick surfaces are thoroughly pressure washed to remove dirt, mildew, efflorescence, and any debris from mortar joints. We allow full drying time — particularly important for brick, which holds moisture longer than most siding materials.
Mortar assessment and repair: We check mortar joint condition throughout the project area and flag any areas that need attention before painting.
Masonry primer: A high-quality masonry primer is applied to the clean, dry brick surface. This seals the porous substrate, provides a uniform base for topcoats, and promotes adhesion. On highly porous brick, primer absorption can be significant.
Finish coat application: We apply finish coats using brushes, rollers, and in many cases, airless sprayers — equipment that can work paint into the texture and recesses of the mortar joints for complete coverage. Achieving full coverage on brick requires more material and more care than flat siding.
Inspection: We walk every face of the painted brick with you to confirm complete, even coverage and address any areas that need additional attention.
Colors for Painted Brick Homes
White and off-white remain the most popular choices for painted brick in Northern Virginia, particularly for traditional colonial and craftsman homes. Light gray has also become a popular option, as have warm greiges and some bolder choices like charcoal or black for more contemporary aesthetics. We can help you think through color direction during the estimate — and we recommend sampling before committing to a color on such a large, permanent surface.
Brick Painting Throughout Northern Virginia
We paint brick on homes throughout the Northern Virginia region — from established neighborhoods in Manassas, Fairfax, Springfield, Burke, and Annandale, to the older communities of Alexandria, Arlington, and McLean, to developing areas in Gainesville, Haymarket, and Leesburg. We’re a family-owned business based in Manassas and we bring the same thoroughness to brick painting that we bring to every exterior project.
Get a Free Estimate for Brick Painting
If you’re thinking about painting your brick home’s exterior, we’d like to have that conversation with you — including the honest discussion about what’s involved, what to expect, and what the result can look like. Call Edwards Enterprises Custom Painting & Repair at 703-330-9980 to schedule a free on-site estimate.