A dated brick house is one of the most dramatic before-and-after stories in exterior design. The same orange-red 1970s ranch that looks tired and dark in the morning sun can read as a crisp modern farmhouse, a soft European cottage, or a moody architectural statement, depending entirely on how you treat the brick. This is a gallery, not a tutorial: a tour of the five brick house exterior makeover directions that actually move the needle, what each one looks like before and after, and roughly what it costs. If you want the full how-to, we link the step-by-step guide below; here the goal is to help you see the finish line before you spend a dollar.
The honest part most makeover roundups skip: brick is close to permanent once you commit. Paint and German smear do not come off without an aggressive (and expensive) blast or chemical strip. So the smart sequence is to picture the result first, narrow it to one or two finishes, and only then call a contractor or buy a single can. That is exactly what this gallery is built to do.
Upload a photo of your house and preview a painted, whitewashed, or limewashed finish in about 30 seconds. Free: 1 HD preview plus 3 variations.
The five brick makeover directions at a glance
Almost every brick exterior transformation falls into one of five buckets. Each changes the look by a different amount, costs a different amount, and is reversible to a different degree. Read the table as a menu, then jump to the before-and-after that matches the mood you are after.
| Makeover | Before to after change | Typical cost (avg US home) | Reversible? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Clean and refresh trim only | Subtle: brick stays, new trim and door color modernize it | $300 to $1,500 | Yes |
| Limewash | Soft, weathered, Old-World; brick texture and color still read through | $2,000 to $5,000 | Partly (fresh coat washes back) |
| Whitewash | Translucent white veil; brighter, cottage feel, texture visible | $2,500 to $6,000 | No |
| German smear (mortar wash) | Heavy, European; mortar partly buries the brick face | $3,000 to $7,000 | No |
| Full solid paint | Total: brick reads as a smooth painted wall, color of your choice | $3,500 to $10,000+ | No |
Cost ranges are 2026 US contractor estimates for a single-story to two-story home and vary widely by region, surface prep, and square footage. Sources: HomeAdvisor and Angi exterior masonry painting cost data 2025 to 2026; Romabio limewash project estimates 2026.
Makeover 1: the dated 70s red brick ranch
Before: the classic problem house. Orange-red brick, dark brown or builder-beige trim, an aluminum storm door, and yellowed or missing landscaping. The brick is not damaged, it is just dated, and the dark trim makes the whole facade feel heavy and low. This is the most common brick makeover search for a reason: millions of 1960s and 70s ranches share this exact face.
After (the cheapest win): before painting any brick, the single highest-impact, lowest-cost move is trim and accents. Swap the dark brown fascia, soffit, and gutters for a crisp white or warm off-white, paint the front door a confident color (deep navy, black, or a muted green all read modern against red brick), and update the porch light and house numbers. The brick stays, the budget stays under $1,500, and the house jumps a decade forward. Our brick house trim color guide matches trim shades to your exact brick tone, which is the make-or-break decision here.
After (the bigger transformation): if the brick color itself is the problem (too orange, too pink, too busy with multi-tone variation), that is when limewash, whitewash, or paint enter the picture. A 70s ranch is also a chance to rethink the whole scheme. The ranch house repaint before-and-after walks through a mid-century update from start to finish and pairs well with this section.
Makeover 2: whitewashed brick (the bright cottage)
Before: dark, orange-heavy brick that swallows light and makes a small house look smaller. After: a thinned, translucent white coat lets the brick texture and a hint of the original color read through, so the house brightens dramatically without looking flat or fake. This is the "whitewashed brick house before and after" everyone pins: the surface goes from heavy red to a soft, weathered, sun-washed white that feels three times bigger.
What makes whitewash work outside is restraint with the dilution. A roughly 1:1 paint-to-water mix gives the balanced look; heavier coverage on very orange brick keeps it from going pink. The texture staying visible is the whole point: it reads as intentional and aged, not as a brick wall someone painted over. Keep the trim a step crisper than the wash so the windows and eaves still frame cleanly.
- Best for: cottage, modern farmhouse, and coastal styles where you want light and softness.
- Watch out for: north-facing walls and cool light, where a thin coat can drift pinkish gray. Go heavier there.
- Reversibility: none. The thinned coat soaks into porous brick, so test first, always.
See a light or heavy whitewash on your actual house under your actual light before you commit to anything permanent.
Makeover 3: limewashed brick (the soft European look)
Before: uniform, flat, slightly orange brick with no depth. After: a mineral lime coating settles into a chalky, matte, color-varied surface that looks like it has been weathering gently for decades. Limewash is the choice when you want the soft European farmhouse feel rather than the brighter, more uniform whitewash. It bonds into the brick instead of sitting on top, stays breathable, and (a real advantage) a fresh coat can be partly wiped or rinsed back the same day if it is too heavy.
The before-and-after read here is quieter than solid paint but more refined. Limewash holds subtle tone variation across the wall, so the facade has movement and depth that flat paint cannot fake. White and warm greige limewashes are the most popular for exteriors; both modernize orange brick while keeping the house from looking brand new. Because it is mineral, limewash also softens and ages further over the first year, which most owners come to love.
Makeover 4: German smear (the Old-World cottage)
Before: plain, modern-looking red or brown brick with crisp mortar joints. After: white mortar is troweled over the brick and partly into the joints, leaving random patches of brick exposed for a rough, hand-finished, centuries-old cottage texture. German smear (also called mortar wash) is the heaviest of the white treatments and the most polarizing: people either love the storybook Tudor effect or find it too busy. It buries more of the brick than whitewash or limewash, so it is the right call when you actively want to hide a brick color you dislike but keep an artisan texture.
It is permanent and labor-intensive, which is why it sits at the higher end of the cost table. But for a cottage, Tudor, or French country home, no other finish delivers the same Old-World character. The full technique, including German smear and sealing, lives in the complete guide linked at the end.
Makeover 5: full solid paint (the total transformation)
Before: any brick you simply do not want to see anymore. After: a smooth, fully opaque color of your choosing, from crisp white to deep charcoal to soft sage. Solid paint is the most complete makeover and the most modern. It is what turns a dated brick box into a clean, contemporary facade, and it gives you total freedom on color in a way the translucent finishes never can.
The tradeoffs are real and worth stating plainly. You lose the brick texture entirely (the wall reads as painted masonry), you take on lifetime maintenance (painted brick needs repainting every 7 to 12 years and cannot easily go back), and prep matters enormously because trapped moisture behind paint can cause spalling on older brick. Done with proper breathable masonry paint and good prep, though, a solid-painted brick house is the boldest before-and-after on this list. Popular 2026 directions:
- Crisp white with black trim: the modern farmhouse standard, highest resale appeal.
- Soft warm white or greige: reads expensive and timeless, hides dirt better than stark white.
- Charcoal or deep green: moody, architectural, dramatic against white trim and natural wood.
For the full menu of exterior color schemes (not just on brick), our outside house color ideas roundup shows fifteen tested combinations you can lift directly.
How to choose between them
The fastest way to decide is to match the finish to how much change you want and how much risk you can live with:
- You like the brick, it just looks dated: stop at trim and door color. Cheapest, fully reversible, biggest bang for the buck.
- You want it brighter but still want texture: whitewash (more uniform, brighter) or limewash (softer, more variation, partly reversible while wet).
- You want Old-World character and to hide the brick color: German smear.
- You want a totally different, modern house: solid paint, accepting the maintenance and permanence.
Whatever you lean toward, do not buy a single can on a hunch. The most expensive brick makeover is the one you redo. Upload a clear, straight-on photo of your house into our exterior paint visualizer and preview a whitewash, a limewash, and a solid color side by side on your actual brick. It rules out the directions you would have regretted in seconds. Then, once you have a winner, the painted brick exterior complete guide covers the prep, products, and step-by-step execution so the finished result matches the preview.
1 HD preview plus 3 variations, free. See painted, whitewashed, and limewashed brick before you choose.
Frequently asked questions
What is the cheapest way to make a dated brick house look better?
Refresh the trim, fascia, gutters, and front door rather than touching the brick. Swapping dark brown or beige trim for crisp white and painting the door a confident color (navy, black, or muted green) modernizes a 70s red brick ranch for under $1,500 and stays fully reversible. Only treat the brick itself if the brick color is the actual problem.
What is the difference between whitewash, limewash, and German smear on brick?
Whitewash is thinned paint that leaves a translucent, fairly uniform white veil with the texture showing through. Limewash is a mineral lime coating that bonds into the brick, dries chalky and matte with subtle color variation, and can be wiped back lighter while still wet. German smear is white mortar troweled over the brick and joints for a heavier, Old-World texture that partly buries the brick face. Whitewash and German smear are permanent; fresh limewash is partly reversible.
How much does it cost to paint or whitewash a brick house exterior?
For an average US home in 2026, limewash typically runs $2,000 to $5,000, whitewash $2,500 to $6,000, German smear $3,000 to $7,000, and full solid paint $3,500 to $10,000 or more. Cost depends heavily on square footage, the number of stories, surface prep, and your region. A trim-only refresh is far cheaper, usually $300 to $1,500.
Can you undo a painted brick exterior?
Not easily. Solid paint, whitewash, and German smear all soak into or bond with porous brick, so reversing them means aggressive media blasting or chemical stripping, which is expensive and can damage older brick. Limewash is the most forgiving because a fresh coat can be rinsed back lighter the same day. This permanence is why you should preview the result and test a physical patch before committing.
What is the most popular brick exterior makeover in 2026?
Solid white paint with black trim (the modern farmhouse look) remains the most requested full makeover, while limewash in soft white or warm greige is the fastest-growing choice for owners who want a softer, more European result that keeps brick texture. The trim-only refresh stays the most popular low-budget update.
Preview painted, whitewashed, and limewashed brick on your house before you spend a dollar.
Disclaimer: FacadeColorizer is an independent paint visualization service and is not affiliated with or endorsed by any paint or masonry-coating manufacturer. AI previews approximate how a finish may look; actual results vary with brick color, porosity, dilution, and light, so always test a physical patch and consult a qualified contractor before any permanent brick treatment. Cost ranges are 2026 US estimates and vary by region, prep, and square footage. Sources: HomeAdvisor and Angi exterior masonry painting cost data 2025 to 2026, Romabio limewash project estimates 2026, The Spruce and Bob Vila brick finishing references 2025.
