How to Make Over a 1950s Brick Exterior

Prepare to Paint

• 1

  Photograph your house before you begin to paint. Once the project is complete, the "before" and "after" pictures will document your creative aesthetic.

• 2

  Make a rough sketch of your house. Photocopy or scan it and play with color combinations. Generally, a contemporary home has a monochromatic theme. For example, by using a dark taupe on the trim and as an undercoat on the bricks and a warm cream as the main house color, the house is instantly pulled into the 21st century.

• 3

  Prune or remove vegetation that is growing close to the house. Dig up plants you wish to save and remove to a shady location, keeping as much dirt as possible around the roots. Keep moist until you are ready to transplant them in their new locations.

• 4

  Clean the exterior of the house. Brush off as much dust, dirt and cobwebs as possible with a stiff-bristle broom.

• 5

  Rinse the exterior with a garden hose and an attached sprayer. Dip the scrub brush into a mixture of TSP and water, per package directions, and clean the exterior. Rinse with clean water, using the hose. Allow to dry for several days before proceeding to paint.

• 6

  Fill any cracks and deep crevices with a paintable caulk. This will help protect the walls from water intrusion in the future.

Paint

• 7

  Prime the entire exterior with an primer formulated for masonry. Ask the clerk at the paint store to tint the primer one shade lighter than the lightest color. If the house is all brick or a combination of brick and stucco, allow 20 percent more primer than the usual coverage of 400 square feet per gallon. If part of the exterior is wood or siding, consult with the paint store for an appropriate primer for those materials.

• 8

  Paint any non-brick portions of the exterior with the cream-colored paint. Use a brush to cut in around the edges and a roller to paint the rest of the walls.

• 9

  Mask where the wall meets the brick with painter's tape. Also mask around the trim boards. It is easier to protect the fresh paint with tape than to touch up over the darker color later.

• 10

  Roll a coat of dark taupe paint over the bricks and mortar, using the rough roller cover. Cut in around the edges and touch up the mortar with a paint brush. Brush out any drip marks. Allow to dry completely. If necessary, add a second coat of paint.

• 11

  Cut a sponge to the size of a brick. Pour the beige paint into a paint tray. Gently touch the sponge to the paint, then dab onto a scrap of wood to remove excess paint. Press the sponge onto the brick, adding a light coat of beige. Do not try to cover the entire surface, allow the taupe undercoat to show in the cracks and crevices of the bricks.

• 12

  Pour the cream-colored paint into a paint tray. Cut a second sponge to the size of a brick. Barely touch the sponge to the paint and then gently touch the sponge to the bricks. The end result will be highlights of cream on the bricks.

• 13

  Paint the trim with the dark taupe color. Paint a test area and if it is not dark enough, go back to the paint store and ask the clerk to add more tint. However, if the base is a light base, the clerk may be limited when darkening the taupe.

• 14

  Transplant the saved plants to their new locations. Avoid replanting evergreens around the foundation, they tend to outgrow the space rapidly and date the house. Instead, consider lighter, leafy trees and shrubs such as Japanese maples or clumping bamboos as well as native plants and flowers.