A WHOLE NEW EXTERIOR MAKEOVER WITH CLASSICO AVORIO LIMEWASH AND FRESHLY UPDATED PAINT COLORS
Every house that I drive by now I think, That house would look AMAZING with limewash brick!! What a super easy way to update the exterior of your home!
After 5+ years of orange, brown and cream, I was ready for a change. Who wouldn’t be with those colors!? Crazy that I LOVED the look of the exterior of our home back when I chose those colors. But I did! And now I don’t. How our tastes change!
So, at the beginning of spring 2019, I started dreaming of an exterior home makeover. A somewhat EXTREME exterior home makeover. One that involved painting our brick. Well, not actually painting it, but doing a limewash treatment on it.
I’ve been eyeing limewashed brick exteriors for a while now on Pinterest. I finally gained confidence in trying my hand at it when I learned that it can be washed off within five days of applying it. I decided upon Romabio Classico Limewash Avorio White. There are many colors to choose from, but knowing I wanted a more true white, I went with the Avorio White. Ordering it online through Amazon allowed me to order it in a smaller size rather than the 4-gallon containers they sell at the Home Depot. I probably could have gotten away with one 0.67 gallon container, but ordered two just in case. The total square footage of brick that I was limewashing was 523 sq. feet. A 0.67 gallon of Romabio Limewash covers 450 square feet. The coverage that you get from it is really dependent upon how thick or thin you mix your paint. (Affiliate Links)
Following the instructions on the packaging, I measured out the water and slowly started adding it to my limewash mixture, stirring as I went. I ended up using about 6 cups of water. I stopped adding water when my mixture was thicker than paint, but thinner than glue. A happy medium between the two. It’s really a trial and error, getting it to the consistency you want. Just remember, you can always add more water but can NOT remove water. So err on the side of less water.
I found that it was easiest to pour my mixture in a large 5-gallon bucket to work from. This also allowed me plenty of room to dip my huge Masonry Brush into….which I highly recommend! This brush is the beast–covering a lot of surface and really working it’s way into crevices. It makes the job easier and faster. (Sorry for the dirty brush picture, but my friend is currently using it and this was the shot she sent me)…(Amazon Affiliate Link Included)
I chose to start my project on a smaller wall, knowing I could wash it all off if I needed to….
I have to admit, I was a nervous wreck taking that first swipe of paint. But the entire wall was covered in no time and I was all in. After waiting about 20 minutes, I used a hose on the “Jet” setting to wash some of the limewash off….
I wasn’t wild about all of that exposed brick in the picture above, so, I went over it with more limewash. That’s the beauty of this technique, you can’t really mess it up. You can always add more or take some away (or all of it, if you absolutely don’t like it). After adding more limewash…
I decided to let it sit for a lot longer (about 45 minutes) and then instead of using my hose to remove it, I used a large sponge and just worked at the areas where I wanted the distressing to be. I found this method to be SO much easier. A little more time consuming, but it gave me the results I was looking for. I worked my way to the other end of the house…
HOW TO LIMEWASH BRICK EXTERIOR
Exterior Brick Limewash Materials Needed:
Romabio Limewash (affiliate link)
Large Masonry Brush (affiliate link)
Garden Hose
5-gallon bucket
Large sponge (affiliate link)
Exterior Brick Limewash Technique Step-by-Step:
- Using a hose, wet the brick down.
- Keep the brick that you’re painting wet, and paint a large section at a time.
- Let it dry for about 45 minutes–working on other sections while it’s drying.
- And then “randomly” distress each section.
The whole process took me about 7 hours….all in a day’s work. 🙂
Our house was a bit of a hot mess for a few days….
I’m sure we were the talk of the street…wondering what the heck we were doing. Until the painters came and my vision started to take shape….
I am so loving the paint colors we chose. (Colors listed in this blogpost) They go perfect with the limewashed brick….
I’m amazed at how much our landscaping pops now…
This faux window has always stumped me. I love the look of it, but could never figure out how to make it pop, until my sister suggested adding some hardware to it! I LOVE IT!! And have even had people ask me if the faux-window has always been there. 🙂 (Here’s the link for the Carriage Handles I bought) Affiliate link
Decorating my front porch was so much fun with the new look….
Thought I would make that faux window pop a little more. You can find the flower box plans here! So easy to make and super inexpensive too!!
My favorite month to decorate the flower box is Fall….
And every home looks great with an American Flag!! Affiliate link
I couldn’t be happier with how this all came together. I feel like I’m driving up to a completely different house… (I’ve had a lot of people ask me about our new door so I’m including the link here)…
If you are on the fence about limewashing your brick, I can’t recommend it enough!! Driving around town now, I’m constantly seeing past people’s natural brick and envisioning how amazing it would look limewashed! One of my best friends loved it so much, she bought the materials and started on hers the next week….
One more look at our BEFORE….
And AFTER….
As always, please comment below with any questions you may have. You can always DM me on Instagram too, if that’s easier. I love helping people step out of their comfort zone and realize just how easy this stuff is!!
Until next time,
Happy Building, Friend!!
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Other great outdoor posts:
Craftsman Garage Doors-Get the Look Without All the Costs
How to Build Board and Batten Craftsman Shutters
New Front Door and What to Consider
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It hardly looks like the same house! It is incredible how different your home looks with paint and lime wash applied. It is BEAUTIFUL!
Thank you! Always amazes me what paint will do! And the best part is how simple it was. 🙂
What a great blog post sharing your makeover. LOVE it! I bet you are the talk of the neighborhood now. lol
Haha!! Thank you! We’re really happy with how it all turned out! Gotta love easy, inexpensive updates!!
Did you use both containers of lime wash?
I actually ended up only using one container.
Great pics your house looks amazing! I’ve been pondering doing the whitewash at my house. It’s a ranch home with brick on the front. Wish me luck.
That is awesome! You will love it! And it really is super easy to do. I would love to see pictures when you’re done. 🙂
Have fun with it!!
Which gray did you use on the majority of the siding? Kings canyon or classic French? I love the combination you have used and it has inspired us to limewash our brick as well!
That’s awesome!! Amazing what paint and limewash will do! I used King’s Canyon on most of the siding. 🙂
Best of luck on your makeover! Would love to see the transformation!!
-Nicole
We just Lime washed our house in the same color and then noticed our windows faded into it. Did you replace yours or paint them? I’m loving everything about this!!
Thank you! We had ours painted Tricorn Black. That really helped them to pop. 🙂
These are the exact colors I will be doing on my house very soon. So glad I found this post!
Awesome! I’m glad you found it to be very helpful!! Best of luck on your exterior makeover!
So exciting!!
Nicole
Toying with this idea. Your project looks amazing. I’m in my family home. Ranch style, built in 1960. It’s classic red brick (I’ve never liked it. Hated it as a child actually!). I just worry about the upkeep and if it will really look okay with our add on, which has cream colored siding. Thanks for the info!
Hi! Thank you for reaching out! It might surprise you, but the best part about limewashing your brick is there is literally no upkeep. You simply apply it, wash off however much you want the brick to be exposed and that’s it! So simple! And nothing that needs to be done in the future to keep it looking as good as it did the day you applied it.
As far as the color goes with your cream colored siding. A warm color from Romabio (such as Tropea Beige, Riposo Beige or Toscana Beige) would be a good fit. Maybe check out those colors and see what you think.
Let me know if you end up doing it. I would love to see the finished product!
Thank you!
~Nicole
Love the transformation. How did you change the window mullions from white to black? I know I can paint them from the inside, but your new black paint on them is visible from the exterior. How did you do that?
Hi Carrie…We actually had them professionally done. Our painter removed them and then taped each of them (since they’re white on the inside) and spray painted them black. Very tedious…but we love how they turned out. 🙂
Love it! Just wondering what color is your roof?
Hi Lana,
Thank you! Our roof has a mixture of browns and grays in it. Hope this helps!
~Nicole
Love the colors. Is your siding vinyl?
Sorry for the late response…we have been on vacation and I’m finally getting to emails. Thank you! Our siding on the front of the house is cedar; but on the sides/back it’s vinyl.
Looks great! What kind of siding do you have?
Hi Jen,
So sorry for the delayed response, we were on vacation and I’m finally getting to my emails. Thank you! Our siding on the front of the house is cedar. But on the sides and back it’s vinyl.
~Nicole
We are getting ready to put our house on the market and I have been wanting to,update our brick. This gives me the courage to do so. I don’t have the sq. Ftg. That you did to cover I don’t believe. Did you have to do the back of your home? We have brick all the way around the house! So I’m wondering if it might take me a day or two and how much it might take me in product.we have a one store rancher but in the back it is two stories with the basement, all brick. But the brick just dates the house to me. We just had a new roof put on and are about to have new landscaping. It seems a shame not to put new lipstick on the brick!
Hi Teri,
How exciting! Sounds like big changes ahead! I would venture to guess you have more brick than I do. Our brick is only on the front of the house…the rest is cedar and vinyl. I ended up using about 1 1/2 gallons. Hopefully that helps. Let me know if you have any other questions. Good luck and have fun with it. The transformation is amazing!!
~Nicole
I’m just curious about the faux window. Why not just have a window? After all, it’s not a window into the garage for which you might want to hide the interior.
Hi Maureen,
Great question…we bought our home already built. But my guess would be it’s more for aesthetic purposes. If there were an actual window there, it would look into our closet (not a terrible thing), but this design of the faux window just gives the exterior of our home more character.
Thanks for your question!
Have a great day!
~Nicole
Your makeover was beautiful. I’m really interested in your door. The link would not open for me. Can you tell me the company name that makes it?
Hi Lisa,
Thank you so much for your kind words. The name of the door company is Steves and Sons. Home Depot carries them…but I’m not sure about other stores. I hope it works out for you. It’s a great door!
Have a good week,
~Nicole
Your home is beautiful. I’ve been researching Romabio paint vs. lime-washing, trying to get up the courage to paint or lime-wash our brown brick (and brown mortar) brick ranch. I’m wondering if you can speak to the longevity… we have a fairly long house with four sides of brick, and so this will be a monumental undertaking. I’m wondering how the wash will look down the road. Has yours changed any in the few years since you did it? The paint seems to be longer lasting, but I like the wash look a bit better with a bit of brick variation showing through. Thank you SO MUCH for any response!
Hi Julie,
Great question! I get asked this alot. It has held up great after completing this project 3 or 4 years ago. If you’re over on Instagram, I can share in stories what my house looks like now, to show how well it’s held up against the elements of rain, snow, cold, heat, etc. Let me know if you’re interested in me sharing over on Instagram.
Thank you for reaching out and for your kind words too.
~Nicole
What an amazing transformation! I want my house limewashed and assumed it would have to be done professionally. I got one bid…..$$$$! I ‘slurried’ my stone fireplace decades ago, and it was a game-changer. I’m really tempted to try this myself or get a helper to do it with me….someone else to apply and I do the sponging to get the finish I want. Thanks for the encouragement! If Texas ever gets between 50 and 90, maybe I’ll give it a shot!!!
Hi Martha,
Thank you for your kind words. It was such a fun and easy project. I hope that Texas weather gives you guys a break soon, so you can tackle this project! You’ll love it!! I would love to see before/after pictures when you’re done!
Have a great week!
~Nicole