One of the hardest things to pick is the exterior paint colors for brick houses. Today I am sharing my secret favorites that are always a win!
As a Real Estate Agent I help my clients with all sorts of things. I not only buy and sell houses but it’s my job to help my sellers stage their homes to show it in the best light and to help my buyers see how an empty home can be furnished.
One thing a lot of people don’t think about is choosing finishes for new build homes. Yes, you should have a Real Estate professional help you even with a new build. And having professional help with color and finish choices is always a good idea too.
I recently helped a buyer pick all the finishes on her home. In fact, her husband didn’t even show up to the appointment until more than halfway through. The one area where we spent the most time was in choosing the colors to go with the brick on the outside of the home.
You see things on such a small scale in the showroom and knowing the large scale they will be on can be quite intimidating. Let’s talk about some tips to make the right choice every time.
*This post contains affiliate links. For more details see my full disclosure.
Paint Colors for Brick Houses
The first thing I want you to understand is that not all brick is the same color. There can be many shades and colors of brick. What paint colors work for one brick color won’t work for another.
For this post, I am going to show you a standard red brick color (which is one of the most popular and most used bricks) and how it pairs with different paint colors. If you are pairing with another brick then I suggest you sample paint colors with that brick color.
How to know if a paint color is right for you?
The best way to judge if a color is good for you then you will want to put a swatch on the wall and look at it over a few days. Look at it in different lights and decide if you really like it.
You can do this by getting a sample from the paint store and using a brush put it up on the walls, but then you are left with a can that you can’t do anything with. Those samples are used with poor quality paint and aren’t meant for use on your walls permanently.
I recommend going with Samplize. They are a company that will send you a 12X12 peel and stick swatch of a paint color that you can stick to the wall. When you are done just peel it off and throw it away.
It’s easy and much less messy!
Best Dark Paint Colors to go with Brick
Maybe it’s just a fad but I truly love dark paint colors on the exterior of homes, especially when paired with dark brick colors. While I love the inside to be light and bright when the exterior has dark colors I feel like it really stands out and draws the eye.
Here are my favorite dark paint colors to go with brick.
Sherwin Williams Dark Night
Dark Night is a dark blue paint color that has green undertones. Because of these green undertones and the dark color that it is I classified it under dark paint colors rather than blue. Another reason that I classified it here is the LRV, which is 4.
An LRV of 4 makes it a really dark paint color that doesn’t bounce around much if any light. Using this color on the exterior of the home when it’s bathed in natural light is a great idea.
Urbane Bronze by Sherwin Williams
Urbane Bronze is one of my favorite dark paint colors. This is the color I used on my front door because it went so well with the window trim on my home.
Urbane Bronze is a dark gray paint color with brown undertones. But in this case the browns are more of a bonzey color, hence the name Urbane Bronze. Because of these undertones it’s considered a greige (the combination of gray and beige) and a warm-toned paint color.
This color has an LRV of 8 which makes it a very dark paint color too. As you can see from the photo below, pairing it with the brick is a gorgeous combination.
Sherwin Williams Iron Ore
Iron Ore is also a dark gray paint color but with navy blue undertones. It’s very dark, almost a black. The LRV of Iron Ore is 6, so yes, it’s a very dark color.
Unlike Urbane Bronze, Iron Ore falls on the cool side of the spectrum. That’s because of the blue undertones.
Benjamin Moore Black
Black is just how it sounds, it’s black. It’s comparable to Sherwin Williams Tricorn Black and is the blackest of all our dark colors with an LRV of 2.48! Now that’s a very dark paint color.
Black is one of the most neutral blacks you can get. It doesn’t really lean too warm or cool. The color does have the barest hint of blue in it but for the most part it’s very neutral.
Best White Paint Colors To Go With Brick
If you have a dark brick paint color then you might want to pair it with a lighter and brighter paint color for siding or trim. Just like a dark color can make the brick colors come alive so can the right white paint color.
Here are my favorite whites and off-whites to go with brick houses.
Sherwin Williams Alabaster
Alabaster is one of the most popular whites on the market. It’s a creamy warm white paint color that falls on the warm side of the spectrum. Being a warm white it goes really well with brick colors.
Having an LRV of 82 means it’s a very bright white color but isn’t a stark white. It has a slight bit of color which makes it very special.
Benjamin Moore White Dove
White Dove is another very popular paint color but this one is by Benjamin Moore. It’s a warm white paint color with just enough creaminess in it to keep it from being a stark white color.
It has an LRV of 85, which makes it even brighter than Alabaster.
Sherwin Williams Creamy
Creamy is just how it sounds, it’s a creamy off-white paint color. It’s probably too dark to be considered a “white” but I went ahead and listed it here for our purposes.
I say it’s dark but it still has an LRV of 81, so it’s not really all that dark.
All the whites mentioned so far are warm-toned with yellow undertones. That’s why they pair so well with brick colors, which are also warmer. Creamy however has a neutral base that tones down the yellow.
Benjamin Moore Swiss Coffee
Swiss Coffee is an off white color that has yellow undertones with a touch of green. That’s what makes this color so special and it pairs with brick colors so wonderfully!
This color can almost be considered a beige. It pairs really well with other warm tones and would look amazing with gold light fixtures and hardware.
Best Gray Paint Colors to Go with Brick
Gray paint colors have been king for a while now so it just makes sense that we start to use grays on the exterior of homes. I have seen tons of existing homes, older than 20 years, that have painted the siding gray to go with brick fronts.
It’s actually a gorgeous color combination, grays and brick. You just need the right color gray. For the most part the grays need to be warm-toned like the warm whites we have discussed. The greige colors are perfect for pairing with brick.
Benjamin Moore Pale Oak
Pale Oak has green undertones but occasionally you will see hints of pink or purple in it. Not often but this helps keep the color from looking too green.
It has an LRV of 70 so it’s definitely darker than the whites we discussed but still is considered a very light paint color.
Sherwin Williams Repose Gray
Repose Gray is one of my favorite warm grays. It’s a mid-light toned paint color with an LRV of 58. It has brown undertones with a hint of green which not only makes it a warm-toned gray but it’s also considered a greige paint color.
Benjamin Moore Classic Gray
Classic Gray is the paint color I used in my basement family room. It’s a chameleon color that sometimes looks gray, sometimes looks beige.
This is a very light gray paint color with an LRV of 75! That was the biggest reason I chose this color because being in a lower level I needed to brighten up the space. The paint color did that in spades!
Revere Pewter by Benjamin Moore
Revere Pewter is an oldie but a goodie! This color looks amazing with many different brick colors. About 10 years ago Revere Pewter was the go to color when trying to sell you home. It’s still a great color but we have moved to lighter grays when painting homes to sell.
Revere Pewter is a mid-toned paint color with an LRV of 55. It’s also considered a greige color with undertones of beige and yellow.
Benjamin Moore Stone Hearth
Stone Hearth is actually more of a taupe paint color. It’s warmer than gray but cooler than a beige. When you put Stone Hearth up against other colors you will notice that it has slight pink undertones. But don’t worry, your home won’t look pink!
As you can see from this photo below Stone Hearth looks amazing when paired with brick and would be a great choice.
Best Green Paint Colors to Go with Brick
Green paint colors have taken the world of design by storm in recent years. Sage green and greens with a touch of gray in them are by far the most popular.
Greens also look amazing when paired with brick colors! If you choose to go with green on the exterior of your home then you will be at the forefront of exterior home design.
Sherwin Williams Basil
Basil is a mid-toned green paint color with a touch of gray. Its LRV is 15 which makes it a pretty dark color. On the exterior of a home, this color will not feel as dark because of all the natural light coming from the sun. But as you can see it pairs really well with brick.
Sherwin Williams Pewter Green
Pewter Green is a cool green paint color that is often likened to a darker sage color. It pairs really well with grays and warm tones.
This color was the color of the month for Sherwin Williams in December of 2020. It leans very organically with a pine tree vibe (perfect for the holidays).
Benjamin Moore Backwoods
Backwoods, according to Benjamin Moore, is a “blackened shade of forest green that bares a hint of welcoming warmth.” It’s my favorite green from the green family.
It’s a warm green paint color that pairs really well with warm brick colors. It’s part of Benjamin Moores Classic Collection and is one of their most popular green paint colors.
Benjamin Moore Essex Green
Essex Green has an LRV of 3.53, which makes it a very dark paint color. It’s a rich forest green paint color and would be a great color for the exterior of a home.
Sherwin Williams Svelte Sage
Sage greens have made a serious comeback in the last year or two. I am getting ready to add this color to my college daughter’s bedroom, she is all about being trendy.
Svelte Sage is a very neutral paint color that pairs really well with both cool tones and warm. This makes it the perfect color for the exterior of a home.
Best Blue Paint Colors to Go with Brick
Dark blue paint colors have become very popular and these two we will discuss today are probably the most popular in the navy category.
Pairing a navy blue with brick is just a no-brainer. This traditional color combination has been used for decades but what makes these color combos special is the specific blues used. These navy paint colors are the updated version of your parent’s blue and are very on-trend while still being traditional.
Sherwin Williams Hale Navy
Hale Navy is the most popular of navy paint colors. It is a true navy with both warm and cool undertones which makes it perfect for any space.
What I love about this color is it’s a classic but at the same time it can be used in modern spaces and be paired with modern materials. It has an LRV of 8, so yes it’s very dark.
Sherwin Williams Naval
Naval is also a gorgeous blue paint color and as you can see it is slightly darker than Hale Navy. This was the color of the year in 2020 and for good reason! It’s a great color for cabinetry, furniture, accent walls and exteriors.
Its LRV is only 4 but when used on the exterior in all the natural light it’s just perfect! And you can see that it goes really well with brick colors.
Conclusion on Paint Colors for Brick Houses
I hope you got some really good info here. As you can see there are tons of colors that go with brick. Once you pick the color family that you want to go with it’s easy to narrow it down to a specific color.
Make sure you get a sample and look at it in different lights so you can make a perfect choice.
As a licensed Real Estate Agent and an avid home decorator, I strive to give my clients the very best I can when it comes to staging, selling, and decorating their homes. I have lots of experience with paint color choices and love to DIY my home so I can have everything just the way I want it. I share my ideas and projects with the world in the hopes that I can help others have their homes just the way they want as well.