See your brick limewashed, whitewashed, German-smeared or painted, in any color, with the brick showing through the way each one leaves it. Try it on a sample brick house or a photo of yours, which never leaves your device.
Tap the brick to paint it
1Your house
2How it goes on
Limewash: a lime paint washed back while wet. Romabio, which makes one: because some of the brick remains exposed, the warmth and quality of it endures
, in a very flat finish
.
Whitewash: latex paint thinned about half and half with water and wiped back, so the brick's own color glows through everywhere.
German smear: wet mortar spread over the brick and the joints, then wiped back, so the joints fill in and bare brick peeks out. Romabio calls it the German smear technique using mortar
.
Paint: solid color, no brick showing. On brick, use a masonry paint made to breathe.
4Tap the brick
On the sample house the brick is painted for you. On your photo, tap an open patch of brick, away from windows; missed a patch? Tap it too. Paint on the trim? Move Spread left, or wipe it with the eraser.
Quick answer: limewash is a lime paint washed back while wet, so some brick stays exposed in a flat, chalky finish. Whitewash is latex paint thinned with water, so the brick’s color glows through everywhere. A German smear is wet mortar spread over the brick and joints and wiped back, so it is raised and only patches of brick show. Paint covers the brick solid. Tap a treatment and a color above to see each on a brick house or a photo of yours.
How to use the painted brick visualizer
- Pick your house: the sample brick house, or a photo of yours. Your photo stays on your device.
- Pick how it goes on: limewash, whitewash, German smear or paint.
- Pick a color. White and cream are the classics, but any color works.
- Tap the brick on your photo; the sample is painted for you. Then switch treatments to compare them on the same wall.
- Compare before and after, save the picture, or copy a link that keeps your choice.
Limewash, whitewash, German smear and paint compared
| Treatment | What it is | How the brick shows | Finish | Can you undo it? |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Limewash | A slaked-lime paint, diluted and brushed on, washed back while wet | Where you wash it back | Very flat, chalky | Romabio’s: pressure-washed off up to 5 days after |
| Whitewash | Latex paint thinned about half and half with water | Everywhere, through the color | The paint’s sheen, thinned | Hard: it is paint |
| German smear | Wet mortar spread over the brick and joints, wiped back | In patches; the joints fill in | Raised, textured | No: it is mortar |
| Paint | A masonry paint, full strength | Not at all | Solid | Hard |
Romabio, which makes Classico Limewash, says on its product sheet that its limewash will appear semi-transparent at first, but will dry completely to an opaque finish
. The brick that shows is the brick you wash back. Romabio also says its limewash works only on absorbent brick: if water beads on your brick instead of soaking in, limewash will not take.
How much brick shows in the pictures above is our drawing of those descriptions, not a maker’s number. Real results depend on the brick, the dilution and how much you wipe off, so try a patch somewhere it won’t show first.
Three examples
- A red brick house you might want back one day: limewash in a soft white. Most of the wall turns white, with the red warming it through the patches you wash back. Romabio’s limewash can be pressure-washed off within 5 days.
- A dated brick fireplace: whitewash. The fireplace turns pale, but every brick still reads as brick.
- A brick house that should look old-world: German smear in an off-white mortar. The joints disappear and bare brick shows only here and there, raised and rough.
Common painted brick mistakes
- Limewash on sealed or painted brick. It needs brick that soaks up water. Test with a splash of water first.
- Judging the color wet. Romabio says its limewash looks semi-transparent at first and dries opaque, so wait for it to dry before you judge.
- Doing the whole house first. Every brick takes it differently. Do a test patch, and compare it with the picture above.
- Treating a German smear as a trial. It is mortar and it is permanent. Be sure of the look first.
Painting the siding, trim or door too? The exterior house color visualizer tries the siding, the exterior trim color picker the trim, and the front door color visualizer the door on a brick house.
Changing the inside too? The free 2D room planner lays out a room to scale, with your furniture, and saves it to share.
Open the free plannerRead next
- Painted brick ideas for your home exterior
- Exterior color schemes for red brick houses
- Exterior ideas for brown brick homes
- Orange brick exterior color schemes
- Limewash wall ideas
Painted brick questions
What is the difference between limewash and whitewash on brick?
Limewash is a lime-based paint that soaks into brick and dries flat and chalky; you wash some back while it is wet to let brick show. Whitewash is ordinary latex paint thinned with water, so it is translucent everywhere. Switch between the two above to see the difference on the same wall.
What does limewash brick look like?
Mostly covered in the color, with the brick showing through in soft patches where it was washed back, in a very flat, matte finish. Romabio says it looks semi-transparent while wet and dries opaque.
What is German smear brick?
Wet mortar, usually white or off-white, spread over the brick and the joints and then partly wiped off. The joints fill in, patches of brick peek out, and the wall is left raised and textured, like old European stonework.
Can you whitewash a brick fireplace?
Yes. Thinned latex paint is the usual way, wiped back while wet. Use the visualizer on a photo of your fireplace: tap the brick and choose Whitewash.
Is painted brick a good idea for a house?
It is a lasting change: paint covers the brick for good and needs repainting. Limewash keeps more of the brick and Romabio’s can be removed within 5 days, so it is the gentlest one to try first.
What color should I paint my brick house?
White and cream are the classic limewash colors, and grays and greiges work well too. Try a few above on your own photo, then use the exterior trim color picker for the trim.