If you checked out my previous post on landscape grass removal, you might have noticed that, at the beginning of the project, the exterior of my house was still the original 1960s “smoker yellow” brick color. Later on in the project, you can see that my house is white.
I spent a lot of time researching because I hated the original color of my house, but I knew I didn’t want to paint it. It’s not that I think there’s anything wrong with painting brick—it’s just that I didn’t want to deal with the upkeep. Repainting becomes necessary after a while, and if you don’t keep up with it, the brick can look bad. I wanted to avoid creating more work for myself in the future.
What is limewash? It’s a natural nontoxic paint made from limestone it provides a long-lasting finish which is breathable and UV-resistant. This is perfect for bricks. Also lime wash is environmentally friendly. All this information I learned made me want to try it and I am so glad I did.
Once I brought it home, I followed the instructions and tested it on a few spots around my house. I wanted to see how it looked on different sides of the house—north, south, east, and west—and at different times of day to get a sense of how it would appear overall. I loved it! One great thing about limewash is that you can wash it off with a pressure washer within two days if you don’t like it, so there’s no major commitment.
The application process was simple. The limewash is mixed with water and applied using a special brush (though you can also use a paint sprayer). After applying it to the entire exterior of my house, I was thrilled with the results—no more dingy yellow, and I won’t have the maintenance issues that come with paint. I loved it so much that I decided to limewash my fireplace as well, and I’m so glad I did!
Fireplace
For the fireplace, since it’s indoors, and you need to fully wet the brick before applying the limewash. I used a spray bottle to dampen a small area at a time, applied the limewash, and moved on to the next section. I repeated this process until the entire fireplace was done. The limewash made a huge improvement indoors as well!
If you’re considering limewash, I definitely recommend giving it a try. It’s low commitment since you can wash it off if you don’t like it, so there’s really no downside.
Let me know if you decide to try it and what your thoughts are.
