About 10 years ago I was in a sales training class in Florida with new home sales professional from across the country. We were talking about overcoming objections that prospective buyers would throw at us. I brought up the question of painted brick.
Most of the stares and questioning glances I got were from those who worked in the Midwest and western part of the United States. “You build with brick (expensive and labor intensive) and then you paint over it? Boy, what in the hell is a matter with you?!”
Quick Lesson in Bricks
Using bricks to build homes goes back to the dawn of time. Besides wood, bricks are the No. 1 material used to in the home building process. Bricks can also be made to uniform specifications. Over the centuries the sizes have varied but eventually, in today’s construction-world, the most used bricks sizes are modular, queen, and king sized.
While other exterior materials may be more common in other regions of the country, brick still remains the standard as an affordable method of façade, in Texas.
So what about painting these exteriors? What’s that all about?
No one quite knows when painting the exterior brick became en vogue, but it was probably around the 1920s and 1930s. Bricks typically came in two colors: reddish and brownish. Variation was scarce, and people would paint the exterior of their home for differentiation.
Today, painted brick homes are much more accepted and commonplace. Thanks to shows like Fixer Upper and This Old House home owners are realizing the benefits of painting exterior brick. But the jury is still out on painted brick.
Nay For Painted Brick
- More maintenance
- Costs too much
- Labor intensive
The biggest issue for the Unpainted Brick Fan Club is maintenance. Some believe that homes will need to be re-painted on a regular basis or that value of the home will be lost if the brick is painted.
In fact, it has been seen that painting the exterior of a home actually enhances the value of the home — or at least doesn’t detract. Also, regular re-painting is a myth as long as the color is not intended to be bright or dark — those will be bleached from sun eventually.
Also, when painting brick in new construction, a larger king-size brick is typically used (or even bigger size) which off-sets the cost of paint and labor since a larger brick means less mortar, brick and labor.
Yay For Painted Brick
- Easy diversity in exteriors even with same home
- Has character-building attributes for newer homes
- Today’s brick is not as attractive as in the past
Can you imagine a world where there were only brown homes or red homes? (We’ll pretend those yellow-brown bricks we see from time-to-time don’t exist). As from the first photo in this award-winning blog, similar homes can be side-by-side and almost identical yet for the painted or unpainted exterior.
If people tell you it’s more maintenance and costs too much to paint the brick of a home…you tell them to come and talk to the Real Estate Sherpa and he’ll straighten them out!
You Make The Call
In the end, the owner must decide what’s right for them and their home. Some will never believe that a painted brick home is better than unpainted brick home and visa-versa. It all comes down to taste, preference, and choice.
Whatever you choose, keep reading, following, and commenting on Tarrant County Tuesday!!!
Well, that’s all from Tarrant County this week Dirty Readers. Thanks for reading and following and sharing! As always, if you have questions, comments or great ideas for a blog … hit me up!
Seth Fowler is a licensed Real Estate Sales Professional for Williams Trew Real Estate in Fort Worth, TX. Statements and opinions are his and his alone. Seth has been involved with the home sales and real estate industry in the Fort Worth area since 2004. He and his family have lived in the area for over 15 years. Seth also loves bowties! You can reach Seth at: 817.980.6636 or [email protected]
