The Best Exterior Brick and Paint Color Combinations for Curb Appeal

Brick offers a great advantage for home facades: Unlike other siding types, such as vinyl or wood, brick siding typically needs no repainting or restaining. However, most brick homes still have some spots that require paint, such as window trim, front doors, and soffits. For those areas, choosing a paint color that works well with your brick is important for the most attractive exterior brick and paint color combinations. The ideal shade will depend on your house's style and the brick's color. Use these tips on combining shades and matching materials to help you find the best exterior paint colors with brick.

How to Choose Exterior Brick and Paint Color Combinations

To decide on the best exterior brick and paint color combinations, consider the color schemes you find most appealing. What do you like about them? Many color palettes are based on the color wheel, demonstrating how colors work together and can help you decide on the right scheme. In analogous color combinations, you pick one primary color and accent it with the colors to either side of it on the color wheel (for example, yellow with green and orange). Complementary color schemes work well because they include hues across from each other on the color wheel, such as blue and orange.

Another important consideration is deciding how to combine the shades in the proper proportions. For exteriors with three colors, try the 60/30/10 rule: Designate 60% of the facade for the dominant color, use a secondary hue for 30%, and paint the remaining 10% in an accent color. In many cases with brick homes, the color of the brick itself serves as the dominant color.

Matching Exterior Paint Colors with Brick

Bricks come in various styles and hues, including streamlined neutrals and more exuberant reds. Even within a single type, bricks can vary in color from one to the next. Before you choose exterior brick and paint color combinations, you'll need to determine the colors inherent to your facade. Some red brick, for example, might have more brown undertones, while others might lean more purple. To determine the base color of your brick, hold up paint swatches in a range of colors to see how they compare. Then use the tone of your brick to help you choose the best paint colors to include in your scheme.

Other home features will also play a role in your color scheme. The roof, for example, is a dominant element that, depending on its color, might be a significant factor in choosing the rest of the palette. For example, a red brick home with a black roof establishes the two primary colors.

Some brick homes have a facade that includes another material, such as stucco, meaning the brick might have less color dominance. The landscaping will also help determine how your exterior brick and paint color combination looks. A front yard with lots of flowers and colors might look best with a more neutral exterior palette, while a primarily green yard might benefit from a home that includes strategic pops of brighter hues.

Best Exterior Brick and Paint Color Combinations

The paint color choice for your front door, trim, windows, and other exterior elements ultimately comes down to your design preferences and the colors you think look best. If you're stuck, consider these exterior brick and paint color combinations with red, orange, neutral, or white brick.

* Sage green + taupe: Because red and green are complementary colors, this exterior brick and paint color combination works well with red brick homes. In a muted shade like sage, the green brings out the color of the brick without overwhelming it.

* Plum + cream or taupe: Neutral brick houses benefit from a dose of rich color, such as plum. When used on the front door or shutters, this deep shade adds dimension and keeps beige or tan brick from looking too bland.

* Cool gray + hunter green: Try this color scheme with warm-toned brick, such as red or orange. Cool shades of gray and green can help balance the brick siding for a subtly colorful palette.

* Forest green + black: For white brick exteriors, consider using darker colors for the painted exterior elements for a high-contrast color scheme. This emphasizes architectural details and creates a crisp, polished look.