Mineral finishes for brick and stone in the Fox Valley
Aurora Limewash: Limewash for Brick Homes in Aurora
A soft, breathable lime finish brushed onto brick by hand, priced in writing before anyone opens a bucket.
- Aurora and ten towns within 20 miles
- Written price before work starts
- Licensed, insured local contractors
- Historic district rules covered
Aurora Limewash connects owners of brick and stone homes in Aurora, Illinois with local contractors who limewash, German smear, stain and repair masonry across the Fox Valley. Limewash is slaked lime and water, sometimes tinted with mineral pigment, brushed onto damp brick so it soaks in and hardens with the wall instead of sitting on top of it like paint. It softens red brick to a chalky white or a warm grey, lets the wall breathe, and can be touched up for years without stripping anything.
Limewash on bare brick runs $4 to $8 a square foot and can be refreshed by re-wetting and recoating; paint the same wall with acrylic instead and getting back to bare brick later costs $1.50 to $9.50 a square foot in stripping.
$4,000 to $12,000 for a typical brick exterior
Limewashing the outside of an average brick home around Aurora typically runs $4,000 to $12,000, which is $4 to $8 a square foot for a premium mineral limewash brushed on in two coats, as published by a limewash applicator working the Chicago suburbs. A national cost guide puts the range lower, at $1.50 to $5.00 a square foot, because it counts one-coat and diluted jobs too. Square footage, the number of coats, ladder work on a second storey, and any old paint or failing mortar move the price.
Get a price: (630) 528-2808Why brick owners in the Fox Valley are choosing limewash
Most brick around Aurora was laid to be left alone. What changed is taste. The deep red and orange brick of the postwar years and the builder-grade brick fronts of the 1990s now read as dated to a lot of owners, and paint, the old answer, has a catch: once acrylic goes on brick it is there for good, it traps moisture in the wall, and it starts peeling within a few winters.
Limewash solves the look without the catch. It is a mineral, not a film. Romabio, the Italian maker of Classico limewash, rates it at a vapour permeability that lets water leave the wall freely, which matters in a climate where the average November night in Aurora drops to 32°F and every wet brick goes through freeze and thaw.
What a limewash job involves
- Assessment. Is the brick bare, painted or sealed? Is the mortar sound? Limewash only bonds to bare, absorbent masonry.
- Preparation. Washing off dirt and efflorescence, repairing loose mortar, and stripping any paint or sealer first.
- Test patch. A small area at your chosen dilution, left to dry, because limewash dries far lighter than it goes on.
- Application. The wall is dampened, then the first coat is brushed on with a wide masonry brush. The second follows 2 to 8 hours later.
- Washing back. For the aged look, the wash is sprayed or wiped back while it sets, letting brick show through.
Romabio's own instructions say the finish can still be washed off in the first 5 to 7 days, which is the safety net that makes limewash forgiving. After that it has cured into the brick.
Not sure what your brick will take? Describe the house, the brick and the look you want, and get a straight answer on coats, prep and a typical price.
Call (630) 528-2808Limewash, German smear, staining or paint
These four are the finishes people compare, and they behave very differently. Limewash is breathable and soft, and it weathers gradually. A national cost guide expects limewashed brick to need reapplication every 5 to 7 years to keep its original coverage. German smear is mortar troweled over the brick, heavier and more permanent. Brick stain dyes the brick itself and leaves its texture untouched. Mineral silicate paint gives solid colour that still breathes, and the same guide expects it to last 20 years or more.
The guide to limewash, whitewash and German smear sets the differences side by side, and the full list of services gives each one its own page and price.
Historic districts around Aurora have rules about this
Aurora has four locally designated historic districts: Near Eastside, Riddle Highlands, Tanner and Palace Street. The city's own list of work that needs a Historic Certificate of Appropriateness includes masonry and complete repainting, so a limewash on a house in one of those districts needs approval before work starts.
The neighbours are similar. Batavia now requires a certificate for painting previously unpainted exterior materials, work it used to exempt. In St. Charles, coating masonry that has never been painted goes to the full Historic Preservation Commission. The historic district rules guide goes town by town.
Get a straight price before you commit to a colour
Describe the house and how much brick shows, and hear what it usually takes. A written price comes before any work starts, and a test patch comes before the whole house.
Call (630) 528-2808When to do it in northern Illinois
Romabio says not to apply its limewash below 50°F or above 88°F, or when two freezing nights follow. NOAA's 1991 to 2020 normals for Aurora put the average May low at 50°F and the October low at 43°F, so the dependable season runs from mid-May into early October. July afternoons in full sun are the other thing to plan around.
Questions people ask
How much does it cost to limewash a brick house in Aurora?
Typically $4,000 to $12,000 for an average brick exterior, or $4 to $8 a square foot with a premium mineral limewash in two coats. Paint stripping or mortar repair add to it.
What are the signs my brick is a good candidate for limewash?
Bare brick that soaks up a splash of water within a minute or so, mortar that is sound, and no paint or sealer on the face. Painted or sealed brick has to be stripped first.
How long does limewash last on brick?
It weathers gradually rather than peeling. A national cost guide puts reapplication at every 5 to 7 years to keep the original coverage, and a touch-up is a re-wet and recoat, not a strip.
Can limewash be removed if I do not like it?
Romabio says its Classico limewash is reversible in the first 5 to 7 days with a pressure washer or household vinegar. After it cures, removal is real work, which is why a test patch comes first.
Do I need permission to limewash my house in Aurora?
Only if it sits in one of Aurora's four local historic districts or is a landmark, where masonry work and complete repainting need a Historic Certificate of Appropriateness. Homeowners associations can have their own rules.
Is limewash bad for brick?
On bare, absorbent brick it is one of the gentlest finishes there is, because it lets moisture out. The problems come from putting it over paint or sealer, where it cannot bond.
Start here
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All fifteen finishes and repairs
Limewash, German smear, staining, mineral paint, paint removal and the masonry repair that comes first, each with its own typical price.
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Where we work
Aurora and ten towns inside 20 miles across four counties, with each town's historic district rules for coating masonry.
Talk it through before anyone opens a bucket
Say what the brick is, whether it has ever been painted or sealed, and how much of it shows from the street. You will hear what the job usually involves, what it tends to cost, and whether your town needs a sign-off first.
Call (630) 528-2808