Gloved hands brushing limewash onto damp red brick on a house in North Aurora, IL

Four miles up the river from Aurora

Aurora Limewash: Limewash in North Aurora

A village that began as Schneider's Crossing, around a sawmill and a dam on the Fox.

Aurora and ten towns within 20 miles
Written price before work starts
Licensed, insured local contractors
Historic district rules covered

Aurora Limewash arranges limewash and brick finishing for homes in North Aurora, Illinois, the nearest town to Aurora at about 4.1 miles up the Fox River, through local painting and masonry contractors. North Aurora has about 19,300 people in Kane County, a village centre that grew around an 1830s mill, and newer neighbourhoods along Randall and Orchard roads.

A North Aurora brick exterior typically runs $4,000 to $12,000 to limewash; paint the same brick with acrylic and you take on repainting every few years, with stripping at $1.50 to $9.50 a square foot if you ever want it back.

$4,000 to $12,000 for a typical brick exterior

Limewashing a brick exterior in North Aurora typically runs $4,000 to $12,000, at $4 to $8 a square foot as a Chicago-suburb limewash applicator publishes. A brick front on a siding house is a smaller job, often $1,600 to $6,400, and a fireplace surround inside is $500 to $1,500.

Get a price: (630) 528-2808

Signs a North Aurora house is a limewash candidate

The brick soaks up a splash of water instead of beading it off
The joints are full, hard and not crumbling
The brick colour is fighting newer siding, roofing or trim
Nobody has painted or sealed the brick

Schneider's Crossing

The village's own history says North Aurora started as Schneider's Crossing. John Peter Schneider, a millwright who had come from near Frankfurt, settled on a hill on the east side of the Fox near where the Village Hall now stands, and in 1837 a dam was built to power his mill. The mill drew families, and by the turn of the twentieth century about 300 people lived there. North Aurora, the name of its post office, was incorporated as a village in 1905.

Railroad houses and newer streets

In the early twentieth century, as Aurora became a centre of industry and railroading, some railroad workers settled in North Aurora, and the village grew steadily until the 1960s, when the valley turned toward commuting to jobs further east. So the village has older houses and newer ones, and potentially both soft older brick and dense modern face brick. Both can take limewash; the exterior limewash page explains the test that tells them apart.

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) 528-2808

The closest town to Aurora

At about four miles from Aurora's centre, North Aurora sits closest of any town on this site, sharing the same river and the same weather. The weather window is the same too: mid-May to early October, inside Romabio's 50°F to 88°F range.

Inside first, in winter

When the season closes, fireplace and interior wall work carries on. The fireplace limewash page covers the most common winter job.

Questions to settle before the visit

Before a contractor comes out, find out whether the brick has ever been painted or treated, which is often in the paperwork from a past sale or a previous contractor's invoice. Note any spots where water collects against the wall, from downspouts or sprinklers, because those are where limewash wears first. And decide whether the chimney is included, since it is the part that most changes the price.

Questions people ask

How much does limewash cost in North Aurora?

Typically $4,000 to $12,000 for a brick exterior, $1,600 to $6,400 for a brick front, and $500 to $1,500 for a fireplace surround.

What are the signs North Aurora brick will take limewash?

It soaks up a splash of water, the joints are sound, and it has never been painted or sealed.

Is there a historic district review in North Aurora?

Check with the village's Community Development office for your address before any exterior change.

When did North Aurora become a village?

It was incorporated in 1905, named for its post office, after growing up around Schneider's 1830s mill.

Can limewash be applied in North Aurora in October?

Early October usually works. Romabio says not below 50°F or with two freezing nights to follow, so late autumn is risky.

Common jobs here

Exterior brick limewash

A breathable lime finish over the whole brick exterior, from a faint wash to near-solid white.
Fireplace limewash

The quickest way to change a room: a soft lime finish on the brick everyone looks at.
Brick front limewash

The brick front that makes a newer house look dated, softened to sit with the siding instead of fighting it.

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.