Brick house in St. Charles, IL with its front wall limewashed white and its side wall still bare red brick

Eleven miles north, on both banks of the Fox

Aurora Limewash: Limewash in St. Charles

The town with the clearest written rule on coating brick, and it is worth reading before you choose a finish.

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 St. Charles, Illinois, about 10.8 miles north of Aurora, through local painting and masonry contractors. St. Charles has about 33,500 people across Kane and DuPage counties, and its city publishes exactly how it reviews painting, staining and repointing masonry in its historic districts.

A St. Charles brick exterior typically runs $4,000 to $12,000 to limewash; order materials before the commission has reviewed a house in the historic district, and an unapproved finish can cost $2 to $4 a square foot more to strip.

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

Limewashing a brick exterior in St. Charles typically runs $4,000 to $12,000, at $4 to $8 a square foot as published by a Chicago-suburb limewash applicator. Repointing, where the joints need it, is priced separately, at $8 to $30 a square foot by a national cost guide.

Get a price: (630) 528-2808

Signs your St. Charles brick needs a plan before a finish

The house is in a historic district or is a landmark site
The brick has never been painted or stained
Some joints need repointing as well
You are not sure whether a past owner sealed the brick

What the city's project table says

St. Charles publishes a table of project types showing which need staff review, which go to the Historic Preservation Commission, and which need a building permit. For painting, staining or changing masonry it is unusually specific. Painting masonry that is already painted, or staining masonry that is already stained, is handled by administrative review. Coating masonry that is not already painted or stained goes to the full Historic Commission, and so does tuckpointing or repointing. No building permit is needed for the coating itself.

In practice, a first limewash on bare brick in a historic district is a commission matter, not a counter approval.

How a certificate works here

A Certificate of Appropriateness is required for exterior work on buildings in a historic district or on a landmark site. The city advises applying before finalising drawings or ordering materials, because permits that need a COA review cannot be issued over the counter. The commission follows the Secretary of the Interior's Standards for Rehabilitation and meets on the first and third Wednesday of each month at 7:00 p.m. in the Council Chambers at the Municipal Center. It also offers informal early feedback, which is the cheapest step in the whole process.

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

Making the case for lime

A test panel helps any application: a small area washed at the proposed dilution, photographed dry in daylight, alongside the product's published data on breathability and its reversibility in the first 5 to 7 days. If repointing is needed too, plan both together, since both go to the commission. The tuckpointing page covers mortar choice for older brick.

Outside the districts

For a brick house outside the historic districts, the process is the same as anywhere else in the valley: a splash test, any repairs, a test patch, and two coats in the mid-May to early October weather window. The exterior limewash page walks through it.

Questions people ask

How much does limewash cost in St. Charles?

Typically $4,000 to $12,000 for a brick exterior, at $4 to $8 a square foot, with repointing priced separately.

What are the signs my St. Charles house needs commission review?

It is in a historic district or is a landmark site, and the brick has never been painted or stained.

Does limewashing unpainted brick in St. Charles need the full commission?

In a historic district, yes. The city's project table sends coating unpainted or unstained masonry to the Historic Commission.

Do I need a building permit to limewash in St. Charles?

The city's table lists painting, staining or changing masonry as not needing a building permit, separate from any COA.

When does the St. Charles Historic Preservation Commission meet?

On the first and third Wednesday of each month at 7:00 p.m., in the Council Chambers at the Municipal Center.

Common jobs here

Exterior brick limewash

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

Limewash will not hold a crumbling joint together. This is the masonry work that has to come first.
Brick staining

The finish to choose when you want different brick, not white brick.

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.