Brick house near Aurora, IL with one wall washed white and one wall still bare red brick

Diluted paint for a semi-transparent white

Aurora Limewash: Whitewash Brick in Aurora

The cheaper cousin of limewash, and the one that is harder to undo.

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

Aurora Limewash arranges brick whitewash for homes around Aurora through local painting contractors, and explains honestly where limewash is the better buy. Whitewash, in the modern sense, is latex or acrylic paint thinned with water and brushed or rolled on so some brick shows through. It looks similar to limewash on day one. It behaves differently for the life of the wall.

Whitewashing a brick house typically runs $1,500 to $6,700; but because it is thinned paint, removing it later costs $1.50 to $9.50 a square foot, the same as stripping any paint from brick.

$1,500 to $6,700 for an average home

A national cost guide puts whitewashing a brick house at $1,500 to $6,700 for an average home, or $1.50 to $5.00 a square foot, the same per-foot range it gives for limewash. Around Aurora, premium mineral limewash is usually priced above that, because the product and the hand-brushed method cost more.

Get a price: (630) 528-2808

Signs whitewash is the wrong choice

The brick is old and soft and you want it to keep breathing
The house is in a historic district where any coating gets reviewed
You might want the bare brick back one day
The wall gets a lot of moisture, from sprinklers, downspouts or ground contact

Why thinned paint behaves differently

Thinned latex still dries to a film, just a thin one. It sits on the brick rather than becoming part of it, and it slows the movement of moisture out of the wall. On a sheltered, dry wall that may never matter. On soft brick, a chimney, or a wall that gets wet often, trapped moisture is what eventually pushes paint off and damages brick faces in a freeze.

When whitewash makes sense

Whitewash is reasonable on brick that is already painted, where limewash cannot bond anyway, and on interior brick that never sees weather. It is also the right answer when someone wants the most even, controllable white, because thinned paint is more predictable than lime.

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 cost difference over time

Up front, whitewash and limewash overlap in price. The difference shows later. A limewash that weathers is refreshed by re-wetting the wall and recoating. A whitewash that peels has to be scraped or stripped first. And if you ever want bare brick back, removing paint from brick is priced at $1.50 to $9.50 a square foot by the same national guide.

Historic districts treat it as paint

In the historic districts of Aurora, Batavia and St. Charles, painting masonry that has never been painted is exactly the kind of change that needs a certificate first. Whitewash is paint for that purpose, so the approval comes before the brush.

Interior whitewash

Inside, where brick never sees rain or frost, whitewash is a reasonable choice for a fireplace or a feature wall, especially where the brick is already painted. It is easy to control, and the moisture argument against it matters far less indoors. The firebox itself still needs heat-rated materials.

Questions people ask

How much does it cost to whitewash a brick house?

A national cost guide puts it at $1,500 to $6,700 for an average home, or $1.50 to $5.00 a square foot.

What are the signs whitewash is a bad idea for my brick?

Soft old brick, a wet wall, a historic district, or any chance you will want the bare brick back.

What is the difference between whitewash and limewash?

Whitewash is thinned paint that forms a film. Limewash is a mineral that soaks in and lets the wall breathe.

Can whitewash be removed from brick?

Only by stripping, as with any paint, which a national guide prices at $1.50 to $9.50 a square foot.

Can I whitewash brick that is already painted?

Yes, and that is one case where whitewash makes more sense than limewash, which cannot bond to paint.

Often done together

Exterior brick limewash

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

A heavier, more permanent cousin of limewash, with mortar left thick on some bricks and wiped off others.
Brick paint removal

Limewash cannot bond to paint, so on painted brick the job starts here.

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.