Brick Painting & Limewashing · Highland Park, TX
Old Park Cities brick, and why the coating has to breathe.
The brick on these houses predates the war and was laid with soft lime mortar. It takes a coating well — but only a coating that works with the wall rather than sealing it.
Here is what brick painting & limewashing in Highland Park actually involves.
Old brick and lime mortar were built as a system that moves moisture rather than resisting it. Put a modern film-forming masonry paint over that and you interrupt the mechanism the wall depends on: water gets behind the film, and the face of the brick or the mortar joint gives way before the paint does. A mineral coating bonds into the surface and stays vapor-open, which is why it is the only approach we will recommend on this housing stock.
The second consideration here is permanence and character. A mineral coating does not come off, so on a house of this age — and often alongside a designer or architect who has a view — the decision deserves proper discussion first. Where the goal is to lighten and unify a tired elevation rather than change it outright, Classico Limewash is frequently the better answer: it softens the brick while the original texture and variation keep showing through.
Here is what the price covers.
- Thorough cleaning of the masonry to remove all mold, dirt and debris first
- Romabio Mineral Masonry Paint, which lets the brick breathe naturally
- A finish that releases moisture from within while blocking moisture from outside
- Application by masonry brush, worked both horizontally and vertically into every seam
- Classico Limewash where a whitewashed or softened effect is the goal
- Resistance to mold, peeling and sun damage, backed by a 20-year product warranty
These are the questions we hear most about brick painting & limewashing in Highland Park.
Will a coating damage old brick and lime mortar?
A film-forming paint can, because it traps the moisture the wall is built to release. The mineral coating we use stays vapor-open specifically so the wall keeps working as designed.
Can it be undone later?
No — it bonds into the masonry. That is precisely why we would rather talk it through properly first on a house of this age.
Do you have to clean brick prior to painting?
Yes, and it matters more than people expect. The surface must be thoroughly cleaned to remove all mold, dirt and debris — if it isn’t, the paint struggles to adhere, which compromises both the quality and the service life of the job. We do all of that preparation for you.
What is the best way to apply paint to brick?
We use a masonry brush, stroking both horizontally and vertically. That works the paint into all the small holes and seams in the brick surface rather than bridging over them.
How many coats of limewash do I need?
For a whitewash effect, a single coat of Classico Limewash. For a solid-colored finish it takes two to three coats before it becomes non-transparent and reads as a solid color.
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