Red brick has warmth, texture, and character, but choosing exterior paint colors to coordinate with it can be surprisingly difficult.
A color that looks beautiful on a paint card may suddenly appear too yellow, too pink, too blue, or too gray when placed next to brick. That is because red brick is rarely just one color. It may contain shades of rust, orange, brown, burgundy, charcoal, cream, or even purple.
The goal is not to find a paint color that perfectly matches the brick. It is to choose colors that complement its undertones and create a cohesive exterior.
Here is how to choose an exterior paint color that works with red brick and avoid an expensive color mistake.
Begin With the Brick’s Undertones
Before looking at paint colors, take a closer look at the brick itself.
Is it primarily
- Orange-red and warm?
- Deep burgundy or purple-red?
- Weathered red with brown undertones?
- Red with cream, tan, or gray variation?
- A mixture of several colors?
Then examine the mortar. Warm beige mortar will create a different overall appearance than bright white, gray, or charcoal mortar.
Step back from the house and look at the brick from the street. The overall color you see from a distance is often more important than one individual brick viewed up close.
Consider the Other Fixed Elements
Your brick is only one part of the exterior. The paint colors also need to coordinate with features that are not being changed.
These may include:
- Roof shingles
- Stonework
- Windows
- Garage doors
- Gutters and downspouts
- Metal roofing
- Landscaping
The roof is especially important because it covers such a large portion of the home. A warm brown roof may work beautifully with earthy taupes and greens, while a charcoal roof may support deeper grays, softened blacks, and muted blue-green accents.
Choosing paint colors without considering these permanent features can make the exterior feel disconnected.
Warm Whites Are Usually Better Than Stark Whites
White trim can look fresh and timeless with red brick, but not every white works.
A bright, cool white may create too much contrast or make warm brick appear more orange. In many cases, a warmer white or soft off-white creates a more natural transition.
Popular options to consider include:
- Sherwin-Williams Alabaster
- Sherwin-Williams Shoji White
- Sherwin-Williams White Duck
- Sherwin-Williams Greek Villa
A warm white can be used on trim, soffits, fascia, siding, or garage doors. The best choice will depend on the brick, roof, natural light, and the amount of white being used.
If the home already has white vinyl windows, the surrounding trim does not always have to match them perfectly. A softer coordinating trim color can create a more layered and intentional appearance.
Earthy Neutrals Complement Red Brick
Warm taupes, mushroom colors, and brown-based greiges are among the safest choices for red-brick homes.
These colors connect naturally to the earthy tones already found in the masonry and tend to create a softer look than cool gray.
Colors such as Sherwin-Williams Urbane Bronze, Anonymous, Accessible Beige, and Tony Taupe may work well, depending on the particular brick.
Urbane Bronze is especially effective when you want a darker, more dramatic trim color without using a true black. Its warm gray-brown character often works beautifully with natural red brick, dark roofing, and wooded surroundings.
Avoid selecting a neutral based on the name alone. A paint labeled “gray” may turn blue beside warm brick, while a beige may become unexpectedly yellow or pink.
Green Is a Natural Partner for Red Brick
Red and green sit opposite each other on the color wheel, which is one reason muted green looks so natural beside red brick.
The key is choosing an earthy, softened green rather than something bright or highly saturated.
Deep Blue Can Create a Sophisticated Accent
Navy and deep blue-green colors can also complement red brick. They provide contrast while feeling a little softer and more distinctive than black.
Sherwin-Williams Naval creates a classic navy appearance, while Dark Night introduces a deep blue-green character.
These colors are particularly effective on front doors. A rich door color can become a focal point without competing with the brick or requiring a major exterior color change.
If your brick has strong orange undertones, be careful with bright or highly saturated blue. A deeper, grayer blue will usually feel more sophisticated.
Black Can Work Beautifully But It Should Be Used Thoughtfully
Black trim became extremely popular with white-painted brick and modern farmhouse exteriors. It can also look striking with natural red brick, but too much black may make a traditional home feel harsh or visually fragmented.
Softer dark colors such as Sherwin-Williams Iron Ore, Urbane Bronze, or Black Fox may be easier to coordinate with red brick than a hard, true black.
Instead of outlining every window, roofline, gutter, and architectural feature in black, consider using it selectively.
Black or charcoal may work well for
- A front door
- Metal awnings
- Exterior light fixtures
- Gutters & Downspouts
Do the Shutters Still Belong?
Sometimes the color is not the real problem the shutters are.
Decorative shutters can add character when they are properly sized and appropriate for the home’s architecture. However, undersized or unnecessary shutters can make an exterior feel dated or cluttered.
Before choosing a new shutter color, consider whether the house might look cleaner without them. Removing shutters can allow attractive brickwork and window proportions to stand on their own.
If the shutters should remain, they do not automatically need to be black. Deep green, bronze, charcoal, or muted blue can create a softer relationship with the brick.
Keep the Color Placement Simple
A complicated house does not necessarily need a complicated paint scheme.
Using too many colors can break the exterior into separate pieces and draw attention away from its architecture. In most cases, a well-balanced palette includes:
- One primary trim or siding color
- One coordinating secondary color
- One accent color for the front door
The windows may remain white as a separate fixed element.
For example, a red-brick home might use:
- Urbane Bronze on trim, bay-window panels, and dormer siding
- White on the windows
- Dark Night on the front door
This creates depth and contrast without making every feature compete for attention.
Should You Paint the Red Brick?
You can but its not always necessary to create an updated look.
Natural red brick can look beautiful when it is surrounded by the right colors. Before deciding to paint it, try updating the trim, siding, shutters, gutters, or front door.
Changing the colors around the brick can completely transform how it appears.
If you want a lighter or softer masonry finish but do not want the solid appearance of painted brick, limewash may be another option. Limewash creates natural movement and variation while allowing some of the brick’s character to remain visible.
Painting brick is a significant decision, so it should not be the automatic solution to a color-coordination problem.
Always, Always, Always Test Exterior Paint Colors
Exterior colors can look dramatically different in Georgia’s strong sunlight than they do inside a paint store.
Paint large samples on different sides of the house and observe them:
- In morning light
- In afternoon sun
- On cloudy days
- Beside the brick
- Near the roofline
- Next to the windows
A small paint chip is rarely enough to judge an exterior color accurately. Undertones become much more visible when colors are placed directly beside brick, stone, roofing, and other permanent materials.
Also remember that digital renderings are helpful for comparing general color directions, but they cannot perfectly reproduce how an exact paint color will appear on the finished home.
Create a Color Scheme That Belongs to the House
The best exterior color is not simply the most popular color of the year. It is the one that works with the home’s architecture, brick, roof, landscaping, and natural surroundings.
Red brick does not have to limit your options. It can serve as the warm foundation for a beautiful palette that includes creamy whites, earthy neutrals, softened charcoals, muted greens, or deep blue accents.
At Revive Painting Company, we help homeowners see the whole exterior not just an isolated paint color.
We consider the condition of the surfaces, necessary wood or siding repairs, existing materials, color placement, and the details that will create a cohesive finished result.
Revive Painting Company helps homeowners throughout Roswell, Alpharetta, Marietta, Milton, and North Atlanta professionally paint brick exteriors for a fresh, cohesive look.