Red brick with white trim. Tan brick with navy shutters. White painted brick with a black door.
Some exterior brick and paint color combinations just work, and there is a reason you keep seeing them on homes that stop you mid-scroll.
This is not about following trends. It is about finding out which colors actually hold up on a real house.
Every brick type, style, and color palette is covered here, so you can find the right house exterior brick paint color without the guesswork.
How to Choose the Right Brick Paint Color
Choosing that perfect paint color for a brick exterior is less about personal preference and more about reading the material in front of you.
Brick is not a neutral backdrop. It has its own tones, texture, and light behavior that directly influence how every painted surface around it looks.
Start by identifying the dominant undertone in your brick.
Then test any paint colors you are considering in large swatches directly on or beside the brick. Check them at different times of day. Factor in your roof color, landscaping, and neighboring homes.
Always identify the brick’s undertones before picking any trim or door color. Skipping this step is the single most common reason paint choices end up looking disconnected from the material they sit alongside
Here’s what we painted my Brother’s farmhouse-style exterior with:
My brother’s brick was older, faded unevenly, and looked more tired than charming.
He wanted something updated without losing the brick character entirely. We landed on a warm terracotta wash with cream trim.
For the Wash
We used Sherwin-Williams Cavern Clay (SW 7701).
The color came out deeper than the swatch suggested, so we diluted it slightly more than the instructions called for.
That adjustment gave us the layered, semi-transparent finish we were after.
The brown undertones in Cavern Clay deepened the natural tones already in the brick rather than sitting on top of them.
For the Trim
Benjamin Moore Linen White (OC-146) on the window frames, porch columns, and fascia boards.
Softer than pure white, which meant it sat naturally alongside the terracotta without the contrast feeling too sharp.
The brick texture is still visible underneath. The mortar lines read naturally.
It looks aged without looking neglected, which is exactly what a terracotta wash should do on farmhouse brick.
The front gable dried slightly uneven where direct sun hit differently than the lower walls. A second coat while the first was still damp would have fixed it. Worth knowing before committing to a full facade.
Paint Colors That Actually Work on Brick Exteriors
The right brick and paint color combinations will feel obvious once you stop choosing in isolation and start choosing in context.
1. Soft White + Black Trim + Wood Accents
A reliable starting point for traditional and transitional homes. The white keeps contrast sharp without feeling clinical, and the wood tones prevent it from going too cold.
Three distinct layers, light, dark, and natural, work together without any single element overpowering the brick.
Sherwin-Williams: Alabaster (SW 7008)
A warm white with a slight cream undertone that softens contrast against brick without making trim look yellow. Reads clean in shade, warm in sun.
Benjamin Moore: White Dove (OC-17)
Slightly warmer with a faint creamy pull. Works better on brick with orange or rust undertones, where a cooler white would feel too stark.
Pro tip: A two-inch chip in a store tells you nothing about how a color behaves on a real exterior surface. Always test Alabaster and White Dove in large swatches directly on or beside the brick before committing
2. Sage Green + Off-White Trim
Sage green shares earthy undertones with bricks, so the two rarely clash.
Works especially well on craftsman- and cottage-style homes with mature landscaping.
The gray base in most sage greens is what makes them sit comfortably alongside brick without fighting the tones.
Sherwin-Williams: Clary Sage (SW 6178)
A mid-tone sage with gray in it that keeps it from reading too green or too muted. That gray base is what makes it work alongside brick.
Benjamin Moore: Saybrook Sage (HC-114)
Slightly more olive with a grounded, earthy quality. Works best on brick with brown or tan undertones rather than strong orange-red tones.
3. Greige + Cream Trim + Bronze Fixtures
Greige frames the brick rather than competing with it. It sits right between gray and beige, making it one of the safest neutrals to put alongside brick.
Bronze fixtures pull the warm tones in both the brick and the greige together without the combination looking too calculated.
Sherwin-Williams:Agreeable Gray (SW 7029)
Warm enough to work with bricks but with enough gray to prevent the facade from feeling heavy.
Reads differently in the morning versus the afternoon, so test it at both times.
Benjamin Moore: Revere Pewter (HC-172)
Slightly darker with green and brown undertones that surface in certain lighting. A better choice when the brick itself runs darker or more complex.
The same color reads differently at different times of day and on differently oriented walls.
4. Charcoal Gray + White Trim
One of the stronger modern pairings for the bricks. The charcoal creates high contrast without going full black, and the white trim keeps the facade from feeling heavy.
Works across both older traditional homes and newer builds without looking out of place on either.
Sherwin-Williams:Iron Ore (SW 7069)
Pulls slightly warm outdoors, softening the contrast against the brick more than expected. On a chip, it looks almost black, but on a large surface, the warmth becomes visible.
Benjamin Moore: Wrought Iron (2124-10)
Stays truer to a cool charcoal on large surfaces. Better on brick with pink or gray undertones, where you want the contrast to hold firmly.
5. Navy Blue + White Trim + Brass
Navy and white brick hold up because the contrast is strong without being jarring.
It is a pairing that has never really gone out of rotation. Brass hardware adds warmth and detail, keeping the combination from feeling flat or expected.
Sherwin-Williams: Naval (SW 6244)
A deep, slightly warm navy that reads true across most lighting conditions without pulling purple or green.
Benjamin Moore: Hale Navy (HC-154)
More muted than Naval with a subtle gray undertone. Works better on larger facades where a brighter navy might feel overwhelming.
6. Warm Beige + Dark Brown Trim
It keeps everything in the same warm family, letting the brick carry the visual weight rather than compete with the trim.
A quieter combination, but on the right home, it looks completely intentional.
Sherwin-Williams: Accessible Beige (SW 7036)
Warm beige with just enough gray to prevent it from reading yellow outdoors. One of the more forgiving exterior neutrals to work with.
Benjamin Moore: Manchester Tan (HC-81)
Lighter and warmer with a more pronounced yellow-beige quality. Works best on deeper, darker brick, where a lighter trim helps visually lift the facade.
7. Light Gray + White Trim + Navy Door
Three colors, each with a clear job. The gray cools the brick tones, the white sharpens the details, and the navy door creates a focal point without overcomplicating the palette.
A strong choice on homes where the architecture needs visual structure without bold color.
Sherwin-Williams: Light French Gray (SW 0055)
A soft gray with a slight blue undertone that reads almost like a warm white in certain lighting.
Benjamin Moore: Stonington Gray (HC-170)
Slightly more saturated with a crisper quality outdoors. Better when you want the gray to read clearly rather than blend toward white.
Modern Exterior Brick Paint Color Ideas for Bold Curb Appeal
Modern exteriors tend to use brick as one material among several, paired with glass, concrete, metal, or dark wood.
8. Matte Black + Wood + Glass Elements
Black trim on brick is not a trend call. It is a structural one.
It tightens the facade, defines every edge, and makes the architecture read with more intention than almost any other color choice.
Warm wood on the garage door or porch posts is what keeps the combination from feeling cold and uninviting.
Sherwin-Williams: Tricorn Black (SW 6258)
It stays consistent from morning light to afternoon sun, which matters when you use it across multiple surfaces like trim, window frames, and a garage door.
Benjamin Moore: Black (2132-10)
That subtle difference makes it a better fit on homes where the brick itself is already high contrast, and you want the black elements to settle rather than compete
Pro tip: Paint applied over dirty or damp brick bonds poorly and peels faster. On a modern exterior where dark trim sits right next to brick, surface preparation matters more than the color itself.
9. Cool Ash Gray + Black Trim + Concrete
A step warmer than cool ash gray, this combination works especially well on homes where the brick has brown or tan undertones rather than cool gray ones.
Black window frames add definition without introducing another color, and natural stone elements tie the palette back to the ground.
10. Slate Blue + White Trim + Charcoal Roof
Dusty blue sits in a different zone than slate blue. It reads softer, slightly more faded, and works particularly well on homes where you want color without high contrast.
White trim keeps it from feeling too muted, and a dark roof anchors the palette at the top of the facade.
Sherwin-Williams: Watery (SW 6478)
The blue-green quality shifts depending on what surrounds it, which makes it one of the more responsive colors to test against your specific brick before committing.
Benjamin Moore: Newburyport Blue (HC-155)
Unlike Watery, Newburyport holds its color more predictably across different lighting conditions.
If you want the blue to read consistently from morning to afternoon rather than shifting with the light, this is the more reliable of the two options.
Exterior Paint Ideas for Multi-Colored Brick Homes
Multi-colored brick needs paint choices that unify rather than compete.
The goal is to pick colors that acknowledge the variation in the brick without drawing more attention to it.
11. Multi-Tone Brick + Soft Gray Trim + Black Door
Soft gray trim does not align strongly with any single tone in variegated brick, which is exactly why it works.
It sits alongside reds, tans, and browns without amplifying any one of them.
The black door gives the eye one clear place to land, which the facade needs when the brick surface itself is already visually complex.
12. Multi-Tone Brick + Beige Trim + Dark Green Door
Beige trim pulls from the warmer tones that are almost always present somewhere in variegated brick. That shared warmth is what gives the exterior a cohesive quality without looking color-coordinated.
The dark green door introduces contrast and a clear focal point without adding a tone that fights the brick.
Green and brick share enough earthy common ground that the two sit comfortably alongside each other.
13. Multi-Tone Brick + White Trim + Charcoal Accents
When the brick is carrying significant visual weight on its own, white trim and charcoal accents are the most reliable way to add structure without adding more color.
The white brightens the overall facade and prevents the brick variation from feeling heavy or dark.
The charcoal sharpens the edges and gives the exterior definition that reads clearly from the street.
The brick stays the centerpiece throughout.
Stark pure white can make brick variation look unintentional. A white with a slight warm or gray undertone softens the contrast just enough to make the whole facade feel resolved.
Final Thoughts
After working across dozens of brick exteriors, one thing stays consistent.
The homes that look best from the street are rarely the ones with the most dramatic color choices.
They are the ones where every painted surface, trim, doors, shutters, and siding, was chosen in response to what the brick was already doing.
The strongest exterior brick and paint color combinations are built on observation, not trends.
Start with your brick tone, test your colors in real light, and the right house exterior brick paint color ideas will become obvious pretty quickly.
Frequently Asked Questions
1. Can You Use Interior Paint on a Brick Exterior?
Interior paint is not formulated to handle moisture, UV exposure, or temperature changes, so it will break down significantly faster than exterior-grade paint.
2. Does the Color of Mortar Affect Which Paint Colors Work?
Yes, mortar tone influences how the overall brick surface reads, and a strongly contrasting mortar line can make certain trim colors look busier than intended.
3. Is There a Difference Between Painting New Brick and Old Brick?
New brick needs at least a year to fully cure before painting, as the residual moisture and alkalinity can prevent paint from bonding correctly.
4. Should the Fence or Gate Color Match the Trim on a Brick Exterior?
Matching the fence or gate to the trim creates a cohesive perimeter, but going one shade darker than the trim often looks more grounded and intentional on brick homes.
