Went to an open house in Philly and noticed everyone is painting their brick fireplaces white now

Went to like 5 open houses over the weekend in the Fishtown area and every single one had a white painted brick fireplace. Some of the brick underneath looked like it was in good shape too. I get that it makes a room feel bigger but once you paint brick you can't really go back. Is this just a trend that's gonna look dated in 5 years or am I overthinking it? Has anyone tried to strip painted brick and regretted it?

2 comments

2 Comments

craig.parker13d ago

Oh man, I went through this exact thing with my rowhouse in South Philly a couple years back. @felix_jones is spot on about the moisture thing - my neighbor's painted brick actually started spalling after a few winters. What worked for me was leaving the brick bare and just doing a limewash instead, gives you that lighter look without the permanent commitment.

felix_jones14d ago

Yeah I read somewhere that once brick gets painted it basically traps moisture and can cause the brick to crumble over time? Tbh I think it's one of those trends that's gonna look super dated in a few years like those grey laminate floors everyone was doing.