Exterior Paint Colors for Brick Houses: What Works on Red, Orange, Tan and Painted Brick

Most brick houses around Nashville have one of two color questions. Either the brick is staying and you need trim, shutters and a front door that work with it, or the brick itself is getting painted and you need a wall color that looks right on a textured surface. The answers are different, so this guide covers both.

Every color below is a real, current paint color you can pull a sample of at a Benjamin Moore or Sherwin-Williams store. Always test a sample on your actual brick, in morning and afternoon light, before committing. Brick changes how a color reads more than almost any other surface.

Start With the Undertone of Your Brick

Every brick has an undertone, and it decides which colors look intentional next to it and which look slightly off.

• Red brick (classic Nashville red, often with darker flashed bricks mixed in) leans warm. Creamy whites, warm greige, deep green and black all sit well with it. Cool, bright whites can make it look pinker.
• Orange or salmon brick (common on 1970s and 1980s ranches) is the hardest to work with. Muted, earthy colors calm it down. Bright whites and blues tend to make the orange louder.
• Tan, buff or cream brick is neutral to warm. It suits soft whites, taupe, olive and bronze, and it looks good with darker accents for contrast.
• Brown or chocolate brick pairs well with warm off-whites, deep bronze and darker greens.
• Multi-tone or tumbled brick has several colors in it. Pick one of the quieter colors in the brick and build around that, rather than trying to match the strongest one.

A simple trick: hold white paper against the brick. The color that jumps out in the brick against the paper is your undertone.

Colors That Go With Red Brick

Red brick has been the default in Middle Tennessee for decades, from East Nashville bungalows to Brentwood colonials. These are the trim, shutter and door colors that consistently work with it.

Trim and soffits

• Benjamin Moore White Dove (OC-17): a soft, warm white that never looks stark next to red brick.
• Sherwin-Williams Alabaster (SW 7008): creamy and gentle, good for older homes.
• Benjamin Moore Swiss Coffee (OC-45): slightly warmer again, good if your brick has a lot of orange in it.

Shutters and front doors

• Sherwin-Williams Tricorn Black (SW 6258): the safest high-contrast choice. Black shutters on red brick with white trim is a classic for a reason.
• Benjamin Moore Hale Navy (HC-154): a deep navy that reads as nearly black from the street and blue up close.
• Sherwin-Williams Rookwood Dark Green (SW 2816) or another deep, muted green: traditional and very good on Georgian and colonial red brick.
• Sherwin-Williams Urbane Bronze (SW 7048): a softer alternative to black that works on more modern homes.

What to avoid: bright, cool whites with a blue tint, and bright reds on the door that compete with the brick.

Colors That Go With Orange Brick

Orange brick is the one we get asked about most, usually by owners of a 1970s ranch in Donelson, Madison, Hermitage or Hendersonville who are trying to make it look less dated without painting the brick.

• Trim: warm, slightly muddy whites like Swiss Coffee or Alabaster. A greige like Sherwin-Williams Accessible Beige (SW 7036) can also tone the orange down.
• Shutters and doors: earthy, muted colors. Deep olive, dark bronze like Urbane Bronze, and charcoal like Benjamin Moore Kendall Charcoal (HC-166) all quiet the orange.
• Avoid: bright white, any blue, and anything with a pink or red base.

If the orange still bothers you after trim and doors are updated, that is usually the point where owners start looking at limewash or painting the brick.

Colors That Go With Tan and Cream Brick

Tan brick is common on 1990s and 2000s subdivision homes in Franklin, Spring Hill, Murfreesboro and Mt. Juliet. It is easy to work with but can look flat if everything around it is also beige.

• Trim: a clean, soft white like Benjamin Moore Chantilly Lace (OC-65) or White Dove gives it crisp edges.
• Siding (on part-brick homes): taupe and warm grays like Benjamin Moore Revere Pewter (HC-172) or Edgecomb Gray (HC-173).
• Shutters and doors: go darker for contrast. Black, deep bronze, or a deep green like Sherwin-Williams Evergreen Fog (SW 9130) for something softer.

The Best Colors for Painting Brick

If the brick itself is being painted, the color sits on a textured surface with deep mortar joints. That texture makes colors look a little darker and a little more shadowed than on a flat chip. Here is what we see working on Middle Tennessee homes.

Warm whites (the most popular choice)

• Benjamin Moore White Dove (OC-17): our most requested white for brick. Warm enough not to look clinical, clean enough to read as white. We used it on a full brick exterior in Hendersonville, paired with matte black gutters.
• Sherwin-Williams Alabaster (SW 7008): creamier, good with stone or wood accents.
• Sherwin-Williams Pure White (SW 7005): a brighter white for a crisper, more modern look, without going stark.

Greige and soft gray

• Benjamin Moore Revere Pewter (HC-172): a warm gray-beige that suits traditional homes.
• Sherwin-Williams Agreeable Gray (SW 7029): a light greige that works on almost any style.

Dark and dramatic

• Sherwin-Williams Iron Ore (SW 7069): a soft black-charcoal, very popular on modern farmhouse homes.
• Benjamin Moore Kendall Charcoal (HC-166): a deep, warm charcoal.
• Benjamin Moore Hale Navy (HC-154): a striking navy for brick when you want color, not just contrast.

Dark colors on brick look fantastic but show fading sooner on full-sun walls, so they suit homes with some shade or owners who are happy to refresh a little sooner.

Pick the Sheen Too

On painted exterior brick we recommend satin. It sheds water and wipes clean without the glare that semi-gloss puts on brick texture. Flat finishes hide texture but hold dirt and mildew in Nashville's humidity. Keep semi-gloss for trim and doors.

Painting Brick vs. Limewash

If you like the idea of a lighter house but want to keep some of the brick's character, limewash is the other option. It soaks into the brick instead of covering it, so texture and some original color still show through, and it wears gradually instead of peeling. Paint gives a solid, even color and a bigger change. Our brick painting page compares the two side by side.

Test Before You Commit

1. Buy two or three sample pots, not just chips.
2. Paint large samples, at least 2 by 2 feet, directly on the brick on two different sides of the house.
3. Look at them in the morning, at midday and in the evening, and from the street, not just up close.
4. Pick the one you still like on day three.

If you would like a second opinion, our paint color consultation can help you narrow it down before anything goes on the house.

Ready to Paint?

Whether you are keeping the brick and refreshing the trim, shutters and door, or painting the brick itself, the process starts the same way. Send us photos of each side of your house and tell us what you have in mind. You will get a fixed-price quote within 24 hours, no visit needed. Fill out the form below to get started.