Disclaimer: This post may contain affiliate links. This means that if you make a purchase from these links, I may be compensated for it. This is at no additional cost to you! I only promote products that I know and love. Thank you for supporting SLPW.
I love our house. Fenced in backyard, two car garage, fireplace, sufficient bedrooms, bathrooms, and space. It fit our criteria perfectly. For the first 6 years we lived here, I paid close attention to the interior, painting all walls, adding architectural appeal with board and batten and chair rail, and building custom pieces of furniture to fit the space perfectly. I really do love our house, and have enjoyed making it our home. But with all my attention focused on the inside, I spent very little on the exterior. Sure, we mowed the lawn, dug weeds, and planted a few flowers here and there, but not as much love was expressed on the outside. Some of that was due to the fact that I didn’t have as much knowledge or vision for what the exterior could look like. Some of it was finances. Updating the exterior can cost a LOT of money when you consider windows, concrete, plants, shutters, mailboxes, equipment…the list goes on. Some still was energy. After spending all year focusing on the inside, by the time it came to work outside, I was spent!!
I love brick. Our house was mostly red, with white siding and black shutters. A few summers ago, I removed and painted our shutters black. A job I don’t want to do again any time soon, but it provided a lot of bang, for a little buck (about 5 cans of spray paint and a morning/afternoon). When dreaming on Pinterest or Instagram about what the exterior COULD look like, I marveled at the gorgeous painted brick. I tried to envision our home in a shade of green, gray, or white. It all seemed great, in theory, but I was TERRIFIED to begin. What if I didn’t choose the right shade? What if the shade was fine, but my skills were sub par, leaving it looking like I, er, let my children help. What if it was too difficult and took too long to complete? All excuses not to start.
Then I found ROMABIO Limewash.
And it all changed. I first saw the transformation on Holly and Brad’s @ourfauxfarmhouse home and was immediately drawn to the transformation. I then researched more before and after photos to look for a brick similar to ours and I pulled the trigger. A small trigger. I bought one bucket to begin with. The instructions read that it takes 5 days to cure. So I figured if I hated it, I could change my mind in 5 days, and I would’ve only wasted $49. And even if it didn’t come off, I could paint a darker shade of anything over it and problem solved!
But I didn’t need to worry about any of that! This transformation was, by far, the simplest DIY I have ever done, with the biggest impact on our home! That’s saying something since I recently purchased curtains and literally cut them in half before hanging them up in our playroom, no binding or anything. What can I say, I’m a sucker for simplicity. But seriously, people were coming out of the woodwork to ask about the project or just say how much they loved the new look. No pat on my back, but rather this product. With simple instructions to prep your space, product, and apply, this is a winner in my book. We transformed our home with 4 buckets, totaling roughly $200. What?!? Here are pictures of the process and final product of our experience with ROMABIO Limewash. For additional pictures and videos, you can check out the “House Painting” highlight on my Instagram profile @simplelifepastorswife .
Application took about 20-25 hours. We only had one level to paint. To apply, simply spray brick with water (not dripping), mix equal parts product and water, stir, and apply. The company recommends a masonry brush, but I used a 2 inch brush to apply all over. This allowed me to get into the mortar without switching brushes. Plus, now I can say I painted my house brick by brick! 🙂 To distress, spray off until you get the look you desire.
This project unveiled a few things: 1) we DESPERATELY need to pressure wash the siding and gutters. The last of the paint has recently cured, so that is very high on the list. 2) We have exposed masonry we never noticed before. Another future project will include painting that black…I think. 🙂
All in all I wish I had done this project sooner, and I would 100% do it again! It completely transformed the look of our house with very minimal cost. Anyone considering Limewashing your home, this is the product for you. With 7 shades to choose from, you can achieve a beautiful finish all by yourself (or hire a professional, I won’t tell).
To purchase, you can go to www.homedepot.com or find a local retailer at www.Romabio.com/find-us
If you enjoyed this post, perhaps you would like these as well:
Floating Shelves: the Good, the Bad, and the Ugly (Truth)