This article will show you a list of paint colors that go with red brick.
The red brick façade on your home may make choosing trim paint a challenge. Red bricks are seldom the same color.
While your home may appear to be a cohesive color from the street, up close there is a lot going on. When reviewing other colors, make sure you also consider the color of the mortar holding the bricks in place.
Keep things warm. If you want gray trim, avoid grays with a blue base. If you want white trim, lean towards ivory.
If you want to add a bit more visual variety, a sooty black color in a narrow trim around windows can add grandeur to a traditional brick home.
Here are my best picks for colors that compliment red brick.
- Stone Harbor
- Arctic Shadows
- Ivory Tusk
- North Sea Green
- Mellowed Ivory
- Gray Owl
- Front Porch
- Reserved White
- Argyle
- Reseda Green
- Fired Brick
1) Stone Harbor
Benjamin Moore’s Stone Harbor is an ideal warm gray for the majority of the trim on a red brick home. Be aware that this is a very sedate color.
It will blend in well with your existing mortar and help your windows blend in, rather than standing out, from the field of red brick.
RGB: 180, 175, 168
Hex Code: #B4AFA8
2) Arctic Shadows
Arctic Shadows from Benjamin Moore is a more balanced gray. If most of your neighborhood features brick homes, take a walk and study the different tones of red brick used.
Some red bricks lean toward a rust color, while others are closer to burgundy. New mortar is often a pale, cool gray, but time and dust will yellow it. This gray would pair especially well with burgundy-toned bricks.
The Light Reflectance Value (LRV) of 32.48 for Arctic Shadows (1559) by Benjamin Moore indicates that it is a medium-dark color.
Arctic Shadows reflects 32.48% of the light that hits it, absorbing the remaining 67.52%. This means it is a medium-dark color that balances between absorbing and reflecting light.
RGB: 154, 154, 142
Hex Code: 9A9A8E
LRV: 32.48
Get a peel and stick paint color sample of Arctic Shadows here.
Paint Color Samples
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Visit SAMPLIZE store here to see all of the available color options.
3) Ivory Tusk
If you’re looking for a warm, creamy white to use for your trim paint, consider Benjamin Moore’s Ivory Tusk.
This rich shade of ivory may appear a bit closer to oatmeal than vanilla ice cream, but it will blend in beautifully with your mortar unless your façade has been freshly tuck-pointed or cleaned.
IMPORTANT COLOR NOTE: If you’re planning to get your mortar cleaned or patched, do it before you paint and let it dry completely.
Cleaning your mortar will likely alter the color and, if your entire house gets washed, the brick color may change a bit as well.
RGB: 250, 239, 220
Hex Code: #FAEFDC
4) North Sea Green
For those who like their trim to stand out a bit, using just a little North Sea Green from Benjamin Moore will draw many admiring looks.
This is only one of two cool shades in the whole listing and this color packs a wallop. However, if you’re looking for just a narrow trim line around windows or doors, you can prime and paint in a balanced gray, such as Gray Owl (below) and use just a little of this green for accent.
RGB: 37, 111, 113
Hex Code: #256F71
5) Mellowed Ivory
Fans of just one color of trim paint will get great use out of Mellowed Ivory from Benjamin Moore. This color will not conflict with your mortar unless it’s brand new. It will also help bricks from burgundy to rust stand out beautifully.
RGB: 225, 210, 174
Hex Code: #E1D2AE
6) Gray Owl
If you don’t want to use multiple trim colors but you also don’t want your house to fade into the background, try the greenish-gray Gray Owl.
Benjamin Moore has come up with a color blend that is warm enough to work with older mortar and green enough to help your bricks stand out a bit. I also like this color as a foil for shrubs and trees.
RGB: 211, 212, 204
Hex Code: #D3D4CC
7) Front Porch
Looking for a balanced, neutral gray that will work both for your trim and for any free-standing buildings? Get yourself a sample of Front Porch from Sherwin-Williams.
This paint color is nicely balanced between red and blue and will be a subtle addition to window trim as well as any doors you need to paint.
RGB: 204, 204, 197
Hex Code: #CCCCC5
8) Reserved White
I had to add this color because I love the look of a brick house with white trim and dark shutters. Reserved White from Sherwin-Williams is a clean, beautifully balanced white with no blue undertones.
Any time you’re choosing a white paint for a warm setting, such as a brick house, avoid colors that include the word bright. Lean towards colors that contain a lot of yellow. Once they’re on the house, they will read white.
RGB: 224, 224, 217
Hex Code: #E0E0D9
9) Argyle
The last three colors are ideal for bold trim colors and for doors that you want to stand out. I hate to pick a favorite, but I love Argyle from Sherwin-Williams.
This green has enough red in it that is should not read blue. Of course, every house is different. If some of your bricks are a very bright red, using Argyle on your trim could put you in a permanent state of Christmas decoration.
Start with small samples and view it in all lights to make sure that your mortar will not be muddied up next to Argyle trim. Mortar tends to yellow as it ages.
Depending on how old yours is, using a cool color near it can leave mortar looking the color of congealed oatmeal.
RGB: 52, 138, 93
Hex Code: #348A5D
10) Reseda Green
If you have a rich green lawn (or are working in that direction) consider painting at least your front door in Reseda Green.
Sherwin-Williams has come up with a warm, almost sooty green that will bump up the red in your bricks without mucking up the color of your mortar. Once the lawn fills in, your curb appeal will be excellent.
Because this color has a bit of a gray caste, you can use it with other strong neutrals, such as a the nearly black Tarragon, also from Sherwin-Williams.
Do remember that your house is already a strong color. Use other strong colors sparingly.
RGB: 116, 148, 106
Hex Code: #74946A
11) Fired Brick
For folks who really like things to match, Fired Brick from Sherwin-Williams could be exactly what you need. Take the time to sample this color onto a large canvas and study it in all lights.
It could be an ideal color for your front door or for narrow strips of window trim. However, if your red bricks are really rust-colored bricks, this color will tend more toward lipstick red than the color you intended.
There is a risk of overdoing accent colors. If you have a whole house worth of trim to paint, it can feel odd to only get a quart of an accent color like Fired Brick or Argyle.
Invest in a balanced gray or ivory for the majority of your trim and save your boldest shades for small highlights.
RGB: 134, 61, 49
Hex Code: #863d31
