After months of publicly debating with their millions of followers (and each other) about painted brick, Sherry and John Petersik decided to go all in with Romabio Masonry Flat and makeover their 1980’s, Virginia brick home.
They frequently referred to the painting of their exterior brick, as their most visually impactful renovation project ever, and we have all the details. And Romabio didn’t sponsor the paint transformation one bit!
They found Romabio after researching our products extensively and knew that the only way to paint brick with confidence is with a mineral-based, breathable paint.
But before they chose their color, they used these 5 Steps Before Painting Your Exterior to help decide.
They then chose their custom color and eventually worked with us to curate Richmond White as well as a few other timeless hues that are still part of our color collection.
While searching for the perfect color for the exterior of their brick colonial, Sherry used inspiration from an area called The Fan in Richmond of the 100+ year-old houses that reflect the area’s rich architectural history.
If you ever walked around that area, you would see very inspiring colors — but unfortunately also paint that is chipping and peeling away! The Petersik’s wanted to achieve a beautiful, colonial-style flat finish with historic architectural vibes, but without the long-term problems of ‘painting brick’ with acrylic or latex paint. Luckily, that’s what you don’t have to worry about with Romabio.
Sherry and John could have chosen Romabio Classico Limewash as a distressed, antique finish, but they wanted full coverage and extreme durability.
Romabio Masonry Flat was the perfect choice. It provides a beautiful, permanent flat finish that is breathable, environmentally friendly, and designed for little to no maintenance. Masonry Flat is:
- Ideal for brick, stone, or stucco
- Does not chip, peel or flake off when applied properly
- Requires only 2 coats, no primer for unpainted, absorbent masonry
The best part is it comes with a 20-year warranty, when applied as directed.
After selecting Masonry Flat, Sherry and John then focused on curating their color – a sophisticated, warm off-white with very slight yellow undertones and named it later after their hometown of Richmond, VA.
With our gorgeous, flat finish and a 20-year warranty, you can be sure you’re choosing the perfect paint for your masonry.
We also offer a slightly textured version, Masonry Textured, that is perfect for exterior or interior projects. And both can be custom tinted by independent paint retailers that sell Romabio paints, and both are perfect for exterior or interior projects.
In her blog post, Sherry gives you all the details, but we love how she explains that “anything with too much color saturation can quickly read as “too crazy” or “too bright” on a home’s exterior, especially when the sun hits it. So, things needed enough gray or tan (aka “muddiness”) in the color to keep it classic and stately.”
“We took a lot of our inspiration for the collection from many of the historic painted brick homes in our hometown of Richmond. Choosing a beautiful but practical color for the exterior of your home is a huge obstacle for most homeowners. Romabio’s high quality mineral-based paints do not harm brick, so John and I felt confident our followers would love this product as much as we do.” – Sherry Petersik
After Sherry and John transformed their home own their own with Romabio, we joined forces and worked on perfecting the colors for our color collection.
Young House Love was a perfect fit for Romabio because their style is very classic and timeless, just like Richmond White and the other colors they chose. If you keep it simple, you’ll love your home for decades to come.
When it was finally time to reveal her exterior transformation with Masonry Flat to the world, her reveal date coincided with Halloween. Sherry posted a hauntingly beautiful and happy image of her kids in costume staring at the house from the end of their driveway after trick-or-treating.
Here’s Sherry’s priceless reaction,
“I’M SO FREAKING EXCITED ABOUT OUR PAINTED BRICK HOUSE THAT I LITERALLY CANNOT EVEN. I am unable to even. And I’m a 36-year-old suburban mom, so that’s saying something.”
Listen to Young House Love podcast (episode #139) to hear all of the details about their exterior home transformation, directly from them!
You can always go back and reference their podcast show notes where they layout everything they covered in the podcast.
An important detail to note is that John and Sherry, while famous for their DIY design, worked with a Romabio Preferred PRO to have their exterior professionally painted.
If your home is multi-story or large, or you simply don’t have the time, it is important to choose the right paint PRO, especially one that understands the right products to use for painted brick.
If you’re ready to hire a Romabio Preferred PRO now, fill out this form, and we’ll connect you to one near you.
Additional Resources:
https://romabio.com/which-paint-is-best-for-your-home/
https://romabio.com/debunking-4-myths-of-mineral-paint/
https://romabio.com/waterproof-brick-stone-to-protect-your-homes-beauty-2/
https://romabio.com/tips-for-hiring-a-professional-painter/
Masonry Flat on the Young House Love Home Year-Round
