Quote:
Originally Posted by pj3000
If it's done correctly, with a natural, mineral-based/linseed oil paints, then frequent repainting won't be an issue. They allow moisture to escape from the brick, and won't cause efflorescence and spalling of the brick
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As you noted the building in Steely's picture "appears" to be a lime wash so there's no issue with moisture. In reality I doubt it's lime - buildings from that era were often built with a
rough textured face brick, so any paint (lime or not) would have that faded look unless the painter used a fat ass roller and a lot of pressure. but that also means the moisture can escape through all the nooks and crannies where the paint didn't reach.
I agree with the others who have mentioned bad window replacements... seems like almost every neighborhood building in Chicago has seen its original wood or steel windows replaced by cheap white vinyl. Unfortunately vinyl can't be painted so you're stuck with white forever unless you do another replacement. Black looks a little less jarring but traditionally the windows could have been any number of colors, usually muted green, blue, red etc.