Painting - painting blockwork on carport

We just bought a house that has hideous white blockwork for one wall of the carport walls (about 20'x6' worth of the stuff). We could knock it out, but I believe it provides some structural support.

Since we are changing the white shutters to black, I think a viable alternative to tearing it out would be to paint it black. That would make it less startling than the current white.

In my mind, the best way to paint it would be with a sprayer. It is not a completely solid structure, as there are holes in the design that you can see through and of course air passes through. Is there a special kind of paint that I would use to paint this blockwork? Does anyone have any experience painting this type of masonry that could give me a tip or two?

Troup

The decorative block you describe is never fun to paint. Spraying is the best bet but keep a brush handy because of all the angles you are likely to get runs. Any good latex house paint will do. Make sure the surface is clean and free of chaulk.

I would suggest powerwashing it first, and using an acrylic masonry primer for first coat.