Can I Paint My Brick?
May 18, 2022
Brick is a beautiful natural element that adds character to any interior or exterior space. It comes in a variety of colors. The most common brick colors are red brick, cream city brick and dark brown brick. A common complaint with brick is not being able to change the color and making sure your color scheme fits with the color and style of brick. Fortunately there are steps you can take to change the color of your brick to update your style or fit your color scheme! Here are a few popular techniques used.
Red Brick
Cream City Brick
Brown Brick
Painted Brick– Painting brick is the easiest option and completely covers the original brick color. First, you must wash the brick thoroughly. If your brick is older and starting to crumble you must get this patched prior to painting. The paint is only as good as the surface you are putting it on. Second, apply a concrete, brick and masonry primer to the surface. Brick is an extremely porous substrate and primer will help fill and seal. Lastly, apply the paint! You can use any color and sheen that fits your style.
White Washed Brick with Paint– White washing brick take a little more finesse than painting. White washing brick is transparent, so you will still be able to see some of the natural color coming though. This is a way to slightly change the color or look and tame down the intensity of the current color. First, wash the brick thoroughly and make any necessary repairs. Second, mix your white wash solution which is usually 50% water with 50% water based paint. You can play with the ratio to suite the look your going for. The more water the more transparent the result will be. Lastly, apply the white wash. You can use a brush and rag to apply. Go light with the wash at first. You can always come back and do a second coat if you are looking for more coverage.
Natural Lime Washed Brick– Lime washing brick is a natural option for giving you the white washed look without using paint. This mixture is durable unlike the paint mixed with water. First, clean and repair any areas of the brick. Second, mix your lime wash solution. 5-parts hydrated lime, 1-part table salt and water. The mixture should be the consistency of thin pancake batter. Lime is non-toxic and natural but is super alkaline so use a mask and gloves. Lastly, spritz brick with water. It needs to be slightly damp. Then use a paintbrush and apply wash to brick. Let dry. It takes much longer to dry than paint. You can do multiple applications <waiting 24 hours between> to achieve the opacity that you like. Lime wash will have a gritty natural finish that looks great on brick!
Painted Brick
White Washed Brick
