How to Paint Brick
Do you have an old brick fireplace or masonry surface that you think would look better if repainted? Painting brick is a great idea, although before you get your paintbrush and paint, you must learn these steps first.
What You’ll Need:
Wire brush or putty knife
Silicon or acrylic caulk
Old newspaper or cloths
Water
Bleach
Exterior latex primer
Masonry finish paint
Paintbrush
Roller
Procedure:
Ready the brick surface to be painted, as well as the area around it. Cover surfaces with newspapers or old cloths. This can be a messy project, and you don’t want to put paint on any surface other than the bricks. It’s also a good idea to wear goggles and gloves to protect your eyes and hands.
Get your wire brush, and use it to remove dust, dirt, mortar material and loose brick from the surface you’re going to paint. You can also use a putty knife for this task. Scrape thoroughly. Afterward, seal the cracks with acrylic caulk or silicon.
Clean the entire brick surface with water. If there’s mildew present, make a water-bleach solution with a 3:1 ratio and use it to wash the bricks. If there aren’t any mildew, just use a regular hose to clean the whole surface, setting the nozzle to the highest pressure possible. Let it dry thoroughly, for at least 24 hours.
Create a primer-water mixture with a 1:1 ratio, producing a stain-like consistency. This makes the primer soak into the mortar and brick. Prime the whole surface starting from the bottom and going upwards, so it’ll be easier. Use a regular paintbrush to paint over the edge areas that the roller won’t reach. Allow the primer to dry completely.
After the first coat of primer has dried, add another coat of straight primer. This time, though, you can use the primer full-strength, without adding water. You’ll get a fantastic adhesive that will bind to the top coat effectively. Let it dry again.
Use the roller and the brush to apply masonry finish paint on the surfaces. Apply this from top and going down. Two coatings will suffice, but if not, you can add another extra coat. Just remember to let the coats dry before adding the next one.
Some Tips:
Pick a paint color that suits your home and the bricks. You can use satin, flat or semi-gloss. Just remember to use latex paint.
Check first if lead paint is present in the surface you’re painting. If there is, don’t scrape or sand it, and ask a specialist to take care of it for you. Lead paint is hazardous.
If you think the brick surface still looks lovely, you can choose to leave it as it is. Brick is beautiful, and painting it would mean a lot of maintenance work.
Brick surfaces are delightful, but sometimes, they’ll look better after given a fresh coat of paint. Just keep these tips in mind when you choose to do this project.