Is Painting Exterior Brick a Good Idea?

Congratulations are in order. You have finally purchased your own home. You searched for months because you had your heart set on a brick exterior. But your diligence and patience paid off. You were able to secure a great percentage rate & price for your new beautiful brick home. You feel great about the whole process.

Except for one thing…

Does your brick exterior have to stay the same boring color forever?

You are absolutely thrilled to have found the perfect place in the best neighborhood to settle down and it is brick, just like you planned. But while you were planning to paint your new interior walls, you thought about the brick exterior.

Will you ever be able to update its color? Or are you stuck with a dated red or yellow brick forever?

Is Painting Your Brick Exterior a Good Idea?

The answer is yes. You can paint your brick exterior. However, there are a few very important things to consider before making this decision.

The first thing to know when you are considering painting your brick home is that it is very likely a permanent change. Once it is painted, it will always be painted brick and there may be no going back. You can try to remove paint from brick with chemicals, but you likely won’t be able to get it all off and you also risk damage to your brick home’s exterior

The second very important factor is that painted brick does require more maintenance. Just like other painted exteriors, you will need to scrape and repaint to keep it looking good. So understand that you are creating more maintenance for yourself if you are planning to live there for many years.

You should also consider the condition of your brick exterior. Very, very old brick really should not be painted.

A Few Tips for Painting Your Brick Exterior

Use the Proper Paint

You need to make sure you use an exterior paint rated for use on masonry. Traditionally, experts have not recommended painting brick because normal acrylic paint can trap water and moisture that will cause damage later.

However, now there are many different types of masonry paint and stain. There are mineral types that will not seal in excess moisture already within the brick-like acrylic paint.  You can use a breathable, mineral paint that does NOT seal the brick and allows the moisture to release, then you won’t have mold issues.

More Options than Paint

There are other options besides painting your brick exterior. You could use a brick stain or a limewash that provides a similar look to painting but is still breathable to allow any moisture that makes its way into the walls to escape.

Or you could try a technique called a German schmear. Which is a technique where you smear mortar mixed with cement over the brick to white it out. This can be done lightly to provide more of a whitewashed look or can be used in combination with a stained brick to provide a more consistent look similar to painted brick. Obviously, you should hire a professional if you are inexperienced in working with masonry and paint.

Paint at the Right Time

The weather can play an important role when you are painting exterior brick. Make sure to wait several days after the last rainstorm so the brick has some time to dry out completely. This helps to not trap moisture in your brick, which will lead to peeling paint and has the potential for other more serious exterior issues, as mentioned above.

So you may want to plan your exterior painting projects for the months that are usually drier than others in your region of the country.

These are just a few ideas to help you with painting your brick exterior. If you are planning to change your home’s brick exterior, CertaPro painters can help. They are experts in working with masonry projects and they can help you choose the perfect color too.

When you’re ready to paint your home’s brick exterior, give CertaPro of New Orleans a call at 504-264-6064 or schedule a free estimate online today!