Tips for Painting a Brick House Exterior

Painting over brick is a great way to modernize any exterior — a fresh paint job helps improve your home’s curb appeal.

Whether it’s a deteriorating brick wall or an unappealing shade, a lick of paint can elevate your home exteriors to a classic and contemporary style.

But painting a brick wall isn’t as simple as coating a layer across a drywall. If the paint job is done incorrectly, you could end up with flaking paint or a tarnished coat.

In this article, we discuss primary methods for painting a brick house exterior and what you need to consider to ensure a smooth finish.  

Is Painting Brick House Exterior a Good Idea?

Homeowners can choose to paint brick exteriors for several reasons. As per research, exterior brick painting is an inexpensive way to revive your home’s curb appeal.

Here’s why:

• Visual Impact: Creating major visual impact with a newly renovated brick exterior makes it appealing to potential buyers. Painting brick exteriors also allows you to hide imperfections like efflorescence or chuffs.
• Increases your home’s lifespan: Protecting your brickwork with a fresh coat of paint helps protect it against the elements, like rain, snow, or hail. You can weatherproof the exteriors with a brick sealer to reduce fading and deterioration.
• Easy to clean and maintain: Painting a brick exterior creates a smooth surface that is easier to clean with occasional power washing. In contrast, an unpainted brick surface is difficult to clear away because it is naturally porous.

Should you paint a brick home on your own?

Painted brick homes offer stunning results, but the real problem lies in carrying out a proper paint job. But should you paint the exterior brick on your own or hire an expert?

There are several risks to DIY house painting, such as having to freshen the paintwork time and again. This proves to be a costly investment in the longer run.

But with a professional house painter, you can find the right brick paint and ensure long-lasting results.

Painting Your Home’s Exterior Brick Walls

Things to Consider When Painting a Brick House Exterior

According to the Brick Industry Association, brick exteriors require a fresh coat of paint every three to five years. Based on research, you should avoid painting new, porous bricks, giving it a year or so for the mortar and efflorescence to leach out of the brickwork.

The average cost of painting a brick house by a professional is anywhere between $15 to $45 per square metre. Depending on the size of your home exteriors, you can determine the quote for a quality finish paint job from an expert.

The chemical property of the bricks also impacts the paint job. It’s important to pick a suitable paint with specific adhesive properties. Whilst sealing exterior brick walls, opt for breathable paint to prevent any kind of moisture absorption.

Painting on brick exteriors accounts for a permanent change. This means you cannot go back to the original design. Even trying to remove paint from brick exteriors can prove to be very costly. Additionally, painted brick walls require more cleaning.

Choose Your Paint for a Brick Exterior

Selecting the right kind of paint for a brick house will depend on its application.

You should start with a quality sealer, primer, and an undercoat paint. For the topcoat, choose a paint that resists water, heat, and flaking when exposed to severe weather conditions.

To ensure you’re getting the right quote for a paint job, it’s best to speak to experts at a local retail store. You can also get in touch with a professional painting company and discover more options for painting a brick house.

Appropriate Tools for Brick Wall Painting

There are a number of tools a professional painter might use for brick wall painting, including:

• Angled brush (medium-sized)
• Paint tray and stirrer
• Drop sheets and drop clothes
• Painter’s tape and roller frame
• Synthetic roller with a nap range (3/4th to 1 inch)
• Extension pole for hard to reach areas
• Alkaline-resistant primer
• Masonry sealer and scrub brush
• Paint for weatherproofing brick walls

Preparing the Brick Surface

Before you start painting, it’s important to inspect and clean your exterior walls.

This practice ensures your brickwork remains clear and intact. It also helps you identify damaged masonry and other signs of property damage, such as leaks, gaps, and holes. For instance, filling any gaping holes with grouting cement.

Check the brick exterior for white crystalline residue, known as efflorescence. This powder-like substance accumulates when moisture gets through the brick’s porous surface. You should clean the residue using a solution of 5% vinegar mixed in water.

After inspection, give your brick walls a thorough scrub with soapy water and a stiff brush to remove all loose material, like debris and grime. You must wait for the paint to dry within 24 hours, and then commence painting.

To paint brick houses that are newly constructed, it is essential to wait for a minimum of 28 days, once the bricks are laid down. This process ensures the brick walls are dry and bonded before you start the paint job.

Once the brick surface is clean and dry, apply painter’s tape and cover surfaces along the door and window frames, around edges and corners you don’t want painted. Using a primer and sealer, you can help prevent the colour from showing on the topcoat.

Painting Your Home’s Brick Exteriors

Some tips if you are planning a DIY project to paint your brick home:

• Stir your paint for a consistent coat across the walls
• Wash the brush and roller beforehand to soak up more paint
• Use an angled brush to cut in and around hard to reach areas
• Coat the wall in sections, moving from one space to the other
• Paint in the top left corner of your wall and move downwards
• Go over your largest areas first and aim for an even coverage
• Ensure the first coat has dried properly before repeating
• Apply a second and third coat for brick wall exteriors

What Does Reviving by Painting Exterior Brick Mean?

Repainting a brick exterior is a great way to revive its appearance and prevent any form of brick. deterioration. In case of a deteriorating brick house, you must repair the damaged bricks first with premixed acrylic mortar patch. You can also use a latex masonry primer, to cover parts of the brick and mortar, including caulking holes and gaps to prevent seepage.

What Exterior Paint Colour Increases the Resale Value of Your Home?

According to experts, houses with pleasing exteriors have a 7% higher selling price compared to houses that don’t. In fact, the type of paint colour you choose for a brick home also has a huge impact on its resale value.

In an article by Reader’s Digest, the best exterior paint colours for brick houses are classic white shades that appeal to a wide range of buyers or sage green exteriors for a lighter, fresh, and neutral facelift.

Want to Remodel Your Brick Wall But Not Sure What Works? Talk to Our Painting Professionals

Painting a brick exterior is a great way to create visual impact and improve your home’s curb appeal, according to Forbes.

With professional exterior painters, you can ensure your brick home is painted properly and effectively, for the years to come. Qualified painters use only the best quality material for a flawless paint job for the best home improvement experience.

Forget the hassles of DIY and invest in professional painting services with Hunter Valley Painting. Whether you’re seeking a new colour scheme or want to replace existing brickwork, connect with our specialized team.

Hunter Valley Painting combines affordability and quality workmanship to deliver quality results every time. Our team is fully licensed with over 10 years of experience, delivering exceptional results to our customers in the Newcastle and Maitland area.

We offer a wide range of residential painting services, including high-quality masonry paintwork for brick exteriors. We use only the best quality painting tools and supplies in order to achieve the best possible results and ensure a clean, consistent finish that will last.

To learn more about painting exterior brick, speak to an expert today or send us an enquiry right here.