Exterior Brick Painting

Brick is a porous material that can absorb moisture, and painting it can trap moisture inside, leading to mold, mildew, and other damage. Additionally, paint can peel and flake over time, requiring frequent maintenance and touch-ups. On the other hand, staining brick is a popular alternative to painting.

If you are choosing to paint brick, we highly recommend you use a high-quality advanced masonry paint that will prevent moisture from getting underneath the paint and that is completely breathable.

You can expect to pay $1.40 to $4.20 per square foot to paint a brick home. This comes out to a range of between $3,500 and $10,500 for 2,500 square feet of brick exterior, or about $7,000 on average.

How long does a brick paint job last? As with any exterior paint job, the average lifespan for painted brick is between 10 and 12 years. Your freshly coated bricks will have the longest lifespan with regular maintenance and cleaning.

With the right materials and a little concerted effort, it’s possible to remove paint from brick indoors in small applications such as interior walls or fireplaces—or outdoors, such as refreshing an area of brick pavers—by restoring them to near-original condition.

Using sealant is very important because bricks are porous, so they hold moisture. Moisture can get trapped inside the paint and cause the brick to crumble over time if you fail to use sealant.

In fact, painted brick requires regular maintenance–touch ups for chipped areas, cleaning on lighter colored brick, and fresh coats every so often. Moreover, painting your brick traps moisture and doesn’t let the brick breathe.

You shouldn’t be afraid to use paint on brick. It can be used to complement interior and exterior color schemes, or to hide old, weathered and beaten bricks. You just need the tools and know-how to get the job done. Keep reading to find out how to use this DIY painting guide.

PRIMING. If you are painting a bare exterior brick, you must prime it like most other bare surfaces before painting. This is because the paint will absorb into the brick rather than create a solid paint film.

You may be wondering “Can you even spray paint brick?” The short answer is: YES! Spray painting is a popular method of residential painting due to its fast application and ability to create smooth, even coats. It works by spraying out a mist of paint onto the desired surface with an air compressor or aerosol can.

The most important reason why you should use brick stain, instead of brick paint is that stain lasts longer than paint. Bricks are porous, so when you paint them with an exterior paint product, the paint is too thick to penetrate the surface and sits on top of them.

Generally speaking, though, it’s wise to repaint your brick exterior surfaces about every 5 years (which is standard for many types of siding). Staying the course every half-decade this way will ensure that your painted brick retains both its appearance and integrity.

In fact, painted brick requires regular maintenance–touch ups for chipped areas, cleaning on lighter colored brick, and fresh coats every so often. Moreover, painting your brick traps moisture and doesn’t let the brick breathe.

Another method of restoring the faded color of bricks is through painting them. Before painting, you need to rinse the bricks off first with water. Make sure that the bricks absorb the water. After that, scrub the bricks with a pre-paint cleaner before they entirely dry up.