Brickwork houses are incredible, and all but the novelty tends to wear off eventually. Once you have lived through the honeymoon phase with your brickwork house, you may get this itch to change the house’s looks. And what’s the best way to change the look of a house? You paint it.
Unfortunately, unlike a more conventional house, brickwork houses are a task to paint. About 90 percent of the whole process involves prepping the exterior brickwork for a coat of paint. The actual painting of the brickwork is the last step and possibly the least labor-intensive.
Since you’re here, it’s safe to assume that you have decided to paint your brickwork house. Here’s what you need to know before you put a coat of paint onto that weathered exterior of your home.
Give Your Brickwork at Least a Year Before You Coat It
Any comprehensive online guide on exterior brickwork painting will tell you that you don’t apply a layer of fresh paint on a brand new brick. This is like exterior brickwork painting 101. The main reason behind this is that brand-new brickwork is not an ideal canvas for the paint.
You’ll find that a newly constructed brick-and-mortar wall always exudes a powdery substance, which is not ideal for painting. The brickwork is going to be highly chalky, making your paintwork peel off. To prevent this, you need to find out more about the role of various factors before painting the brickwork, especially the weather conditions.
Wait for a couple of months before you decide to paint the exterior. The best would be to wait for a year, allowing bricks to leach and weather naturally.
Get Rid Of All Debris
The next order of the day is to make sure that the surface you’ll be painting is clean. It’s common sense that paint or anything adhesive won’t stick if the surface is dirty. To ensure that your layer of paint stays put, you need to clean the brickwork thoroughly to get off all debris, grime, and grease.
You can use a water jet, brush, or a cloth to wipe off the section you are about to paint. If you’re using a water power jet, give the wall time to dry before you paint. Additionally, fix up any missing mortar or cracks in the wall.
Give the Paint Something To Stick to
It doesn’t matter whether you’re painting new or old brickwork inside or outside; you must follow the protocol and use a primer. Good primer bites into the brick, wrap around all brick pores and covers the nooks and crannies. This way, the paint will adhere perfectly to the brick and look clean.
The best primer for the job would be the one made especially for brick and masonry. The brick and masonry primers are thinner than usual. This is because the consistency allows it to penetrate the porous surface to bind all chalky and loose debris. Masonry primers also have higher alkaline resistance, which protects the paint from alkali burn.
Your Paint Is Only as Strong As the Tool You Use
Since brickwork is textured, you would need proper tools to paint it. The best means to paint the brickwork is a paint roller, which will make it easy to cover the brickwork completely. However, you will have to apply extra force in brick to get paint into all crevices. Therefore, you must get heady-duty paint rollers with wire roller frames and metal extension poles.
Next up, get a professional-grade paintbrush with synthetic bristles for the brushwork. You will need different brushes to efficiently paint the exterior brickwork, including a small angled brush for reaching smaller crevices, a medium-size angled brush, and a large-size brush for regular painting.
Other tools you may require are painter’s tape, paint tray for a paint roller, ladder, and drop cloths, among others. Anything you think you might need while painting the exterior should be within an arm’s reach while painting.
Put Your Brush Onto That Brick
Now that you have prepared everything, you’re ready to paint that brickwork. You can choose from latex or acrylic paint for your brickwork, which is easy to clean up and dry quickly. On the other hand, an oil-based paint will take longer to dry and have a harder finish.
As long as you have primed the brickwork, you can use any sheen or finish of the paint. Usually, higher-sheen is preferred by many because of its resistance to external weather conditions. Make sure to use weather-proof paint if you are painting exterior brickwork.
There you have it! Following the steps above will help you have fun while painting brickwork and ensure that the paintwork looks good in the end.
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