Have you ever looked at your home’s exterior and thought that it needed a facelift? Who hasn’t, right? But what if your home is made of brick? Does that mean your options are limited to painting only the wooden exterior features and freshening up the landscaping? The short answer is NO – it’s entirely possible to paint a brick exterior! But don’t go running out to the paint store just yet. First let D.A.B. Painting, your favorite brick painters in Asheville, give you the full scoop on all that is involved in painting brick exteriors.
Factors to Consider
There are several important points to be aware of when you’re trying to decide if you should paint your home’s brick exterior. These points don’t necessarily fall into “pro” or “con” categories; they’re simply questions that will lead you to make a well-educated decision. Before you paint, you should know your answers to the following:
Do the bricks on my home’s exterior possess any historical significance? Depending on the year your house was built, there’s a chance that your home’s brick may possess unique qualities that makes it worth more in its original state. Do some digging on the history of your home to learn more before deciding on painting.
How low (or high) maintenance do I expect my home’s exterior to be? Every type of exterior requires some degree of maintenance. Traditional brick exterior is extremely low maintenance, mostly consisting of a simple annual inspection for damage/deterioration. Painted brick exterior requires a moderate level of maintenance. The homeowner should be prepared to inspect and clean the exterior annually and repaint the exterior as often as needed to prevent chipping or peeling.
Am I prepared to make a permanent change to my home’s exterior? Once a brick exterior is painted over, it can’t easily be restored to its original appearance. Take your time making this decision. The good news is that – painted or not – your brick exterior is an incredibly valuable asset, and you won’t need to worry that your decision to paint will negatively impact that. In fact, many homeowners have reported that the increase in curb appeal from painting their brick exterior led to increased home value.
The Process
Although we are typically huge fans of DIY projects, painting a brick exterior is one of those types of projects where we strongly encourage you hire – or at the very least consult – a professional. Here’s why: brick is porous and can be permanently damaged if the wrong products or processes are used. When you hire professional exterior home painters in Western North Carolina, you are ensuring a high-quality paint job that not only looks great but also preserves the integrity of your home’s first line of defense.
When you hire D.A.B. Painting to take care of your exterior brick painting needs, we take time to ensure every step is done with precision, efficiency and professionalism. Our process includes:
1. Clean Surface. If your brick exterior is well-maintained and in good condition, cleaning may be as simple as a running a garden hose stream over the full exterior to loosen and remove any dirt. Alternately, if there is evidence of mold or mildew, that will need to be addressed differently. Typically, a bleach and water solution (a cup of bleach for every gallon of water) and a natural or synthetic bristle brush will do the trick with a little elbow grease.
2. Repair Damage. Two of the most common types of damage that occur in brick exteriors are water damage and mortar/joint damage. With either, it’s critical to repair the damage with the right process and products – we strongly encourage you to hire a professional to ensure the very best care is taken. D.A.B. Painters are experts at assessing and repairing water damage as well as repointing areas of mortar damage. We also specialize in restoring historic homes.
3. Prime. The primer helps make the paint or stain “stick” better to the surface of the brick. We recommend using one that is made specifically for brick and masonry. Those products tend to provide better coverage as well as offering more alkaline resistance. Our personal favorite primer to work with when painting brick exterior is Loxon by Sherwin Williams because it is made specifically for masonry surfaces.
4. Paint/Stain. Now it’s time for the fun part! Once the layer(s) of primer dries, it’s time for the application of your choice of paint or stain. For best results, we typically work with an Elastomeric coating like Conflex by Sherwin Williams, which is excellent for filling and preventing cracks or a high-quality acrylic latex exterior paint like Emerald by Sherwin Williams, which will do a great job defending your home against mildew and moisture.
Brick Painters in Asheville
Whether you are considering painting your home’s brick exterior or you’re looking to tackle another type of painting project, D.A.B. Painters are here to help you along every step of the way. We recommend starting with our FREE ESTIMATE so that our painting team can understand the full scope of how we can best serve you. We can’t wait to help you turn your home improvement dreams into a reality!
