Covering a brick wall with plaster is not the only way to protect the masonry from adverse effects and restore its appearance. The brick itself has an interesting, attractive texture and looks great not only on the facades of buildings, but also in the interior of the room. An alternative to plastering can be painting a brick wall.
Properly observed staining technology will help protect the brick balcony wall from destructive factors, get rid of salt deposits, and renew the color that has faded in the sun. A brick wall in the living room, bedroom or kitchen, not hidden under a layer of plaster and wallpaper, will be a stylish and effective design solution.
Before starting work, you need to remember that brick is a material that was not originally intended for painting. Therefore, when painting brickwork, it is necessary to take into account several important points.
No return back
If you want to paint a brick wall, then keep in mind that in the future you will no longer be able to return the brick to its natural color. It will no longer be possible to completely remove the paint from it, and every few years you will have to renew the coating.
No rush
The brick has a porous structure, sometimes they say that it "breathes". For this reason, after erecting a wall, you need to wait some time, during which it will weather and dry. The minimum period after which you can paint a new masonry is 1 month. But experts warn that if the wall is less than a year old, you should always be prepared for the fact that defects in the form of efflorescence and wet spots may appear on the paint.
Paint choice: outside and inside
There are many requirements for paint for painting bricks. The same paint is not suitable for work with an external wall and brickwork indoors.
Street wall paint
If you are going to ennoble an exterior wall, for example on an open balcony, you will need facade paint. But not any composition for outdoor work is suitable, it must necessarily have the following properties:
- high light fastness;
- alkali resistance - the cement mortar that holds the masonry can adversely affect the applied coating;
- water resistance - protects against the effects of precipitation, prevents unwanted absorption of moisture;
- high adhesion - adhesion to the painted surface;
- vapor permeability - a brick wall should "breathe", providing a microclimate inside the room;
- durability;
- damage resistance.
Acrylic latex, silicate and silicone paints have the necessary characteristics.
- Acrylic latex paint creates an excellent waterproof coating, prevents the appearance of efflorescence - white salt spots, has excellent elasticity and hiding power. Its disadvantage is the low vapor permeability.
- Silicate paint has excellent vapor permeability, which compensates for its low water resistance due to the rapid evaporation of water, resistance to microorganisms. Among its shortcomings, one can mention low elasticity, the inability to bridge small cracks.
- Silicone paint does not allow water to enter the walls, while allowing air to circulate through the coating, protects the wall from contamination. Thanks to its increased elasticity, it covers two-millimeter cracks. A unique property of silicone paint is the ability to apply it to a brick wall two days after the wall was erected. With all its advantages, this paint is not available to everyone because of its high cost.
Paint for a brick wall in a room
There is an opinion that indoors it is possible to successfully use facade paint, which is well suited for the porous surface of the brick. But many formulations can be unsafe due to the emitted volatile substances. To paint the wall in the room, you need to choose a material on a water-based and adhesive basis.
Alkyd paint will create a semi-gloss effect, acrylic will give a matte finish. If the area to be painted is small, you can choose an oil paint that will give the brick a soft sheen.
For rooms with high humidity - a bathroom or kitchen - special moisture-resistant materials are suitable. For a brick fireplace, you need to choose a heat-resistant composition.
Preparing a brick wall for painting
To achieve a high-quality result, the wall must be carefully prepared before starting painting work. Masonry processing includes several stages:
Wall cleaning. This can be done with a metal scraper and detergent. Areas where old paint or whitewash is present are treated with a solvent. Dirt, soap, coating particles are washed off with water.
Efflorescence removal. Salt deposits that have appeared on the wall are removed with a stiff brush. After this procedure, you will have to wait a few days. If salt crystals reappear, the surface will have to be treated with a special agent containing acid or ammonia.
Closing cracks. Small cracks can be easily covered with latex or alkyd paint. Large cracks will have to be sealed with cement mortar. To do this, they must first be well cleaned of dust and crumbs of old cement. After applying the solution, the wall is leveled with a brush. Then the wall must dry for at least 10 days. Excess dried mortar can be removed with a spatula.
Important! After washing the wall, you need to wait about a week for the absorbed moisture to come out of the pores of the brick.
Primer. The statement that a brick wall does not need a primer is erroneous. Here are a few reasons why priming brickwork is an important step in preparing a wall for painting:
- primer improves paint adhesion;
- provides water resistance;
- reduces paint consumption;
- increases the durability of the coating.
Tip: For best results, use a primer that has the same base as your chosen paint.
It is necessary to prime the wall in several layers, each subsequent one is applied only after the previous one has dried. If greasy spots appear on the surface, several layers of primer are additionally applied to them.
Let's start painting
To work, you will need several brushes:
- flat brush 7.5-10cm wide;
- thin brushes with an oblique edge for staining corners and seams.
If you chose acrylic paint, take quality brushes from polyester. For alkyd and oil, natural hair brushes are better suited. You can also use a roller with a long pile, but it is quite difficult to achieve a dense coating on a brick wall with it.
The painting process itself is quite simple. Work with the brush horizontally, moving from the top corner over the brickwork pattern. Painting should be done in several layers, each time waiting for the previous one to dry. The paint for the first layer can be slightly diluted with water, as it serves as an additional primer.
A more complex and time-consuming, but effective method of painting involves painting the surface of the bricks with one color, and the seams between them with paint of a contrasting tone.
Using a sponge, you can get the effect of old masonry. On a wall painted white, you can add a translucent layer of a different color with a sponge. With it, you can also add highlights using silver and gold paint, apply images under the stencil.
A carelessly applied layer can be obtained using a roller. If you roll it slightly on the surface, you can get a very interesting effect. Try it!
If you want to keep the color and pattern of the brickwork unchanged, you can varnish the wall instead of paint.
