How to paint a brick: composition properties, selection of suitable materials and paint application
In most cases, the designs are made of or varnished. Brickwork in this case takes on a completely different aesthetic, unique and individual look. In addition, the finishing coating well protects the walls of the building, especially from the outside, from the negative effects of the environment. How to paint a brick, and what materials to choose for this, you will learn by reading our article.
If you compare painting with plastering, then it is undoubtedly easier to perform and the repair costs will not hit your wallet too hard. In addition, to perform self-coloring of brickwork, specific skills and complex tools are not required.
What kind of paint is suitable
Given the range of manufactured and sold paints and varnishes, the question of how to paint a brick should not torment you much.
IMPORTANT: Let's immediately note one very important point. The brick surface, decorated with paintwork, must necessarily "breathe". This means that the paint must be selected appropriate, that is, vapor-permeable.
Otherwise, if this extremely important point is not taken into account, you will receive a crude box, practically unsuitable for living.
Compound properties
Let's decide what properties paint on brick should have:
- The paint must have the property of vapor permeability;
- For it is necessary to choose heat-resistant, that is, withstanding a temperature difference from -50 ° C to 50 ° C above zero. This is especially true of the northern regions, where such temperature drops are a natural norm;
- The composition of the material must be suitable for finishing brick surfaces. It should be taken into account in advance that not every composition is suitable for this purpose;
- Brickwork, as a rule, has a high content of alkaline compounds, and this, in turn, can adversely affect a finishing coating that is not intended for this purpose. Conclusion: it is advisable to take these points into account when choosing one or another type of paint.
Brick, in fact, was not originally intended for painting with your own hands. Being produced in the factory, it can have different geometric and color parameters and does not require any design manipulations.
Choose the right materials yourself
If the question arises of finishing, then it is advisable to use only those materials that meet all the above requirements to the highest degree.
TIP: You do not need to particularly trust sellers with. The best option would be if you read the composition yourself and evaluate how suitable it is for your purposes.
Many experts strongly recommend the use of silicate, cement or acrylic polymer-based compositions when decorating brickwork. Also, a silicone-based composition is perfect for external walls, but it should be noted that it is much more expensive.
When choosing, it is better to give preference to compositions that do not contain solvents, since such coatings dry much faster, and this is a very important point, especially when finishing facades.
TIP: When choosing a paint, do not forget to also purchase primers. Although many people convince that brick painting can be carried out without pre-treatment, but still, the best option would be to prime the base with those types of primer solutions that are similar in composition to the chosen paint.
Painting of bricks should not be carried out with such types of compositions as, for example, fire-retardant paints for metal Polistil or, no less well-known, electrically conductive paint Zinga, since these protective coatings are intended for metal elements.
For particularly complex coatings, when the question arises, for example, how to paint silicate brick, then a water-based acrylic composition is most suitable here. The coloring of silicate brick requires a preliminary primer. If you do not follow this procedure, then the coating will last a very short time.
In some cases, when facing the external walls of a house or any other building, decorative bricks are used for painting. The composition of this material includes components that interact well and are firmly connected with paint and varnish coatings. Acrylic-based solutions are suitable for finishing such a cladding.
The same compositions are used, for example, for painting a brick balcony or any other internal walls of buildings.
In general, acrylic or silicone-based compounds are completely universal and can be used on almost all surfaces, both stone and wood, or covered with a plaster layer. They are composed of state-of-the-art polymer components that contribute to high-strength engagement with bases, even as complex as silicate ones.
The surface treated with these materials is smooth and easy to clean. It should also be noted another advantage is the maintainability of coatings. For repairs, it is not at all necessary to repaint the entire wall completely, but it is enough to update only the problem area.
Painting process
The preparatory part of the wall decoration process is mandatory and includes the following steps:
- All peeling and interfering parts of brick and masonry cement mortar are cleaned from the wall and, if necessary, partially renew the seams;
- Before painting, it is desirable to strengthen the base with an acrylic primer. To do this, it is enough to apply one layer of soil evenly over the entire surface with a wide brush or, even better, with an airbrush. Often one layer will be enough.
- After priming, the substrate must be thoroughly dried.
Paint application
It is more expedient to apply paint with an electric spray gun, especially if a sufficiently large area of \u200b\u200bthe walls is processed. If there is no spray gun, a regular wide brush or a large paint roller with a shaggy working base will do.
The technology itself and the instructions for applying paint and varnish coatings are practically no different from applying to any other base.
It is advisable to apply two coats of latex-based semi-gloss paints in order to paint over the surface completely and evenly.
It is advisable to use lighter compositions for decorating the facade or interior walls. Thus, you visually expand the interior space, and soften the dark shade of the stone wall from the outside.
Weather conditions when performing work on finishing external walls must be taken into account first of all. So, for example, the most favorable time for holding such events is early autumn, it is also called "Indian summer", when the sun's rays are not so scorching, and the winds will not cover the newly decorated facade with dirt and dust.
It must be remembered that when decorating brick walls with paintwork, sooner or later it will still have to be updated. In order for the coating to last as long as possible, it is necessary to choose only the appropriate types of paints, the price of which can be much higher than usual.
Summary
We hope our article helped you deal with the question of how to paint brickwork with your own hands. Now you know what types of paints are used to finish a particular design, and how the work process itself is carried out. For clarity, you can watch the video in this article just covering this topic.