Five Things You Need To Know About Painting Your Brick Home
If you are anxious to change the appearance of your home, one option that you might consider is painting your brick home. However, painting brick is a bit trickier than painting other surfaces, like siding, wood, or aluminum. Here is what you need to know about painting your brick home.
1. It is Difficult to Remove Paint from Brick
Make sure that you are absolutely positive that you want to paint your brick. The process to remove paint from a brick is time consuming and expensive. You have to literally sandblast the paint off the brick or use a harsh chemical treatment. Both options can damage your brick when performed incorrectly.
2. Painting Brick is a Task Best Left to Professionals
Don't try to paint your brick home yourself; this is a meticulous process that needs to be handled by someone with experience applying exterior paint. Know that brick is a porous material; this makes it difficult to apply a coat of paint evenly. When brick cannot adequately breathe, it begins to break down. If you see brick that is crumbling or chipping away, this means that the brick has been damaged. This deterioration can actually cause structural damage to your home's exterior.
A special type of permeable paint and the proper painting technique are necessary when painting brick so that you do not smother it.
3. Painting Might Not be the Best Option for Sprucing Up Your Brick
Painting is not the only alternative for changing the appearance of your brick home. Instead of applying paint to the brick, you can have your painting contractor apply a stain or lime wash to your home's exterior. Both of these options will alter your brick home's hue without interfering with your brick's ability to breathe. They also enhance, rather the cover, the natural beauty of your brick.
4. Maintenance is Necessary to Keep the Paint Look Fresh
Like an outside surface, the paint on your brick home will eventually begin to peel and fade. This makes regular maintenance a necessity to keep the exterior of your home looking its best. You should anticipate having your brick repainted about every 5 to 10 years.
5. The Brick Has to Be Prepped Before the Painting Process
Before painting your brick, your painting contractor will have to thoroughly clean the exterior of your home. This helps ensure that all of the bricks are clean so that the paint or stain will adhere evenly to each surface. Your contractor will likely use a pressure washer to make sure that every surface of your brick is clean and ready for paint.
Visit a site like http://stetsonpainting.com for more help.