Can I Paint My Brick Home? Tips for Painting Historic Homes in DC

The answer is yes.

It is, however, important to select the proper materials that will prevent any long-term damage of your brick exterior.

Here in the DC metropolitan and North Virginia region there are many stately and elegant homes built with brick.

It was an extremely popular building method for an extended period of time, and thousands of these historic and resilient homes grace the neighborhoods and tree-lined avenues of the city.

Over time, the brickwork and mortar may fade or weather poorly. Frequently homeowners look to freshen their faded or stained brick homes with a fresh coat of paint.

Painting a Brick Home? Watch out for the Mortar!

Old mortars were designed to breathe and allow moisture to move in and out of the bricks and joints. Latex paints or certain modern paint coatings can seal moisture in the brick walls. This causes such issues as:

• Paint bubbles
• Spalling (breaking into smaller pieces)
• Failed mortar joints

Even if your brick home was painted before you bought it, it is important to verify that there are no hidden issues with these three moisture-related concerns when you begin your project.

Faux Brick Painting

You may own a home that was painted in the past and would like to refresh the coat, but still maintain the historic feel of your home.

For example, we had one job site where an addition was built onto a historic brick home. The existing structure had extensive efflorescence-like white and yellowish staining. The new brick addition was the standard red. The clients wanted to match the addition to the existing stained style of the main house.

This required our painters to use artistic creativity with their brick exterior painting skills and match the natural stain patterns. While this technique is an advanced form of faux painting, it is something an experienced brick exterior painter should be prepared for.

“Painting” with Brick Sealer in North VA

We encounter brick house painting projects with a variety of requirements and desired outcomes. Sealing or waterproofing your brick exteriors can be done with special products like Behr Premium Low–Lustre Sealer. Many times this creates the “fresh look” our clients are looking for and has the added benefit of protecting the bricks and mortar from excessive moisture exposure.

Check out the exterior services we provide and feel free to call us and ask your questions. We are glad to lend you the benefit of our experience at any stage in the process of painting, sealing or repainting your brick exteriors.