Should you paint a brick house?

Painting brick is a good idea when the walls are dry and you'll keep it painted

Painting brick works well when the walls are sound and dry, and you're happy to keep them painted from here on. Haymes lists the times brick is a good fit for paint:

• The brick colour feels dated.
• An extension's brick doesn't match the original house.
• The walls have weathered unevenly over time.
• The brick has already been painted.

Some houses need work before any paint goes on. Haymes says homes with ongoing damp, rising moisture, badly worn mortar or walls that are moving should have those fixed first. Heritage homes may also have extra requirements that affect whether painting is right for them.

One myth worth clearing up. Painting brick doesn't trap moisture by itself. Haymes says moisture trouble in painted brick is more likely when damp is ignored or the prep gets skipped. So if your brick is solid and dry, and the colour bugs you every time you pull into the drive, paint is a fair choice. If you like the brick and it's in good shape, leaving it is just as fair.

Paint, limewash or leave it: each one suits a different brick house

None of the three options is right for every brick house. Here's how they compare, going by what Dulux, Haymes and the Queensland Government say. The limewash column stays short on purpose, since our limewash on brick guide covers it properly.

Leaving the brick doesn't mean leaving the whole house. Eaves, fascias, gutters and window frames still cop the weather, and you can paint those on their own. You can get a quote on eaves, fascias and gutters on their own from our exterior house painters.

The downsides of painting brick: it's hard to undo and it needs upkeep

The two big downsides are that painted brick is hard to reverse and it has to be looked after. A Queensland Government technical note on paint removal says every method of taking paint off brick or stone will damage the base material to some extent. That's why Haymes says to treat painting brick as a long-term design decision.

Then there's damp. The same Queensland note says moisture in an older wall can get trapped behind a paint film and weaken its grip. On damp or eroded brick, it says many modern paints are likely to break down within five years. Sound, dry brick is a different story. That's why the moisture check comes before anything else.

Upkeep is the other cost. Dulux recommends washing its Weathershield exterior paint every 6 months in coastal areas and every year in sheltered or inland ones. Haymes says to keep checking gutters, downpipes, drainage and mortar joints on painted brick. It calls the upkeep generally straightforward. For how long a repaint holds up, see how long exterior paint lasts.

White salt on brick means moisture: find the source before you paint

White, powdery salt on brick is called efflorescence, and it means water is moving through the wall. Haymes explains that moisture carries salts out to the face of the brick. The water dries off and the salt stays behind.

Dulux says efflorescence must come off before painting, because it's a weak, crumbly base that paint can't grip. Worse, salt crystals growing under a paint film can push the paint off the wall. Brushing it off isn't the end of it, though. Dulux says efflorescence only stops when moisture stops moving through the wall, so the water source has to be found.

Taubmans says efflorescence is a frequent issue in coastal or poorly ventilated homes. That's worth knowing on the Sunshine Coast. Haymes says to look hardest where water collects: around gutters, downpipes, retaining walls and garden beds.

If paint on your brick is already bubbling or flaking from salt, Dulux says don't repaint until the moisture is found and fixed. That may need a waterproofing specialist.

How brick gets painted: the prep and paint steps in order

Brick gets washed, cleared of salt, repaired, sealed where it's porous, then given two or more coats. Here's the order, drawn from Dulux's Weathershield instructions and efflorescence advice, and the Haymes brick guide.

1. Let new brick cure. Dulux says unpainted masonry needs 28 days before paint.
2. Check for damp. Dulux says to avoid painting masonry with a moisture reading above 10% on a standard moisture meter.
3. Wash it down. Use water and a stiff brush to shift loose sand, cement and dirt.
4. Take off the salt. Dulux says dry brush with a stiff brush, then sponge on a 5% white vinegar solution, wipe down and let it dry.
5. Treat mould or moss. Dulux says a bleach solution or demossing chemical, then hose off.
6. Fill holes. Dulux says grouting cement for holes in masonry.
7. Test old paint. On painted brick, use Dulux's tape test: cut an X, press 10cm of tape over it and rip it off fast. If paint lifts, the loose paint has to come off. Haymes says to smooth the rough edges too.
8. Seal porous brick. Haymes says porous brick soaks up paint unevenly, and a sealer undercoat gives a more even base.
9. Put on the topcoats. On very porous walls, Dulux says to thin the first coat with up to 100mL of water per litre.
10. Pick the day. Dulux says it has to stay above 5°C while the paint goes on and dries. Rain or overnight dew on wet paint can damage it.

Paint on older homes can contain lead (the Queensland Government says high-lead paints were used in many Australian houses before 1970), so have old paint tested before you sand or scrape it.

Painting a second storey means working at heights, and that's a job for a professional. Safe Work Australia lists scaffolding and work platforms among the ways to prevent falls. Safe Work Australia says working at heights is high risk and one of the main causes of death and serious injury at work in Australia. In Queensland, anyone you pay for building work valued over $3,300 needs a QBCC licence, so check your painter's licence.

What paint to use on brick: an exterior acrylic made for masonry

Use a quality water-based exterior acrylic that suits masonry, over a sealer where the brick needs one. Dulux's trade advice says the acrylic binder in a top quality 100% acrylic exterior paint resists alkali attack. On fresh masonry, it pairs that paint with an alkali-resistant sealer or water-based primer underneath. Here's what a few makers say about their own products.

Two kinds of paint cause trouble on brick. A Queensland Government note says alkali from lime mortar and salts may attack oil-based paints. Dulux says solvent-based coatings on new masonry that hasn't fully cured can lose colour and break down. Dulux also warns against coatings with moisture barrier properties on walls showing damp or salt, saying they're likely to make the problem worse, move it or spread it.

A product in that table isn't a pick for your house. The right system depends on the brick's condition, and that's something to look at on site. For a similar job on cement render, see painting rendered walls.

Good colours for a brick house start with the roof and the trims

A good colour for a brick house is one that works with the parts you're not painting, like the roof, gutters, window frames and garage door. Haymes says to plan the whole exterior palette, from the roof to the garage door.

Dulux's colour advice says clay in brown and terracotta hues suits warmer tones, while concrete in greys and blues suits cooler ones. If some brick is staying bare and it's a brown or terracotta clay, Dulux's advice points to warmer tones.

Lighter colours are popular for painted brick, Haymes says. Dulux warns that whites have undertones you'll notice next to other colours, surfaces and even your garden. Test yours with a sample pot on the wall first. Our guide to choosing a white paint goes deeper.

Dark colours work too. Dulux says moody greys, blues, reds and greens help a home look solid and grounded, with a contrasting accent on doors, windows and trims. Haymes says to check the Light Reflectance Value advice before you settle on a dark exterior colour. If the house mixes brick with other materials, Dulux suggests two tones. More ideas are in choosing exterior house colours.

What painting a brick house costs on the Sunshine Coast

Our instant estimate doesn't have a set figure for brick, so we price brick homes after a free site visit. The things that move the price are how much brick there is, whether it's been painted before, how much salt and damp needs sorting, and whether a second storey needs scaffold.

If you leave the brick and just paint the timber, a stand-alone eaves, fascias and gutters job comes up in the instant estimate at $1,500 to $4,500 including GST for a standard repaint of a single-storey home in good condition. That's the instant estimate's guide range, not a quote, and you get a firm price after a free site visit.

For how other wall types are priced, see exterior house painting cost and the full house painting cost guide. We've painted Sunshine Coast homes since 1985 under QBCC licence 1281728, from Buderim to the rest of our service areas. Call 0403 571 616 or get a free quote.