Can you paint interior brick walls?

Yes, inside brick takes paint once it's clean, dry and sealed

Inside brick can be painted, but it isn't a plasterboard wall and it shouldn't be treated like one. Haymes explains why. Brick is highly porous, it soaks up paint unevenly, and its mortar joints add a lot of surface texture. Haymes says that where absorbency varies across a wall, some areas can look flatter or patchier than others.

That's why the order matters more than the colour. Clean the wall, let it dry, seal it, then put on the topcoats. Dulux backs the same order. Its Wash&Wear Low Sheen interior paint lists brick among its surfaces, and its instructions put one coat of 1Step Prep Water Based Primer, Sealer & Undercoat on unpainted brick first.

So can you paint directly onto brick? Onto already painted brick in sound condition, yes, once it's washed, dry and prepared, and Haymes often points to a primer for grip like Ultracover first. Onto bare brick, use a sealer first. Our guide on whether you need primer covers primers across the whole house.

Think twice first: painted brick is hard to take back to bare

A big reason people say don't paint brick is that it's very hard to undo. Haymes says painted brick can be repainted later, but getting it back to its original bare look is often difficult and labour-intensive. A Queensland Government heritage technical note goes further. It says every method of removing paint from brick or stone damages the base material to some extent.

Haymes also says original heritage brickwork in character homes may be a big part of the house's architectural identity. In those homes, leaving the brick bare may be the better call.

So ask yourself one question. Will you still want this wall painted in ten years? If the brick colour feels dated or the wall is already painted, paint makes sense. If you love the brick and only want it softer, limewash is worth a look first. Our limewash on brick guide compares the two, and the limewash paint guide explains how it works.

Prep inside: dust out of the joints, soot and white salt off

Prep on inside brick is mostly about cleaning the joints and dealing with salt. Here's the order, drawn from Haymes' interior brick guide and Dulux's efflorescence advice.

1. Vacuum or brush the whole wall. Haymes says to pay attention to the mortar joints, where dust and debris collect over time.
2. Wash off dirt and grease. Haymes says these affect adhesion. Let the wall dry completely afterwards.
3. Brush off any white salt. That powder is efflorescence. Dulux says to dry brush it with a stiff brush, sponge it with a mild 5% white vinegar solution, wipe down and let it dry.
4. Treat mould if there is any. Haymes says it should be treated and removed before any paint goes on.
5. Scrape off failing paint. On painted brick, Haymes says to check for peeling, flaking or poorly stuck paint and remove anything unstable.
6. Repair the wall. Haymes says fix minor cracks, damaged mortar joints and surface defects before priming.
7. Check it's dry. Dulux says to avoid painting masonry with a moisture reading above 10% on a standard moisture meter.

White salt matters indoors too. Dulux says efflorescence must come off before painting because it's a crumbly base that paint can't grip. It also says the salt only stops forming when moisture stops moving through the wall. Taubmans calls it a frequent issue in coastal or poorly ventilated homes. That's worth knowing on the Sunshine Coast.

If paint on the brick is already damaged by salt, Dulux says don't repaint until the moisture source is found and fixed or blocked. That may need a waterproofing specialist before any painter. If salt keeps coming back on bare brick, Dulux expects it to keep reappearing until the water source is traced and stopped.

Seal bare brick first, then use an interior wall paint that lists brick

The paint for an inside brick wall is an interior wall paint over the right sealer or primer. Haymes picks the primer by the brick's condition. Bare, porous brick gets a sealer to even out how much it soaks up. Previously painted brick gets a primer that helps the new paint grip. Here's what the makers say about their own products.

The sheen changes how the brick looks. Haymes says matt softens the texture, low sheen balances durability and looks, and semi gloss is easier to clean but tends to show the texture up. Our guide to interior paint finishes goes through each one.

Smoke-stained brick is a special case. Haymes says brick with smoke damage, water staining or contamination may need a stain-blocking treatment first, and to ask a stockist. See covering stains on walls and ceilings for how stain blockers work.

Get paint into the mortar joints with a brush before you roll

Haymes' brick guide gives the method for the joints: if you're using a roller, cut into the grooves, cracks and hard-to-reach spots with a brush first, then roll the rest.

For roller choice on rough walls, see our guide to painting textured walls.

Expect it to take more paint than a smooth wall. Haymes says the number of coats depends on the colour change, the brick's condition and the product, and very absorbent brick may need more paint than smoother surfaces. If the brick is a feature wall, our feature wall guide helps with the colour.

Brick fireplaces: paint the surround, never the firebox

You can paint a brick fireplace surround, but not the firebox. Haymes says the firebox, the area where the fire burns, should not be painted, while the surrounding masonry, brick or stone can be.

Haymes' fireplace steps run like this. Make sure the fireplace is completely cool, then clear out ashes and logs. Soot and grime stop paint sticking, so scrub them off with a wire brush or stiff scrubbing brush. Prime porous brick. Haymes says you may need two or three coats, depending on the colour and material, letting each one dry thoroughly. For the topcoat, Haymes points to its Trimplus range. It says Trimplus isn't designed for direct flame contact, but it can handle the heat exposure from the areas around the firebox.

If a heater or insert sits in the fireplace, read its installation manual before you paint the surround, and follow what it says about the area around it.

A gas log fire or gas heater stays where it is. In Queensland, anyone doing gasfitting work, like installing, altering, repairing or servicing a gas system, needs a gasfitting licence, according to the QBCC. If the appliance has to come out for painting, book a licensed gasfitter to disconnect and refit it.

Already painted brick can be repainted if the old coat is sound

Haymes says previously painted brick can be repainted as long as the existing coat is sound and the prep is done. Peeling paint, glossy finishes, smoke staining or poor adhesion may need extra prep, and that's where Haymes points to Ultracover as the primer for grip.

A quick check tells you where you stand. Wash the wall, let it dry, then look closely along the mortar joints and around the fireplace or windows. Anything peeling or flaking has to come off before new paint goes on.

Paint on older homes can contain lead. The Queensland Government says paints with high levels of lead were used in many Australian houses before 1970, so read our lead paint in pre-1970 homes guide and the Queensland Government's lead paint page before any old paint is disturbed.

Getting inside brick painted on the Sunshine Coast

If you'd rather hand the wall over, our interior house painters can look at it with you and tell you what the brick needs. We've painted Sunshine Coast homes since 1985 under QBCC licence 1281728.

To see what an interior job usually costs, start with our interior painting cost guide. Brick walls vary a lot with the cleaning, salt and joint work they need, so the price comes down to what your wall needs. Check our service areas, call 0403 571 616 or ask for a quote.