[carzie]

I have a client that has decided to have her entire exterior painted, including the brick. The sofit,facia, eves etc are a no brainer but I don't know what to do with the brick. I'm not sure if I will be able to get the paint into the small crevices by spraying or with a roller. I was thinking of laying it on thick spraying and then pushing it in by back rolling. Has anyone encountered this type of brick before and and suggestions would be appreciated before I quote it. I'm having trouble uploading pictures, my profile picture is of the brick. The S pattern is approx 1/8" deep and less then that wide. Thanks.

Darin

 

[Driftweed]

Like this?



Or like cinder blocks?

 

[carzie]

Yep bricks like that, my profile pic is the brick.

 

[fjn]

Painting brick: http://www.oldlouisville.com/circa1900/brick-structures.htm

 

[carzie]

Nice link fjn, if it were my house I wouldn't paint the brick but it's not. I've told her about issues that may occur with painting brick but she wants to proceed.

 

[Metro M & L]

Spray it and back roll it with a 1 inch nap roller.
Watch out for spray from the roller; it can make a bigger mess than overspray from a sprayer.

 

[Jmayspaint]

Painting Brick

I've had good luck with SW's Loxon line of masonry primers. If the brick mortar is stable and in good condition, the regular masonry primer can work well. If the mortar is loose or unstable at all, the conditioner works well to stabilize it.

The last one I did was really rough brick. Only got about 125sq per gallon with the primer, and not much more than that with the finish (Duration) sprayed and back rolled

 

[Frankawitz]

I would use a Block Filler before you paint this way you'll get even finish on your finish coat of paint.

 

[Driftweed]

Thats IF they want an even finish. Some people just like painted brick.

Turn your sprayer wayy down. I use 1/3 pressure. And use a big tip. 515 or bigger. Spray close. This will reduce overspray, as the machine isnt atomizing the paint that much.

Backroll with a big nap. No less than an inch, but bigger is better. And of course use an 18" as much as possible.

Yes, the 18" frame with a big nap roller is heavy. But when you cut your time in half baking in the heat, youll be glad. Even on a small wall like this, I could feel the burn. But, the time savings was worth it.

Last but not least:

Stay hydrated.

 

[carzie]

Thanks for all the advice guys, it's been very helpful.

 

[avenge]

I've stained a brick house with thinned oil base paint, all with a brush. Then she wanted some of the bricks just randomly done twice. It sucked.

 

[Jmayspaint]

Here's a good example of a human induced destruction of historical brick like is referred to in the link in post #3.

It's pretty clear that the paint has been trapping moisture that has destroyed the faces of these bricks. It's been painted for a long time. Nothing much to do about it now but patch it up. My project this morning.

 

[Skyvorima]

I have a client that has decided to have her entire exterior painted, including the brick. The sofit,facia, eves etc are a no brainer but I don't know what to do with the brick. I'm not sure if I will be able to get the paint into the small crevices by spraying or with a roller. I was thinking of laying it on thick spraying and then pushing it in by back rolling. Has anyone encountered this type of brick before and and suggestions would be appreciated before I quote it. I'm having trouble uploading pictures, my profile picture is of the brick. The S pattern is approx 1/8" deep and less then that wide. Thanks.

Darin

It is absolutely necessary to make sure the brick is as clean as possible and this usually requires pressure washing.

Then use a concrete primer, two coats, and then the top coat. I would opt for stain since there is much less chance of it peeling over paint.

 

[PennCoat]

There are a few things you'll want to be cautious of. Mortar often has a basic alkalinity, which can cause paint failure. So use an alkaline-resistant primer. Also, look for any white-residue on the brick's surface. If you see traces of this, then there is probably moisture in the bricks that's bringing salt to the surface. This salt will cause paint failure too. But, looking at your picture (although a small sample), there doesn't seem to be any white residue. Considering both of these potential issues, it's important that you budget some time for adequate surface cleaning. Then you might want to consider an acrylic latex paint. Brick likes to breath. If you seal it completely, there's a good chance your paint will fail sooner.

 

[carzie]

Thanks again everyone, the brick and mortar are in excellent shape, no issues of salt or anything else. Power washing all surfaces was in the quote but by the reaction I received I'm seriously doubting if I will get the job. I think she was looking for a John the factory worker that paints on the side price.

 

[Skyvorima]

Thanks again everyone, the brick and mortar are in excellent shape, no issues of salt or anything else. Power washing all surfaces was in the quote but by the reaction I received I'm seriously doubting if I will get the job. I think she was looking for a John the factory worker that paints on the side price.

Those are some of the worst clients because they want the cheap price on high quality labor.