Crestview, FL · Member since 2017 · 6 posts · 3 votes
Any thoughts on painting brick? My 1st investment property has an interior brick wall. I'm considering painting it. Any thoughts on colors or how it may affect value. Also considering painting the exterior brick.
Very common to paint a dated brick or to tile over it. In every case that I have done it or seen it done it was a huge improvement over the existing. Regarding the exterior: the right color choices will give a drab dated brick the curb appeal that will attract attention to your property.
I recently had my brick fireplace area painted. It was a huge area....hearth spanned the width of the room and the exposed stack/chimney all the way up to the ceiling. It was so dark. My painter simply brushed and vacuumed it and then put on at least two coats of paint. It was Sherwin Williams brand. It looks soooo much better! I don't think you'd regret it especially if it is making a room dark.
Our walls are a very slight shade of grey (so more like a white), and the brick is a couple of shades darker. Definitely go with a light/whitish color. Assuming the nearby walls are also a shade of white, you could simply paint the brick the same color as the walls.
I agree that I would not paint brick. I would value painted brick the same as I would value that painted over wood paneling from the seventies. I would acid wash it to clean it up and seal it with a low luster stone sealer. This will create a neutral wall that can be decorated to fit your style. Hang up some stainless steel and you have a modern look, hang up some cast iron and you have a western look, hang up some wood you have a rustic/cabin look. Please don't paint it, many people will think it looks cheap and tacky but nobody would ever look at a hand made wall and say "that looks cheap and tacky"
I am never a fan of painting brick but I have seen some turn out really well. Remember once you paint something its not a maintenance item. You will need a primer for masonry before you top coat it with the pretty color.
I would not paint bricks. I think it looks ghetto but that's just me. Look into restoring it. Clean it up. Seal it. Enhance the color. You could also stain it but that's more work. Let's see some pictures.
You could always do the German smear look with mortar smeared on top with brick peaking out. A lot of people love exposed interior brick. Depends on the color and condition though. If it is orangey, paint it. If it is appealing, work around it. If it needs repair you could smear it.