Painting internal brickwork

[Mick]

Hey all.

We're thinking about painting an internal red brick wall white to lighten up the room. Anyone got any tips for how we prepare the surface and what to use? Do we need to seal the bricks first with anything? 

Cheers,

Mick

[Goldmember]

Not difficult. Most important thing is to give the bricks a really good clean first. You'll want a stiff brush or broom. You'll also want to vacuum the bricks afterwards. Make sure you get rid of any loose mortar and dust. Painting is up to you but a couple of coats of undercoat (making sure you get into the cracks) would be wise before you paint with your chosen top coat colour.

[Darren]

Hey @Mick, we're thinking about doing something similar at home - would love to see a pic of the finished job to see how it looks. Good luck!

[KingStreetReno]

Hi @Mick,

We painted over a few red brick walls when we moved into our house. We used Taubmans 3-in-1 as it is a primer, sealer and undercoat in one.

The reason we used this product is due to the fact that bricks absorb paint and a normal undercoat would not give you the coverage that is required. It was a huge job that took hours, but it was worth it! The transformation is huge.

We used brushes to get into all the cracks and then used a roller to get bigger coverage.

Maybe look into a spray gun as it will cut the paint time down in half (not sure if you can use the 3-in-1 in the spray gun as it's quite thick, but definitely for the top coat).

We painted over the 3-in-1 with a normal interior paint from Dulux. Sorry, don't have an 'after' photo, but below is a progress photo to give you an idea.

We also made sure we prepped properly as mentioned above.

Good luck! 

[paul_2126]

We were initially surprised how porous bricks can be so used a prep and seal for first coat and then two coats water based paint on top. Bricks gather dust so recommend against anything (Matt finish for example) that restricts your ability to wash/clean once in a while.  Painted in 2018 using Taubmans acrylic sealer and undercoat and British Paints Low Sheen Acrylic both stained Hog Bristle 1/4 . Brands used based on cost so others@ “Bs” may now be a better bet.

[Jason]

Thanks for sharing your experience @paul_2126. I'm sure the community appreciates it. This is always a popular topic that surfaces regularly. 

Welcome to the Workshop community. We're looking forward to reading more about your projects and plans. Feel free to post anytime you need a hand or have something to share. And please let me know if you ever need assistance getting the most from the site. 

Jason