Should I paint my old brick veneer house?

[Itai]

Hey All.

What are your thoughts on painting an old brick veneer house (late 70/s early 80's I think)? 
I'm thinking of painting it with a light greyish colour. Seen that a few times and it looks good and modern.
I just don't like the old brown brick.

I've been googling how to paint and have come across a few articles saying don't do it (bricks won't breath, needs to be repainted every 3 years, etc). But it feels like lots of people do paint without issues, and likely those articles are just on websites that want money to do things their way.

Thoughts? (I'm in Melbourne if that makes any difference to the answer)

I was thinking of just using a self-priming exterior water based paint, something like this: https://www.bunnings.com.au/british-paints-1l-4-seasons-low-sheen-white-exterior-paint_p0207079

I've got a basic hand spray gun with a 0.5L container. I tested it out today on my old low brick fence that's going with the above paint (watered down 10% to get the right viscosity per instructions on tin) and it seemed to work just fine. Result looks good, sans the colour not being the one I want.

Love something like this for example: 

Thanks

Regards

Itai

[MitchellMc]

Hi @Itai,

I'd encourage you to use a premium brand like Dulux Weathershield. It comes with a fantastic warranty, and you can be assured that you're going to get the longest lifespan possible out of it. As long as there are no preexisting damp issues in the walls, it should be perfectly fine to paint your brick veneer home.

Mitchell

[Jason]

@Itai,

Let me tag the wonderful @2Belindas who might like to share her thoughts with you. If you click on her username you can find examples of renovation projects where Belinda has dramatically transformed the external appearance of a house, often using just paint.

Could you post some photos of your house so members can see what you are working with?

Jason

[2Belindas]

Your are 100 percent right to paint your bricks.  Go for it @Itai 
Painted bricks is as popular, if not more popular, than painted render.  It's all about texture in 2021 and bricks have that!
Don't let anyone tell you that they look 'cheap'.  That's an old school opinion and properties with painted bricks sell well and for just as much as they would have if they were rendered first.
An airless spray gun (Bunnings sell a good range of them) will do the trick.  Its probably just as economical to buy one, than hire one.  Especially if you have fences and other items to paint.

Pressure wash or at least brush down to clean the bricks first and make sure they are completely dry.

Tape up your windows, door frames, cover and protect verandahs and tiles.
Pick a calm day (no wind) and off you go.  If you start early, on a house like in the picture, you'll easily do 2 coats in a day.

If its a light colour, you might end up doing a third touch up coat on areas where you can still see a tinge of dark bricks.

Use a good paint, as suggested by @MitchellMc and you'll get a great result.

[Itai]

Thanks @2Belindas 

Have you seen much problems with deterioration of brick after painting? Like moisture build up, chipping away, etc? This is what seems to be the concern a lot of the time?

Also, do you reckon the whole house should be painted in a same colour, or should the front and back be different?

Do you think going for a lighter grey like above, or a darker grey like Colorbond Monument is more in fashion? I'm tending towards maybe a darker colour.

Maybe a little too dark, but these seem nice, but not sure if they suit my house:

This is my space:

Back - planning to put a 9m deck 30cm high and a patio 6m of it That large window at the end of the photo has already been converted to a sliding door:

This is what the deck / patio will look like with a clear roof (potentially EZ-GLAZE)

This is the front space of the house:

Door has been replaced with a much more modern black screen door with palm tree cutout and the glass is now clear. Will try and attach an image of the update later. (These images are all from the day we nought it)

(Tree on the left has since been cut back a ton and will be removed)

I'm not planning to do anything with the roof tiles, and I'll look to try repaint the reddish brown gutters and fascia boards. A bit hard to paint the reddish brown window frames as they're sliding. Another painter told me the paint would likely crack after 2 years.

Thanks

Itai

[2Belindas]

Hi @Itai 

Using 'breathable' paint will prevent bubbles of moisture from forming in the paint.

Once you paint the bricks, you will be up for some kind of ongoing maintenance i.e. repainting/touching up the paint from time to time.

Also, coating any retaining or garden walls (where moisture will build up on the other side of the brickwork and seep through) will require a product like Mapelastic Foundation from Mapei.  I used it on a rendered garden bed retailing wall as an "undercoat" and it was brilliant.
Check what product Bunnings has that can perform this task.

Re. Colour choice.....  I love Colorbond colour Monument.  It's dark but really popular.  If it's too dark for you, then consider Basalt.

If you are keeping the existing Mission Brown windows, then car polish will help bring them up a bit.  Consciously look to add timber (decks etc) so that the brown windows have something to 'pair' with.
Otherwise, you could have the window frames professionally painted for the best result, but a good job will cost you an average of $300 per window.  If you are doing a reno, you might consider replacing them with new windows for not much more. 
I'm not sure how far you are taking the reno.
Cheers

I hope this helps you.

[Itai]

Thanks very much for that advice @2Belindas 

I really like the tip about the car polish ... I'm going to give that a go, as painting / replacing them is really out of budget.

Definitely agree about the woods. My plan was some Merbau decking, and a covered pergola. Pergola using monument grey so that it makes any wooden elements shine. 

Also looking at a raised garden bed along one edge, Also painted grey against monument grey fence, with merbau covering the top part to make the Merbau "float".

Thanks

[MitchellMc]

Those sound like some spectacular plans @Itai.

Make sure to keep us updated and take plenty of pictures along the way.

Please let us know if you need any assistance or have questions.

Mitchell

[Sylas]

Hello @Itai,

It looks like I have exactly the same type of brick veneer house as you and I am looking into painting it in a dark grey/charcoal colour. Did you end up painting your home? Do you have pictures of your house painted at all by any chance? Would you recommend painting it yourself too?

Cheers

[MitchellMc]

Welcome to the Bunnings Workshop community @Sylas. It's sensational to have you join us, and many thanks for jumping into the discussion.

Hopefully, @Itai can get back to you about their project. If you have further questions about your painting project, please feel free to start a discussion so our helpful member can assist.

Here are some helpful guides: How to paint your exteriors, How to paint your house's exterior with a spray gun and Give you home exterior a revamp.

We look forward to hearing all about your projects and plans around the house and garden. Feel free to reach out anytime you need assistance or have something to share with the community.

Mitchell