What to consider before you paint brick

The first thing to consider when deciding if you should paint your brick is if the brick is in good condition. Most brick is not intended to be painted and brick in its self is actually considered a finished product. If your brick is chipping or damaged odds are that is has moisture within the brick. Painting over brick with moisture trapped inside can be a nightmare. Once the brick is painted the moisture has no where to go but through the paint, resulting by in chipped and loose paint. If you do decide to paint brick keep in mind that you should repaint it every 3-5 years to maintain. Another thing to consider is if you like the look of painted brick. Once brick is painted it is very difficult to remove the paint. In order to remove the paint you must use chemical strippers and a lot of elbow grease. An alternative to painting brick is staining brick. Staining brick allows the pour out surface of the brick to remaining allowing moisture to come and go without peeling or chipping. All in all it is not ideal to paint brick unless you plan on keeping up with the maintenance. 

What to consider before you paint brick | Life Lanes