Exterior Brick Painting Services
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Painting exterior brick is getting more and more popular every year, and we’re increasingly seeing it on TV shows and in our neighbourhoods. Our experienced team at We Paint Siding has been doing these kinds of jobs long before it was mainstream. Over the years we’ve developed a highly effective process and strategy to execute these jobs better than other painting companies.
When it comes to painting your brick house exterior, there are a number of factors to consider. From how to clean the brick to how to apply the product, from the choice of brick stain or paint to the variety of colours to choose from, there is so much to account for to ensure the paint will adhere and your home exterior will look stunning when it’s finished.
We are not a standard exterior painting company and brick isn’t a standard substrate for new paint. Please read on to hear more about our specialized techniques and how we’ve developed a smarter painting process than our competitors, making us your best choice.
The Different Ways to Paint Brick
While many professional painters offer services for refinishing brick homes, they will usually rely on one of two possible methods to apply the paint:
The first method would be a simple and traditional hand painting approach. This method is tried and true for brick exteriors, as the friction of the brush or roller helps to work the product into all the textures and pores of the brick, ensuring a strong bond and reducing the risk of paint failure.
The downsides to this process is that it is very time consuming and very difficult to apply enough paint because the brick just keeps soaking it in. In the case of brick that is particularly rough in texture, it takes a tremendous amount of ‘dipping’ the brush and applying the coat, that most painters will end up applying a fairly minimal amount. The brick is often coated just enough to pass an initial homeowner inspection, but does not have a deep and strong build that will hold up over many years.
The second method is getting more and more popular these days, and that is spray painting. We know a lot about this type of work as it is our specialty at We Paint Siding. In this case the bulk of the work is in the preparation and masking of the surrounding areas, a thorough and meticulous process to ensure any overspray is contained. When the actual brick is coated, the sprayer very quickly applies a lot of product and it can even ‘blast’ into the textures of the brick to a certain degree.
However this also is not the ideal way to have your brick house painted. The problem here is that the sprayed material does not get all the way into the texture of the brick, it just lays down over top of it, forming fairly weak bonds with the substrate, and not working in among the full surface area of the brick.
The inherent flaws in each of these methods are why we’ve developed our perfect solution for painting brick, stucco, wood, and other textured surfaces. Keep reading to hear our secret!
Combination Technique to Paint Exterior Brick
We combine spray painting with back-rolling or back-brushing, a method that ensures the product penetrates the nooks and crannies of the brick. This technique allows for a thorough coat and enhances both the appearance and longevity of the paint job.
Bringing the best of both worlds together, we apply our very efficient preparation and masking system that we’re famous for, and then we apply the paint by spray. Crew members then follow up that application with either huge brushes threaded onto poles or with paint rollers, depending on how rough or smooth the brick is.
By using brushes on poles, our painters can achieve maximum leverage and friction to really work the material into the substrate. These are not little hand brushes with weak bristles that tire out our hands quickly, these are effective tools that we can lean into to achieve maximum penetration.
Why Don’t Other Painters Follow This Method Too?
Our solution is not rocket science, we know, so why don’t other painters simply use the same approach. It’s a great question but the answer is not as simple as it seems. There are some barriers to other professionals who do not have our experience, let’s consider the methods:
Hand Painting:
- These professionals are likely not familiar with spray painting, which is a newer technology, only taking off in recent years
- These painters are often 1 or 2 person crews and neither one wants to do the tedious work of masking
- Masking is very tedious and frustrating until all the systems, techniques, tools, and experience necessary are obtained
- Therefore they’re likely to just grab a brush or roller and start painting
Spray Painting:
- Most painters who spray are still not experts at it, particularly if they have not refined the masking process
- They are already spending so much time masking, they do not want to also spend more time to ‘hand-paint’ by back-brushing, when they could have just done that without the sprayer, as their thinking goes
- Many companies use this approach nowadays, they will mask, spray, and leave it. It looks great initially but will not hold up over the years
Brick Painting Testimonials
We Paint Siding spray painted the outside brick and aluminum siding of our house. They are very professional and performed an excellent job – they power washed the exterior before spray painting. After spray painting, they went over all painted areas with a brush to ensure that no spots were missed. The paint job is very thorough – all the nooks and crannies and crevices in between the bricks were painted. The house underwent a complete transformation, we are very satisfied!
Martli
The crew finished our outside paint job yesterday. It has exceeded our expectations!! We are so impressed with your team, and their attention to details. As experienced renovators we really appreciate an exceptional job!! WELL DONE!!
Sandy
Detailed Brick House Exterior Painting Process
Receive a free estimate for your painting project where we will advise and discuss all the factors you need to consider before you decide to paint your brick and who you would like to hire.
Starting with a thorough pressure wash, we ensure the brick is clean and ready for refinishing. The brick will then need at least a few days to dry as it’s absolutely essential that all the moisture has fully escaped before any coatings go on.
Any noticeable cracks and gaps are filled to create a seamless surface. This work is aesthetic in nature, using caulking and fillers meant for exterior use, but not providing any structural support. We do not perform more serious repairs to the mortar or brick and this will have to be taken care of before we start our work. But we will help you identify these concerns during the initial consultation.
We meticulously mask surrounding areas to protect them from overspray during the paint application. This is a highly refined process that we’ve developed over the years.
Employing a paint sprayer, we apply a generous coat to the brick, ensuring there’s enough to form a strong bond throughout the whole surface area of the substrate.
We then back-roll or back-brush the product deeply into the crevices and pores of the brick, using a paint roller or large brush and utilizing friction to work the product in for the best adhesion possible.
The second coat ensures even coverage and maximum protection. We typically do not back-brush this coat as it offers no benefit at this point.
Once the painting is complete, we remove the masking to reveal a transformed, vibrant home exterior.
At We Paint Siding, we aim to transform your home with a customized paint job that elevates your property’s value and appeal. From preparing the brick first to applying the final coat, we manage every step with utmost care and following our expert and proven process.
Whether you want to paint your home’s exterior in classic white brick or a more unique paint colour, our team is equipped to handle your needs. We understand the importance of a well-executed job, from the initial application of exterior primer to the final coat.
Exterior Paint or Brick Stain for Your Painting Project
When deciding how to enhance the exterior of a brick home, homeowners often contemplate between using exterior paint and exterior brick stain. We offer both services but have found that most clients end up deciding on paint rather than stain. However both options have their unique pros and cons:
Premium Exterior Flat Paint
Pros:
- Variety of Colours: Paint offers a wide range of colour options, allowing homeowners to choose virtually any hue to match their style or neighbourhood aesthetic.
- Opaque Coverage: Paint provides a solid, opaque coating, which is excellent for covering imperfections or achieving a uniform look. Using a flat paint and our back-brushing approach does also still leave a lot of variation visible in the brick, though not as much as stain.
- Surface Protection: Quality exterior paints can protect the brick surface from environmental elements, potentially extending the life of the brick. Paint is far more resilient to elements like the sun’s rays and harsh weather than brick stain is.
- Lower Cost: Paint only penetrates a small amount into the brick, enough to ‘bite’ and bond, but then forms a strong coating on the outer surface. It does not require as much product as a staining job (because the stain deeply penetrates, not forming a film), and the material itself is less expensive as well.
Cons:
- More Solid Colour: Many home painters use the wrong paint and process, which creates an awful looking sheen or ‘coating’ look to the brick that most people don’t like. However with our method and using a premium flat-sheen paint, we can greatly mitigate this concern. Our clients always love how their brick painting jobs turn out, so we have not seen much of this ‘con’ in our experience.
- Moisture Concerns: If water is getting behind your brick from a structural problem or issue, then painting the brick can exacerbate the problem. This is a serious issue that needs attention whether you recoat the brick or not. Stain will allow the brick to ‘breathe’ more than paint, but it will still exacerbate the problem, just not as much.
- Peeling: When the job is done right, this is not really an issue, but since paint forms a film, it can peel. This usually only happens in localized areas where there might always be a lot of moisture like near gardens or along the ground in areas where there isn’t much airflow. These spots can be periodically touched-up fairly easily however.
- Uniformity: Once brick is painted, it’s a challenge to return to the natural brick look without extensive and costly processes. Although using a flat paint does retain a lot of texture variation of your brick, the actual colour of the brick will be more uniform than stained brick will be.
Exterior Brick Stain
Pros:
- Natural Appearance: Stains penetrate the brick, retaining the natural texture and beauty of the brick while providing colour. This is the one great advantage of stain, it will almost look like the brick was originally the new colour you stained it.
- No Peeling: Stained brick does not peel if applied correctly, it just fades away from the sun over time.
- Moisture Permeability: Stains allow the brick to “breathe,” reducing the risk of trapped moisture and subsequent brick damage.
Cons:
- Greater Cost: Brick stain is more pricey than paint and the job also requires a lot more of it, and takes more time. Most of our clients decide that the marginal difference in appearance between stain and brick is not worth the added cost and reduced longevity.
- Longevity Variance: Depending on the type of stain and exposure conditions, some stains may fade or require reapplication sooner than high-quality paint. The sun will fade the stain a lot more quickly than paint.
- Colour Limitations: Stain colours are usually more limited than paint colours, and the final colour can be influenced by the original brick colour.
- Less Coverage for Imperfections: Stains are less effective than paint in concealing flaws in the brickwork.
In truth, we have found that many of the common ‘cons’ of painting are due more to poor process, product, or expectations. Staining brick is arguably an even more beautiful option than painting, but it comes at greater expense and reduced longevity in most cases.
Ultimately, the choice between paint and stain for a brick home depends on the desired aesthetic, maintenance willingness, and the specific conditions of the brick. It’s important to consider both the immediate impact and the long-term implications of each option on your home’s exterior.
Serving the Greater Toronto Area and the Golden Horseshoe
- Etobicoke
- Mississauga
- Oakville
- Milton
- Burlington
- Hamilton
- Guelph
- Kitchener & Waterloo
- Cambridge
- Brantford
- St. Catharines & Welland
- Niagara Falls
- And Other Nearby Cities and Towns!
Addressing Frequently Asked Questions
- Choosing the Right Paint: We use high-quality acrylic latex paint for most brick surfaces in a flat sheen for uncoated brick and different options for previously painted brick. The flat sheen allows the paint to penetrate and ‘bite’ the substrate, while also maintaining a more natural look to the brick, allowing textures to look more muted and natural.
- Multiple Coats for Perfection: We typically apply a number of coats, depending on the brick’s absorption rate and the necessary paint film thickness.
- Drying Time: After each coat of paint, we allow sufficient time for the paint to dry, ensuring a flawless finish.
- New Brick Walls: For newer constructions, we need to ensure the brick is ready and primed for a coating, and particularly that it is completely dried out. Staining is often the best option here.
Why Choose Us to Paint Your Home?
Your Assurance of Quality
- Transformative Results: Our goal is to give your brick and mortar a stunning makeover, elevating your property’s curb appeal and making it easier to clean and maintain.
- Durability Guarantee: Our brick and masonry painting is designed to withstand the test of time, with a guarantee against peeling or flaking for a minimum of 5 years.
- Maintenance Ease: Should minor peeling occur in localized moisture-prone areas, these can be easily touched up.
- Insurance and Safety: Fully insured and adhering to WSIB safety standards, we ensure a safe and secure process.
- Proven Process: Specializing in exterior spray-painting, we’ve refined our method to deliver the best results, particularly for exterior masonry surfaces.
- Cost-Effective Solutions: With our efficient process of painting the exterior, the cost you incur will be less compared to other renovations, yet the impact will be significant. There is no better ‘bang for your home improvement buck’ than exterior painting!
Contact We Paint Siding today to start painting your home and transform its appearance with a fresh, modern look. If your brick is outdated then we have the solution for you. Our commitment is to provide a high-quality, durable, and beautifully finished exterior that you and your visitors will admire for years to come.
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