Afraid of painting a brick wall in your house? Maybe it's a fireplace or an old exterior wall? Give it some thought, consider the pros and cons - and then just do it. Start whitewashing away the brick you don't like today.
Painting an interior brick wall is the kind of thing only an a) brave b) stupid c) bored or d) mentally deranged person would do. It's a project I was terrified to do. I stared at a brick wall that I hated every single day for 17 years before I decided to finally paint it.
So why didn't I? I was scared. I wasn't scared to paint an entire wall in my office with whiteboard paint but brick? Brick is different. Painting brick is SCARY.
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Should I paint my interior brick wall??
Yes! There's no reason not to. Other than the whole, you can't undo it thing. But if you hate the wall as it is, you're not going to hate it any more when you've painted it so at the VERY least you'll break even.
Painting brick isn't 100% irreversible, but it's pretty close. It's like gaining 600 pounds. You *could* lose that weight but it's gonna take a lot of work, a lotta tears and enough swear words to fill a penitentiary.
Even though the original brick wall was beautiful, it didn't make my room beautiful. At all. I put LED strip lighting above it to brighten it up. That worked(ish). But not enough.
I told many people I was going to paint this brick wall over the years and I had many people tell me back "NO!", while simultaneously whipping their hand up in the universally recognized stop position. "You cannot!'.
No one ever had a really solid reason for me, other than they didn't think it should be done.
White brick walls are having a moment right now but unlike some other fads, this one not only looks good but it's actually a fairly classic look.
A lot of white painted brick walls are done to replicate the look of efflorescence.
What is efflorescence you ask?
Antique stone or brick walls turn splotchy white over the years. It's actually a layer of salt. The process is called efflorescence and it happens when moisture from outside, travels through the brick or stone. The water picks up salt from the brick, stone or cement on its way through and then the water exits out the other side of the stone and evaporates. Unlike the water, the salt it picked up doesn't evaporate, it sits like a powder on the stone.
I also ripped up all of the floors in my house on a whim. That didn't go quite as smoothly as painting the wall. You can read about the floor debacle here.
And then one day in 2017 I thought suck it and I painted my brick wall on a whim. And I'm still love it.
I started off thinking I was going to completely paint my brick wall solid white. Then on a whim (again) I decided to whitewash it.
Whitewashing Interior Brick
Materials
- Water based paint (latex)
- Water
- Paintbrush
Instructions
- Wipe cobwebs and dust off of brick wall.
- Mix equal parts paint and water.
- Start painting.
Whitewashing a brick wall (or anything) is as simple as using 50% water mixed with 50% paint. The paint has to be a water based paint, not oil. If the result seems too solid still, just water it down a bit more.
Then paint the "whitewash" on the surface of whatever you're painting and blot the runs with a rag right away.
I didn't like it.
I didn't like it one bit.
I got out my primer and started slapping it onto the wall with a brush and a roller, realizing I'd have to just paint the whole wall in a solid white. Because my bricks are so old and irregular it was almost impossible to get into every groove and hole so I gave up on that after a while and just brushed the primer on quickly, thinking I'd go back and clean it up after one quick coat.
But as I stood back I liked it exactly like this. Not a perfectly painted brick wall. Not a Pinterest brick wall. An interesting looking, aged, antiqued looking brick wall.
It's chalky looking which gives it the look of being authentic; as though salt and lime have dusted the walls over centuries.
And just like that I knew I was done.
How to Antique a Brick Wall
- Slap some primer on the wall being careful not to cover every bit of it.
- Clean your brush, put your paint can away.
I did finish priming the entire wall, but after I was done a quick coat of primer I packed up my paint, washed my brush and started sending photos to family members and friends.
Well guess what. They liked it. I mean, they gasped of course, but they liked it. A few people asked me if I was finished. I told them I thought that I actually liked it the way it was. To which they replied, "Yeah, I think I like it like that too."
Do you know what's funny?
Never once, in 17 years has anyone ever walked into my dining room and commented on how beautiful they thought my brick wall was.
Not. Once.
So I don't know what everyone's issue with painting it was.
The truth is I'm glad it took me this long to paint the dining room wall because had I done it 6 or 7 years ago I wouldn't have had the confidence to leave it the way it is, half-assedly painted.
I'm also glad I didn't know I was going to haphazzardly paint my wall. If I knew I wanted a "random" look to the wall I would have given WAY too much thought to what areas got more paint than others.
I would have stood back and assessed and made it way more difficult than it needed to be. By not knowing what the hell I was doing, I got a genuinely random look. The kind of random look I never would have been able to achieve if I was trying.
Painting an Interior Brick Wall
How to paint a brick wall inside your house.
Materials
- Primer
- Water based paint
Tools
- Paintbrush
- Roller
Instructions
- Vacuum your brick wall to get all the dust off of it that you can.
- Using a brush or roller coat the wall in primer.
- Once primer has dried go over it with 2-3 coats of interior latex paint.
- See notes for additional options for painting a brick wall.
Notes
To whitewash a brick wall mix together 50% water and 50% latex paint into a container. Using a brush, paint the thin mixture onto the wall watching for any drips and cleaning those up as you go. Do a test patch first to see if you like the sheerness. If you don't then either raise or lower the amount of water you've used.
For *my* brick wall I ONLY used primer. I never went back and put any sort of actual paint onto the brick. The primer stuck really well and I like the sort of chalky appearance of it.
I know; you maybe liked the brick wall natural. I know; it was a beautiful brick wall. I know; it's very difficult to lose 400 pounds. But it can be done.
I'm not sure why I was so scared. Everything I fretted over painting in this house like the kitchen brick wall, or my interior trim I've loved.
Now if you'll excuse me I have a wall to look at.
So scary but so worth it for you! Gorgeously, mottled and whitewashed.
I would have been that one person who walked into your house and loved your brick wall. Every time I saw it in your photos, I adored it. And I still am so sad you ruined it, lol. But it didn't really suit your style, you're right about that. But oh, how it would have suited mine!
I actually love old brick walls, but this one just was not working. I don't know why. Must have been the colour or just the size of the room it was in?? No idea, but I'm still glad I painted it, lol. ~ karen!
Good on you! It looks great!
I am also struggling with this and having a hard time biting the bullet!
We receive the same kind of answers. I think it feels like some natural sin to do it to them, and to me I guess I kind of agree, mostly because there is no going back!
I keep feeling like if we paint it it will decrease the value insight of our hard loft, but I have asked two realtors and they have said otherwise.
loved your article. I've lived even longer! with my dreaded brick wall and i loved your post and solution. it made me chucke, too. ONE quESTION; what primer did you–– use brand name?/ was it one for masonry or not, thank you so much for this information, which knowing the answer I'll start in right away in wish me luck
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Just came across this tutorial and I loved it. Soooooo...I SHOULDN'T be terrified of doing this to my brick wall?? Ugh....I'm scared.
Don't be scared. Just do it. ~ karen!
Hi karen! I think you made a wonderful call on painting the brick. I just moved into a new home and want to paint the exposed brick white as well. What primer did you use for this project?
I can't remember, but it would have been a water based primer like Benjamin Moore's Fresh Start or Stix. ~ karen!
For painting masonary or "that" wall, buy one to two gallons of Sherwin Williams Loxon primer.
First clean and prep the wall, knocking any loose mortar and/or repairing any mortar. For cracks, use a polyurethan sealant such as Sakrete's mortar repair within a caulk tube. (Found within Home Depot's concrete/brick/masonary dept.)
Remember to use backing for larger cracks. Polyurethane sealant requires a week cure time prior to painting, but it's well worth the wait, as the results are apparently fabulous. Cheaper grades of caulk (found within Home Depot's caulk/paint aisle) are not as strong and durable as polyurethane caulk/sealant/repair.
Using an ordinary two inch paint brush and paint roller, paint the brick wall with primer. Stuff is like an extra thick primer, and much messier than regular paint!
Then use any type of regular interior house paint. (Since I'm a guy, I'd just roll some base white satin sheen.)
Yea, I know my advice has no story like your wonderful story. I'm just a smart guy who gets things done. About the only fun I have is usually when repairing electrical receptacles without switching off the circuit. A guy at heart.
Loxon primer, some great stuff. Although I'm not an interior decorator, I would have cleaned the brick wall, applied sort satin clear sealant, and framed it in some manor ... maybe a dark wood stained frame. Then added some incandescent lighting, avoiding the overly blue fluoresent/LED lighting. Another option if it's not a support wall is to remove it, or if it is a supporting wall, add a layer of cement backer board and tile it with some really nicer looking brick? Lots of options! (Important to find out if it is a supporting wall prior to modification.)
Can't fathom why people paint beautiful brick walls, I mean the beauty of a brick wall is that it looks so organic. Sorry but the wall looked 1000% better au natural.
Sorry but you're 1000% wrong. ~ karen!
I prefer the original brick, but that's just me. An option for keeping it natural and brightening up the room would be to purchase and hang a large 6x6 foot plain white framed canvas from an art supply store. Cost - about $75.
Well, it still has a nice look. I am a huge fan of the white and the colour gives an interesting outlook on the brick wall. No worries! Keep doing nice stuff.
Brick....pffft! I have a bossy, ugly fireplace that I am now just able to convince the hubby to reface. So often it is muddled, mucky and old but not in a good way (wait, what old is good?! ). #wine.duh
Good for you, so brave as usual.
Thanks for sharing!
I'm not a fan of red brick. At all. I think painting it white was a great idea, not just because of the way it looks now, but the versatility an unlimited palette brings to the room. If 'dark and scary' was the problem, you could have tried an interim measure, though, and moved that painting somewhere.
OK...that's it...I'm going to paint my brick inside chimney...looks great Karen!
I LOVE the painted wall. Very nice!
Love it, Karen. We bought our house just about 12 years ago (it was built in 1985) and it has faux brick as a kitchen back splash. It's not plastic but really looks like brick. I was ok with it for several years but noticed how dark it made the kitchen. I tried painting it white but didn't get very far because I didn't like it. The top part of my kitchen was an off white & they didn't go together very well. So we painted the whole kitchen. The top is an off white like it was & the bottom 1/3 is a buckskin color (it was a dark country blue). We did the brick in the same color as the upper walls. I loved it - for a while. I really wanted to put in a new back splash but didn't want the work or the expense. I have tried a few other colors & right now it is shiny metallic gold. I was looking for a metal look. I don't really like it but my husband does. It has darkened the kitchen once again. I think I am going to try your idea but maybe match the upper walls again but not paint it too solid. I may just like it again. Little flecks of gold might just do the trick. Thanks for all your help & ideas. You make me a better decorator. I love how you always think outside the box.
Glad to be of service and incentive. ~ karen!
Huh. I too thought Ack. You can't! And the finished product isn't bad-- I suspect it's amazing in person-- And I loved the whitewashed version: huge better. So, lesson to me. Start small, but uh, do start.
The white brick looks good. Just curious if you ever considered throwing up a dummy drywall in the previous 17 yrs? I'm a house painter by trade, might have been what I would suggest if a moral struggle was in place!
Hi Christine. I thought of it but never considered it. It's the texture of the brick I like. I didn't want just a wall of flat drywall. :) ~ karen!
I really really really like the brick wall. It looks a lot like the exterior of a house in my home town where a professor of architecture lived. I have never forgotten it - it's just so cool to sort of paint it and keep the great texture of the old brick.
I haven't read any comments just so I can leave my opinion without undo pressure. I really like it. I like that you see a brick wall. I like that you see each brick. I like the white washed effect. I like the whiteness but not WHITENESS on a brick wall. It feels right at home in yours.
By the way, we had 13 people 7 pets and IRMA all visiting the last few days. No electric. It really was fun. All the talk and laughter took the scariness away and it was a perfect Hurricane party. Not by choice (since we had all planned to leave) but by necessity. Three main roads North out of South Florida were bumper to bumper, no gas, no food/water in any store. So we stuck it out and had one persimmon tree fall on the chain length fence, tons of leaves and branches and lots of big balls of mistletoe. The dogs all got along. I hid the bird from the cats. The electric just came on and I can finally take a shower. We hurricane ate (eat anything you can get your hands on to eliminate nerves) but friends brought lots of lobster and so much cake and cookies and fruit. Lots of meat from freezers that were going to be without electric. We cooked on gas grill and it was actually cool last night so the windows got opened and fresh air in and two generators got hooked up last night for fans, freezer, and refrigerator. Man it was fun! So now everyone is going home, I'm tired and can't face clean-up. (We carried pails of water from the pool into the bathrooms in order to flush.) I missed the toilet during the night and dumped the whole pail onto the floor. I need a flashlight! The cat was a maniac and she jumped on my little dogs back, dug her claws into each of my dogs ears and rode her like a bucking bronco all through the house. Very scary for poor Trixie but hilarious for us. The cat's name is Painintheass. (payn in thee as) - Get it? We were so very blessed and so sorry for others that weren't as lucky.