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.
Table of Contents
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.
Lynn
Have to say Margret looks pleased with your choice of both not full coverage of brick an not moving her.
Brick can look beautiful if it has the right area an size of area where it is. Otherwise it truly is the elephant in the room sucking all life an light from the area.
As Brenda says painting brick can truly cause more damage than one might realize , as most people think of them as solid but they are not the breath an need air to keep them healthy. Those that paint solid colour on houses made of brick need to really to get advice about what they can an not paint them with.
Interior brick is a different story as it does not deal with same weather conditions ( hopefully).
I like you would have hummed an hawed maybe just as long about painting them , possibly even going so far as just to hiding them behind drywall .
I love old house for there trim most of the time thought I would always think how much better it would look with said trim painted white... ( it just brightens everything) .
Gina Reed
LOVE IT!!!!
Karen
THANK YOU!! Lol. ` karen!
Danni McLaughlin
I've painted brick and stone and natural wood in all five houses I've had over the years. With the ones I had, it just looked SO MUCH BETTER. But since everyone keeps mentioning how hard it is to deal with orange tones..... out here in Oregon, most of the wood floors are red oak or fir. Both age orange, and I had to redo mine due to generally slothful housekeeping + a bunch of kids and pets... and when I restained them (ahem, supervised them being restained....) I picked a grey stain and it completely obliterated the orange-y tone and everyone who sees them goes nuts. They are sorta RH brown/grey/weathered. So there is NO SURFACE too precious for a new treatment or lick of paint! Thanks for giving people the courage to do what they want with their houses!
charlotte tataryn
Karen, I think you did a brave thing, and that you did it with trepidation. Brave can often mean, in the end, stupid, like Thelma and Louise, although they pretty much didn't have many options - damn Brad Pitt - but doing something outside the 'expected' realms of decorating, and being a little unsure is the only way to go.
Love what you did, love that your non-relative is hanging, and no longer leaning (I doubt she was ever hanged), and that you are happy with your wall.
Unlike many, I care about opinions, but typically only AFTER the fact I've decided that I'm going for it, regardless, with "caution".
As always, love your blog
Charlotte T
Karen
Thanks Charlotte! ~ karen
Laurinda
My father once told me that there's a special place in hell for people who paint brick. So less than a year after I moved into a place with a brick wall in its windowless kitchen, I primed & painted it. Then the ugly-ass paneling that went 3/4 of the way up those other 3 walls gto the same treatment. All of that white sure helped that poorly designed kitchen!
Nicole
Love it! So much more interesting than a flat white wall.
I did something similar with my pantry and front entry - both original exterior walls on my 1930 house. To be honest I ran out of steam after all the priming on some very thirsty brick, but I really like the not-quite finished look!
Karen
Yes! Not quite finished is all the rage. :) ~ karen!
Gwen H.
I love the painted wall. Great decision.
Karen
Thank you Gwen! I think so. ;) AT least now I do, lol. ~ karen
Wendy
I did that once with a black wood desk. My dad had the desk for years, borrowed from his cousin. I coveted it for years, and finally got it for my very own. Kept it black. For years. And then when I moved to my own house with my fella, I sanded it down. I was sneezing black gunk, that's how much sanding I did.
And then I got to work with "Chinese Red" oil paint. I thought I'd paint multiple coats. But after brushing on one, the striated effect looked great. And the brass pulls looked better than ever before.
It's gone now, because it didn't fit into my life anymore. But I get the idea of just doing something that you think you should do when the time is right.
Jeffrey Mathews
This is beyond words. It reminds me of the last several paragraphs of "Brideshead Revisited" and the artistic and historical truths conveyed by Charles Ryder in the Chapel.
Truly TTFW: L'arts pour l'arts
Karen
Merci. ~ karen!
Melinda
It looks stupendous!!! I am amazed by your courage. The 400 pound weigh gain analogy is so apt. Ha! I think Margaret must be very pleased.
Brenda
Here's the technical reason why you shouldn't paint brick.
Brick is a porous material and "breathes". When you have an exterior wall on an old building, painting the brick seals it and prevents it from drying out efficiently, this could be true on the exterior or interior side of an exterior wall. Because brick is porous, it will always absorb some moisture and leaving it natural helps with the drying of the wall. There's a lot more to it than just this, and some situations are different, but for an old building, that's it in a nutshell.
That said, looks like your wall is an interior wall (air conditioned/heated on both sides of it), so this probably isn't as much of a big deal (not knowing your house, that's just a general assumption). But for any of your readers who are thinking about painting the outside of their brick house, I just recommend they fully research and understand the building science behind brick as a material and know what they might be in for.
Liking painted brick as a look vs. non-painted brick is just a personal preference, but when it could interfere with the building's integrity, it's important to understand how the whole system works.
Jennie Lee
I was hoping to see how neat it looks with the LEDs on, at night. Great shadows, I'll bet. I really enjoyed a Canadian making a Trump joke. Would you like to babysit him, for a while? Please? By the way, WHY is autofill so touchy, where we put our name? It always takes me several tries. I put in 2 letters, then quickly try to click on my name, below, and it vanishes before I can do so. I never have that problem anywhere else. It's like Whack-a-mole.
jeanne
I love the wall!
You were right, it was too orange...
Karen Too
I like it! Very brave of you. And I thought I was the only person who used the term
"half-assedly"!
kim place-gateau
There's something in the air! Here's what we did last week.
Thandi
That's amazing!!
Karen
GAHHHHH!!! Is that the finished paint job??? I lord I hope so. That is SO great. Those painters did a fantastic job. I'd love to know if there was a technique or watered down paint or just slapping it on. There isn't one single person in the world who could claim the before looked better. NO ONE. ~ karen!
Kim
Thanks! That's the finished brick, yes. We love it! The trim is done now, too (below). We used Romabio BioCalce Classico paint, which mimics an old-fashioned lime wash, but is way easier to deal with. You can brush or dab it on—they brushed it on for our job— and then use a hose to remove as much as you like. It cures completely in 5 days. During that time, it's too dry to hose off, but you can use a power washer to remove it. Oh, and it's non-toxic for plants, too! So far I'm really pleased.
Linda Pottage
Kim, where can I see your wall. I really want to paint mine? Thanks Linda Pottage info@bluehousestudio.net
Jody
Fan-tab-ulous! Do you know who Margaret is? Who was the artist?
Mia
That wall looks fantastic, great job and great idea! I'm sure aunt Margaret will love her new home<:}
Charlene
Karen, Take a moment from admiring your newly painted brick wall and watch Idris Elba read you a bedtime story. Not just a bedtime story but a story about a chicken. It's a win win! But who the hell can sleep after watching Idris Elba? Love that man!
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/close-your-eyes-and-allow-idris-elba-to-read-you-a-bedtime-story_us_59b6a16ae4b036fd85cc9c31?ncid=inblnkushpmg00000009
Karen
I think it's just about time for bed. ;) ~ karen!
Kathy
I love painted brick.......such a clean new look. I painted a fireplace that went across the entire room and hearth. I did have to fill in every little nook and cranny. Brightened everything up.
Later on, I filled the horizontal space under each row of brick so it resembled adobe.
Fun painting cause you can just slap it one.
Kris Wilson
Love it! It actually adds more character than just the plain brick. Margaret probably shows up more now because of the contrast and light the paint adds to the whole room. And I'm sure she prefers having a permanent place to 'hang', instead of leaning around waiting! You, as always, are inspiring.