Top 5 Best Paints For Brick (2023 Reviews)

What Do You Need To Know About Painting Brick?

Now let's get into the specifics: what makes painting brick different than painting, say, drywall?

Well, brick is far more absorbent than drywall, for starters.

That's why it's important to use a high-quality masonry primer to fill in those textured surfaces and ensure proper paint adhesion.

Another thing to know before you get started is that painting interior brick is different than painting exterior brick.

So, if you're looking to paint your home's brick fireplace and give it a makeover, you're going to approach that differently than you would if you're painting brick on your home's exterior.

For example, if you're painting brick outside, you're going to need to use a sealer to seal in the paint job and weatherproof the home.

However, if you're painting your home's brick fireplace and you have lots of crevices and grout to deal with, you'll want to do a good job priming and be sure to do a second coat to get a beautiful finish on the surface.

With all that said, let's go over some of the details to consider before you dive into painting brick.

Prep Work

Prep work is especially important when painting brick because it's going to prepare the surface to accept paint.

If you're painting exterior brick, I'd highly recommend taking a pressure washer to the surface of the bricks first.

Even if they don't look dirty to the naked eye, I promise you there's plenty of grime to remove before you dive into painting.

If you're working with interior brick, I'd recommend taking a scrub brush or wire brush and some soapy water and giving those bricks a good scrub before you start your DIY paint job.

Getting the bricks completely clean before you start painting is going to ensure maximum adhesion (which will ultimately save you money by not requiring as much paint to get a good finish).

Proper Painting Supplies

We'll go more into the supplies below, but for now, let's touch upon the best paint application methods.

I'm a big fan of paint sprayers, I feel like they just give you the most even coating possible.

However, I know they can be intimidating if you're new to paint DIY projects and you haven't worked with one before.

So, if you're not paint sprayer savvy and you'd rather not go that route, I'd recommend going with a paint roller rather than a paintbrush.

Yes, use a paintbrush for the detail work like painting the grout, but paint rollers are going to lay down the paint much better.

That's because the fibers in the foam paint roller covers are better at getting into the textured surface that bricks have.

Check out the article below on the best paint roller covers to use for textured surfaces.

Read More >> What Are The Best Paint Rollers For Hiding Imperfections?

Type of Paint

The last thing we'll go over here is that the type of paint you choose is really important.

For any home improvement project, you want to make sure you're using the right tools (or paint)for the job.

If you're painting an indoor fireplace, obviously you want to use interior paint, however, there's more to it than that.

If your fireplace is in a basement or you live in a high-humidity area, you probably want to use masonry paint that is resistant to mildew.

These two factors are going to contribute to the overall durability of your fireplace surround paint job over time.

The same can be said if you're painting outside. If you're painting your home's exterior, you'll want to use a latex primer to ensure adhesion, an exterior paint that is meant for masonry, and a sealer of some kind.

Going the extra mile by using the proper paints and primers for your given painting project is going to yield a much better result that lasts longer. 

Not to mention, doing the thing right can really increase your home's curb appeal and thus, its resale value.

What Supplies Will You Need to Paint Brick?

Let's quickly go over some of the essential supplies you'll need to do a good job when painting brick.

Obviously choosing the right paint is important, but you don't want to forget the other essential painting supplies and have to go back to the hardware store every 15 minutes when you find out you need something new.

Supplies You'll Need

• Drop cloths
• Painter's tape
• Caulk/Acrylic Caulk (for filling holes if necessary)
• Paint roller
• Paint Tray
• Paint
• Primer
• Paintbrush (for detailing)
• Paint sprayer (if desired)

Now that you know what you'll need to get the paint job done right, let's go over some of the best paints to use when painting brick.

Read More >> What Are The Best Indoor Paint Sprayers?