Can I Stain My Homes Interior or Exterior Brick?
We receive a lot of requests from our clients to have their interior or exterior brick and masonry substrates (chimneys, bare concrete walls/floors, brick siding, garden accents, and walking paths) painted. With the help of our trusted suppliers at Dulux Paints, we use the most trusted brick stain on the market. We believe this is the best coating to protect and also enhance the natural look of your interior or exterior brick or masonry substrate.
Introducing…Perma-Crete Color Seal Concrete and Masonry Stain!
A superior quality fully acrylic and water-based stain with the protective power of a breathable water repellent coating that is proven to inhibit moisture damage on your interior or exterior concrete or brick surfaces.
Why Stain Your Brick and Not Paint It?
1. Exterior Brick Painting Requires Maintenance. Staining is Permanent!
Our experience has shown a homeowner should expect to paint your brick every 4-5 years. This is due to common adhesion problems associated with exterior brick painting, such as efflorescence. Efflorescence occurs when soluble salt deposits migrate to the surface during the evaporation process of water. These white deposits sit under the coat of exterior acrylic paints and cause the paint to lift and peel eventually. Instead of covering the surface with paint, a high-quality brick or masonry stain is absorbed by the stone surface and acts like a dye. Silicate minerals travel deep into the masonry and form a chemical bond with the brick, tinting the brick for a colour transformation that requires little to no maintenance. Aside from a power wash or rinses down with the garden hose in the spring to remove dust and debris that may gather over the winter months in Calgary, your set for a long-term solution.
2. Brick Painting Traps Moisture. Staining Allows the Brick to Breathe.
As a porous surface, brick and stone must be able to breathe. Brick painting saturates the brick’s pores preventing the brick from effectively releasing water and moisture as the seasons shift. Because the moisture isn’t able to evaporate fully, it remains trapped in the surface and leads to blistering and chipping. More water can enter the exterior brick through these surface impurities and chips. Therefore, more water and moisture remain trapped in the surface and can lead to water damage over time. Perma-Crete Color Seal Concrete Stain is formulated with silicate minerals and keeps the brick’s physical properties intact, as if untreated, and allows it to release water and moisture successfully.
3. Stone Painting Creates a Film Over the Stone. Staining Forms a Chemical Bond With It.
As previously mentioned, painting your exterior brick substrate covers and coats the brick in a non-breathable film. Our brick stain forms a chemical bond with the masonry surface and becomes a component of the brick itself. As opposed to a surface treatment, the stain penetrates deep into the brick and, once dry, forms a durable bond with the masonry surface to permanently locks in your desired colour. The result is a finish that leaves your brick looking new!
4. Painting Brick Leaves a Heavy, Less textured Finish. Staining Maintains Its Natural Look.
As paint sits on the surface, it creates a noticeably thick, heavy finish that causes the brick to lose its natural look and feel. Our stain is slightly opaque, with a translucent finish highlighting and enhancing the brick’s natural texture, look, and feel. If you touch the brick after our stain has dried, you’ll notice that you’ll feel brick and not paint. Available in a nearly endless palette of colours, you can completely change the colour of your brick to refresh and modernize the look of the exterior of your home.
The Fitz Painting Exterior Brick and Stone Staining Process:
Step 1: Choose Your Colour!
We have a full time colour specialist on the Fitz Painting team who is passionate about helping you find the perfect colour to both protect and bring the brick or stone on your home’s exterior or interior back to life.
Step 2: Clean the Brick Surface.
As is the same for all our exterior painting projects, we start with a thorough clean and power wash of your exterior brick or stone. This removes all loose and flaking pieces, and debris that may inhibit the penetration of the stain into the brick surface.
Step #3: Protect the Area
We cover and protect the areas around the brick not being stained. Some of these areas would include covering: windows, doors, deck floors, and garden areas. This prevents any unnecessary cleanup after the stain has been applied.
Step #4: Apply the Stain.
We use a spray application to ensure the best finish for your exterior brick or concrete substrate. After we spray the stain onto the surface, we use a technique referred to as ‘back rolling. This means after the first coat has been spray applied to the surface, we then use a roller to work the stain further into the surface of the brick.
Step #5: Clean Up and Complete any TouchUps Necessary.
To complete the project, the Fitz Painting project manager will do a walk around with you to flag any touchups needed. We will then do a good sweep and clean of the site area to help leave your home even better than we found it!
We hope this article has answered some of the questions you may have had about staining your home’s exterior brick, concrete or other stone surfaces.
We are here to help you with all your painting needs and we look forward to helping you achieve the vision you have for your home.