Render or paint brick: Paint or Render Brick House

Paint or Render Brick House

What is best?

Often we will come across a client who is deliberating on whether to paint or render their brick house. Some are often not sure on the look they are after therefore
trying to figure out which look will suit their tastes, while others are looking at it from a cost effectiveness point of view and we also have other clients who are looking at it from
a long term perspective.

What are your long term plans with your home?

As this is a suggestion/opinion piece, the advice I would give is look at what your long term goals are with your home before committing in either direction.
If the goal is to sell your home in one year – then render it, the value added by rendering will quadruple the money spent to render it. Thus making it
an investment of sorts. If you plan to keep the home for a long time and the painted look is something that you love and is more affordable then paint it.
The reason painting is a bad idea for selling is because rendering over painted surfaces cost more money and takes more time making a painted house
less appealing for a buyer.

Reasons Brick Work is not Painted Often

If you spend a day driving around your neighbourhood you will realise most brick work is either bare as is or rendered,
painted brick work is not that common for the reasons listed below.

  • Painted brickwork costs more money to render in the future
  • Painted brickwork is less likely to appeal to the majority of people
  • Painted brickwork needs to be painted more often then painted render has to be repainted
  • Painted brickwork does not actually provide protection to the house – it is pure cosmetic. When your render a brick house there is
    a lay of protection

In Summary

As stated the goal or outcome you are looking towards will determine the best of coarse of action when deciding to paint or render your brick house.
Either can look great – just depends on you. Rendering provides added benefits of protecting your home, providing insulation and when it comes to render
there are many different options and finishes.

Why Rok Rendering

You don’t render often, so when you render do it right with the team
at Rok Rendering. With three generations of experience in the rendering
industry you can be assured you are in good hands.

Cement Rendering is one of those things that is most noticeable when the job is done wrong or not a professional standard. For home owners cement rendering is a renovation to their house they might do once or twice in a lifetime so Rok Rendering prides ourselves on delivering an excellent rendering project outcome for all of our customers.

When hiring a tradesman there should be no guess work when it comes to the quality they offer, expectations should be set before the project and met at completion. Repairing external rendered walls is a very common call out for the team at Rok Rendering, with a lot of our work being in the realm of restoration. Hiring tradesman is complicated and confusing enough, no one wants to be quality checking a tradesman they are paying!

At Rok Rendering we can come to your property and provide you with a solution to your problem. We only use the best material and our work is always of the highest quality. If you would like to work with a cement rendering company that you can trust call Rok Rendering today on 0452-523-921
or contact us using the online form by clicking here.

The quality of you render remains long after the invoice is paid!

Top 4 Things You Need To Know Before You Render A Brick House – Elle Blonde | Luxury Lifestyle Destination

Render is a type of cladding used on houses up and down the country. It comes in a range of materials and can be applied for a few different reasons, but is it actually worth it?

Top 4 things you need to know before you render a brick house

What types of render are there?

There are different materials used for render, each with their own special characteristics and appearance, and they are:

Silicone render

Silicone render is ideal for modern homes, and is the most modern material. It is great at staying clean and dirt-free, helping to improve the appearance of brick homes.

Acrylic render

Acrylic render is one of the most popular materials, and it has the benefit of coming in many colours. This means that it doesn’t require painting, making it an easy render to have applied to external walls. It is best suited to pre-rendered properties.

Polymer render

Polymer render is a material best suited to modern homes. It has additional polymers within it compared to other render materials, allowing it to be more flexible than cement render and lime render.

Cement render

Cement render is one of the most commonly used renders, and it is best suited to 20th-century homes. It requires much more cleaning and repairing than other cladding materials, but can also be one of the cheaper options.

Others include tyrolean render, monocouche render, coloured render & lime rendering.

Benefits of rendering exterior walls

So why do people render brick houses? We asked We Do Render for some help with this one and this is what they said:

Brick creates solid walls, so what is the purpose of house rendering? Well, there are a few benefits to rendering your entire house which are what attract most people to getting their property rendered. Adding a rendered facade to your home can:

Boost appearance

Many brick homes have worn, mismatching brick work that isn’t the most aesthetically appealing. Those looking to improve a property for themselves or to add value ready for selling may choose to add wall covering to the exposed brick walls in order to change the appearance. Adding a lime wash or lime plaster has been shown to drastically change the look and style of the home.

Protect against rising damp

Damp proofing is a big benefit of rendering a home. If a property suffers from penetrating damp, owners can damp proof the home by adding rendering. Regardless of what type of render is used on a property, it will be able to protect the home from damp issues to some extent.

Typically speaking, brick is not very weather resistant and can be quite easily affected by things like damp issues, so by damp proofing the exterior walls, how owners can help to reduce the risk of structural damage. Applying render is a relatively simple way to protect the integrity of the building.

External wall insulation

Rendering is a great way to make a property more energy efficient, especially old properties with solid brick walls. The render will work as an additional layer to add insulation, helping to manage the property’s temperature.

Rendering also provides the opportunity to enhance the property’s thermal performance even further by adding external insulation to the home. Whilst the property is already having work done, it makes sense to also make other changes to enhance the building. External insulation is a great way to improve the property’s energy efficiency and as a consequence can add to the value of the property. It is expensive, and will cost more money than just rendering, but would be worth it in the long run.

Downsides of house rendering

There are sufficient benefits to rendering a property, but there are also some downsides to rendering an existing house. Regardless of whether your property is rendered with cement based render or lime render, there will be some downsides to having it done. They are:

Render can crack

Whilst your render finish might look great to start with, you will likely find over time that render (especially cement renders) will crack. This can be really annoying and can really impact the appearance of the render finish.

Cracks in render can be caused by anything from the weather to rising damp, and will need attention relatively soon after forming. Repairing cracks in house render is not too hard of a job, but it can be tiresome to have to fix the wall covering on such a regular basis.

Mould and algae

Some render finishes will be prone to developing mould and algae, especially during the cooler, damper months. The mould and algae will grow on the render surface, ultimately ruining the appearance of the solid wall and making the property look less than appealing. Cement render is especially prone to this and will require a regular cleaning to remove said mould. I covered in a previous article how mould is a toxin in your property.

Flaking paint and discolouration

Typically, lime render, cement renders and polymer renders are painted once applied. This paint, as it is left in the open for a long time, can flake and discolour. This can lead to the property’s appearance worsening, and can be expensive and tiring to fix.

Rendering is expensive

Whether you are adding to existing render, rendering a new extension project or rendering a property for the first time, it is a pricey process. It will take several days, especially if you intend to get the entire property rendered.

Overall, is rendering a brick house worth it?

Rendering a brick house can help to enhance the energy efficiency of the property, and protect from penetrating damp (especially if lime render is used), but it can be costly, and may take a lot of maintenance. There are other cladding materials that are lower maintenance such as timber cladding, but for those who like the appearance of render, it may well be worth the money. Just ensure that you get the right render material for the property and that you have the time and resources to properly maintain the render finish.

How and with what to paint brick and brick walls

007 Paint options

  • Steps for painting brick walls
  • Surface preparation
  • Tool selection
  • Painting procedure
  • Aftercare
  • Paint is a versatile finishing material suitable for a wide range of applications. Among them is the painting of the brick wall. The only question is how to paint the brick. It can be laid as a decorative element inside the house. Or is part of the facade of the building.

    There are 2 main issues that need to be addressed. This is the choice of the material itself, as well as the correct application.

    Well, let’s find out how brick painting is done, and what compositions are ideal for this purpose.

    Things to consider

    Think carefully before you paint a brick wall. Such a decision is not always reasonable, but also correct.

    In most cases this is the final coat. That is, it is no longer possible to simply remove the paint applied to the brick. You will lose the natural roughness and characteristic shade. To somehow change the design of the walls, they will have to be painted again.

    Even the highest quality and most durable paints will fade and break down over time. So periodic repainting is inevitable.

    Another question is whether it will have to be done every 1-2 years, or every 5-10 years.

    Brick is a specific material. It is porous and also vapor permeable. After manufacturing and construction, you need to give time. During this period, the material will dry out and ventilate properly.

    Never paint newly erected brick walls. Before painting, a minimum of 2-3 years must pass. Otherwise, moisture, efflorescence will form on the surface, and an active process of peeling and falling off of the paint will begin.

    As for whether it is possible to paint without plastering, yes. It is possible to do so. But the staining technology should be strictly observed.

    Reasons for painting brick walls

    Since the site is dedicated to facades, we will focus on exterior wall painting.

    There are several reasons why a brick façade is painted using one or another composition:

    • over a long period, the wall has lost its original appearance;
    • brick partially collapsed, brickwork was being repaired, as well as plastering;
    • desire to create a more attractive and harmonious composition;
    • the desire to change the boring appearance of the building.

    In addition to being decorative, paints can also provide a protective effect.

    You just need to choose the right composition, and think in advance what color to paint the house outside so that it sparkles with new colors.

    Requirements for paint and varnish materials

    To determine how to paint a brick, you need to understand what requirements apply to such compositions, as well as to the planned work.

    Key requirements include:

    • moisture resistance;
    • vapor permeability;
    • good hiding power;
    • resistance to temperature changes;
    • fade and UV resistant;
    • mechanical strength of the created layer.

    This raises the question – how to paint a brick.

    Variants of used paints

    Consider several options for painting bricks.

    There are several formulations that can potentially do this job.

    • Nitro enamel . It is well absorbed into the brick structure, is not afraid of the sun, as well as mechanical influences. But forms a hydrophobic film. The structure is completely clogged. The wall does not breathe;
    • Silicate . A facade version with a water base can be used. There are several varieties. A worthy choice is a mixture with silicate binders (liquid glass). But weather resistance is poor. The facade will have to be updated every 3-4 years;
    • Acrylic silicone . The most suitable option for bricks when it comes to water-based paints. They serve for 10-12 years. The layer after drying becomes vapor-permeable. It has good hydrophobic characteristics, as well as mechanical strength. But the price is high;
    • Epoxy . Sticks well to brick. But not very fond of climatic influences. For additional protection, you can cover the top with a clear varnish;
    • Mineral . Often used for outdoor decoration. The covering is steady against moisture, mechanical, and also temperature influences. But quickly loses its appearance;
    • Silicone . Suitable for smooth brick walls with poor adhesion. That is, suitable for silicate bricks.

    It doesn’t hurt to take a look at the rating of facade paints, where the compositions of proven and well-established manufacturers are presented.

    Based on your budget, as well as your wishes and possibilities, you can decide for yourself what paint to paint the brick wall.

    If these are external walls, then take only facade compositions. For the interior, use compositions that are safe for health. Facade mixes can also be used in kitchens, bathrooms and wet rooms.

    Provided, of course, that they do not contain any hazardous components. A number of paints have contraindications for use inside.

    Stages of painting brick walls

    You have decided how to paint the brick outside. Before applying the paint and varnish solution, you need to prepare the surface, as well as the necessary tools.

    The whole procedure can be divided into several stages:

    • preparation;
    • tool selection;
    • staining;
    • aftercare.

    Let’s briefly review each item.

    Surface preparation

    Everything is quite simple and also standard.

    Preparation for painting includes the following steps:

    • cleaning brick walls from dirt, old coatings, decorative elements, and so on;
    • repair of cracks, masonry repair;
    • sanding repaired damage;
    • efflorescence removal;
    • washes of traces of mold and mildew;
    • application of agents against mold and mildew;
    • grease stain remover;
    • washing walls with soapy water;
    • surface drying;
    • 2 coats of primer.

    Exterior brick walls should be allowed to dry in normal weather for about 5-7 days.

    Only then can you start priming. As for the final stage of preparation.

    It is important to carefully prepare the brick substrate for painting

    Choice of tools

    The question is how to paint the brick in terms of the use of tools. Here you need to build on how rough the surface is, as well as what effect you want to achieve.

    There are several options:

    • Brushes . Allows for even application. It is recommended to move along the masonry pattern. For alkyd, as well as oil paint, choose brushes with natural bristles. If it is an acrylic composition, then the brush must be made of polyester;

    When choosing brushes, pay attention to the pile

    • Rollers . Good for starting layer. Take foam rubber, as well as woolen rollers. The length of the pile is medium;

    Best option is a medium pile roller

    • Sprayer . He’s a spray gun. Allows you to quickly paint flat areas. Only the airbrush requires competent adjustment so that the decorative effect meets your expectations;

    The sprayer is fast to work, but requires fine and precise adjustment of the equipment

    • Sponges . It is mainly used for interior painting. Gives various visual effects. For example, to create a bronze or silver highlight, apply stencil drawings, and also make contrasting spots.

    An ordinary sponge can give the brick an original appearance when painting

    We have decided on this. We move on.

    Staining procedure

    There are several recommendations regarding the exterior painting of brick walls:

    • choose not a hot dry day with a temperature of about 15-20 degrees Celsius;
    • cover the façade surfaces that will not be painted with films and adhesive tape;
    • start at the top corner of the house wall;
    • for the first coat, the paint can be slightly thinned;
    • the optimal number of layers is 2-3;
    • Allow the previous coat to dry completely before applying a new coat;
    • paint the walls evenly and with the same layer thickness;
    • do not paint one wall intermittently;
    • allocate time so that you have time to completely paint 1 wall in one coat;
    • otherwise a noticeable contrast may appear between the coatings.

    That’s it. Next is a matter of technology.

    This is objectively easier than plastering walls.

    Aftercare

    After painting the surface, you only need to periodically care for the facade. There is nothing complicated here:

    • periodically wipe the walls with soapy water;
    • repair localized damage by repairing and repainting;
    • after winter, walk along the walls with water from a hose;
    • take care not to allow water to accumulate under the façade.

    There is nothing fundamentally complicated here.

    Now you know how to paint a brick, as well as how to do it right with your own hands.

    Is it right to paint brick walls? What color would you choose? Why did you decide to paint the brick? How satisfied are you with the result?

    We are waiting for answers, as well as stories from personal experience.

    That’s it. We’ll say goodbye. Thank you for your attention!

    Stay with us, write comments. Ask questions and tell your friends about the project!

    Your rating is very important!

    ( No ratings yet )

    Share with friends

    How to paint decorative brick-like plaster

    You can create such a popular style of home interior decoration as painting a brick wall in bright or white colors yourself. To do this, you need to properly prepare the surface and paint the masonry.

    How to paint a brick wall: tips and tricks

    Brick walls without plaster are increasingly common in the interior of modern apartments. To protect the surface from moisture and dirt, their painting is used. A similar method is used with perfectly even masonry seams and a presentable appearance of the material.

    Painting a brick wall

    By choosing this interior design method, you do not have to level the surface with plaster or drywall, and then also apply a finish coat.

    Outdoors: the best choice of paint

    A few things to consider:

    • In the future, it will be almost impossible to remove paint from bricks. How to paint decorative plaster on the ceiling? The original color of the material cannot be returned, and the only way to change the appearance is by repainting it.
    • The outside wall must be painted at +25°C or more, otherwise the surface may be streaked. For painting use a spray gun.
    • Start at the top edge and apply two or three coats of paint, allowing the surface to dry. Modern high-quality paints make it possible to hide some surface imperfections and minor oversights in the painter’s work. For accurate work, use masking tape. It is glued to adjacent unpainted areas.

    Interior

    finishing : how to paint

    Preparatory work is necessary to paint the interior walls. This applies to the removal of furniture from the room, so that it is easier to paint.

    • Cover the floor with foil or other material to prevent soiling.
    • Work is carried out with a long pile roller or brush. They paint the wall with stripes that overlap by 1-2 mm.
    • Brush preferred. So the surface of the masonry is felt better and the strokes are more even. Paint the wall in a horizontal direction according to the texture of the masonry. For alkyd and oil paints, natural hair brushes are used. Their width should be in the range of 75-100 mm. Corners are treated with a narrow brush with a cut edge.
    • The use of a roller is advisable when a carelessly rolled layer is created on the wall, which decorates the interior of the room. Brick quickly absorbs a lot of paint and the roller will have to work for a long time to create a perfectly smooth surface.

    Used to paint the surface and sponge. Its use creates the effect of faded old masonry on the wall. Bronze highlights are applied with a sponge or contrasting color spots are added to the surface.

    Paint preparation: important requirements

    When carrying out surface painting work, it should be borne in mind that brick is a porous material. For complete drying and weathering of the wall, the house must stand for a long time in its original form.

    Exterior

    When choosing to paint an exterior brick wall, the following points should be considered:

    • It is not advisable to paint fresh masonry. The surface must fully pass the stages of drying, weathering and leaching. It may take a year.
    • Surface of wall is prepared before painting and must be clean. What color to paint the decorative plaster in the hallway? To do this, clean off salt stains, wash with soapy water and allow to dry well. Excess moisture will evaporate from the surface in a week.
    • Painted brickwork creates a modern and fashionable style for the home. Attention is diverted from small wall defects. You can choose the color of the paint, combined with other buildings on the site.

    For interior work

    Large and clearly visible imperfections are best filled or plastered. Although the brickwork should be rough with a surface without large cracks and chips, it is easier to paint this way, and the wall looks neater.

    The surface of must be carefully primed. Choose a deep penetration primer that creates a dense water-repellent film.

    Brick, as a building material, is not entirely suitable for painting. This is due to its porous structure. In the future, removing paint from it and plastering the surface will be quite problematic.

    The only possibility is to repaint the wall in a different color.

    Painting a brick wall

    do-it-yourself

    Before painting the brickwork with your own hands, you should study a few points of this work.

    What kind of paint to paint

    The work is carried out with interior acrylic or alkyd paints with a matte or semi-gloss effect. Oil paints are also used. From this, the surface of the brickwork is obtained with a soft sheen.

    It is undesirable to use facade paint, as it contains hazardous volatile substances.

    Choice of style

    The most popular style is white wall painting. On a white background, brickwork looks especially elegant and stylish. In addition, there are many stylistic directions for painting brickwork.

    There are no restrictions in this matter.

    Often found in the interior with a painted wall in the style of country and gothic. Country style involves the use of rich tones, letters and numbers, the presence of graffiti on the surface of the wall.

    Keeping the texture of the brick wall

    If the brickwork is perfectly even and the surface of the wall is smooth and presentable, you can leave it in its original form. It is only necessary to eliminate minor flaws and protect the wall from dust and dirt. For this, clinker oil is used.

    Promotional codes for a discount in “Plumbing Online”

    After processing, the color of the bricks becomes brighter and more even. Further care consists in regular washing of the surface to prevent the appearance of mold.

    Brick wall contrasting

    One of the painting techniques is brickwork contrasting. Walls with brightly colored seams will look spectacular in the interior of the house.

    The soft and calm style of the room will create a combination of white, gray and black colors in the coloring of the masonry.

    The interior brick wall will look interesting if it is decorated with bright graffiti.

    How long it will last

    With careful work, painted brickwork will last long enough and will please with its attractive appearance. How to paint decorative plaster on the balcony? Caring for the treated surface is quite simple: regular washing with soapy water.

    Additional information:

    You can experiment with both shapes and surfaces. Leave the bricks rough, uneven, or make them as smooth as possible – in both cases, the wall will look very interesting. For some designs, aged surfaces work very well.

    Special processing can be carried out to achieve this effect.

    The ready-to-use mortar should have a creamy consistency and should not run off the trowel. It should be taken into account the peculiarity of some solutions to harden very quickly – approximately 30 minutes after dilution. Based on this, the mixture must be stirred only before application and in a small amount.

    After waiting for the complete drying of the applied layer, using a level and a pencil, it is necessary to mark the future drawing. In this case, it is necessary to ensure strict verticality and horizontality of each drawn line. The distance between the lines is determined by the size of the “bricks” and the size of the seams.

    The process of imitating brickwork is best done according to a strictly defined algorithm, adhering to the basic recommendations of experts. Of course, this stage should be started after the completion of the preparatory cycle and the complete drying of the basic bases.

    A special gypsum varnish is also used for the popular gypsum stone. Such a varnish provides a uniform surface color, dries quickly, does not flow down during operation, and does not create streaks. Water-based acrylic suspensions are also suitable for gypsum tiles.

    A good design technique: first apply one color dye, and after a couple of minutes – another. It will also be useful to paint over individual “bricks” in a bright shade. After all, real masonry often strikes with variety and diversity, so that a brick wall made of plaster with your own hands has the right to be not monotonous. Creative natures can experiment with colors, because now it is not uncommon for products of various colors, from bright yellow to black.

    Guests won’t guess that the masonry is not real!

    Before starting work, the level of curvature of the surface must be measured using the long rule.