Bricks are the building blocks of any home. However, to increase the aesthetic appeal of the house or the building, you must invest in painting these bricks. It might sound easy, but painting brick can get complicated and messy. Also, there are multiple things that you should keep in mind while painting brick or a brick wall, for that matter.
The texture of a brick wall is quite rough and has an earthy feel to it. Also, they are porous, and they absorb a lot of moisture. Therefore, you will have to develop an entire process to paint a brick wall. If you go with the brush and paint way, it will consume a lot of your time. Also, by the end of it, you will feel exhausted. Alternatively, you can use spray paint as it is easy to use, and you will soon be done with the task.
Considerations while Spray Painting a Wall
You must consider several things while bricks are the building blocks of any home. However, to increase the aesthetic appeal of the house or the e spray painting a brick wall. These considerations will make you ready for what lies ahead and will also help you in navigating through the entire process. Some of these considerations include:
Spray Painted brick wall is permanent
It would be best if you were extremely careful while you spray paint a brick wall. Once you spray the paint on the brick wall, it cannot be undone. There are different techniques out there to remove the paint on the brick wall. However, restoration of a brick wall is a challenging process and can only be done by experts.
Also, the cost will tend to increase exponentially if you get your wall restored. Hence, you should pick your colors carefully and spray the paint evenly so that you don't need to make any changes.
Paints contain toxic chemicals
Paints have a lot of toxins and chemicals. When you apply the paint on the bricks or spray the paint on the surface of the brick wall, these toxins are released into the air. These can damage your eyes and windpipe.
You need to take necessary precautions while you spray paint the wall. You must buy a good respirator mask and use it while spray painting a brick wall. The mask will protect you from the toxic materials released into the air while you paint.
Look for signs of water damage
Bricks are the primary cause of leakages in a home. Other associated issues can be mold growth, damp walls, etc. Once you paint the wall, you will not be able to fix any of these issues.
Once a brick wall is constructed, you should let it dry completely. If you apply spray paint over a damp wall, it can cause a lot of problems for your home. It would help if you tried using spray paint that gives the water the required space to evaporate into the atmosphere.
Efflorescence
Water-soluble salts are found in brick walls. When the water from the bricks evaporates, the salts are left behind. It is important to wipe off these salts before you spray paint the brick wall. Suppose you apply the paint on an insufficiently prepared brick wall. The paint will start peeling off in the next few days. The walls will have adhesion issues due to the efflorescence or traces of any other loose matter on the wall.
You will have to inspect the wall carefully and then decide the number of coats you should apply to the brick wall. Also, before spraying the paint on the brick wall, make sure that you remove all kinds of dust, mold, moss, etc., from the wall.
Clean the walls thoroughly
As stated before, cleaning the walls before applying the spray paint is quite important. Using a cleaning mixture to clean your brick wall thoroughly would be best. Also, it would help if you ideally used a water hose to clean the wall as the force of the water will remove all kinds of additional particles stuck to the brick wall.
You can create a soap-water mixture to remove salt deposits on the brick wall. However, it would be best if you avoided any cleaning solutions that have acid in them as they can destroy the quality of the brick wall.
Check the Alkaline Levels
Before painting a brick wall, you should seriously check the alkalinity of the wall. Although bricks are typically neutral, the mortar in which they are installed contains several soluble mineral salts known as alkalis.
Oil-based paint products are impacted by free alkalis, which eventually causes the paint coating to dissolve. This process is technically known as saponification. To avoid alkali-based paint failure, it is advised to apply an alkali-resistant primer.
Maintenance spends
Brick walls require regular maintenance. Spray paints are not as strong as regular paints. Hence, it would help if you repainted the brick walls regularly. Keeping the painted walls in good condition will keep your house safe from any externalities.
Also, applying the spray paint well will save the brick wall from premature degradation. You must apply a primer before spraying the paint on the brick wall. A primer will make the paint stay for a longer duration and hence, will keep your walls healthy.
Use newspapers to protect the windows and doors
As we know, the kinds of spray paints used on a brick wall are permanent, and erasing them will be a challenge. Therefore, you should use unfolded pieces of newspaper to cover the wood of your doors and windows.
You can also use painter tapes to tape the newspapers along the boundary of the doors and windows. It would be best if you also protected any other area you don't wish to paint.
Repair the cracks before painting
You must repair the cracks before applying spray paint to the brick wall. Cracks are the major source of degeneration of paint. You can use a scraper to open the cracks and brush out all the dust from inside the crack.
You can use a caulking gun to completely fill the crack with caulk, and then you will have to let the wall dry for 5 hours. You can then flatten the caulk by pressing it till it gets to the level of the wall. Now, you can spray the paint on the brick wall.
The spraying motions
You need to take care of the motion in which you spray paint a brick wall. It would help if you went with a vertical spray pattern that you can easily make using your spray bottle. You can pick a corner of the wall to start with and create strips with spray, ensuring that the strips overlap.
This way, you will not leave blank areas while painting the wall. Also, when using a spray bottle to paint the brick wall, you should ensure that the bottle is at least 6 to 12 inches away from the wall. It would be best if you also had a consistent speed so that the wall gets painted thoroughly.
Use a brush to make corrections
When you use spray paint to paint a brick wall, some unreachable spots might be left behind. These areas generally include the side of the doors and windows. It would help if you had some precision in painting these areas.
However, if you use spray paint to paint the areas, you might even paint the wooden frame of the doors and windows. Hence, it would be best to use a small paintbrush to paint these areas. Also, you should ensure that you are applying the paint gently so that there are no brush marks on the wall.
Add a second coat
Before adding a second coat, you should consult an architect or a mason. Once they recommend you double coat the wall or apply the paint again, you can use the same steps and spray the second coat of paint on the brick wall.
Alternatively, you can wait a few years and then repaint the wall as the paint starts fading. You can use a small brush to paint small areas on the brick wall affected by weather changes.
Wrapping up!
When you decide to spray paint a brick wall, you take a major step towards revamping your home. It would help if you kept all the considerations listed above in your mind when you start painting your wall.
These considerations apply even if you plan to paint graffiti on the walls outside your home or on the bricks by the road. It would be best to have the necessary equipment and protective equipment like respirator masks while spray painting these walls.
Make sure you are using good-quality spray paint that does not wear off easily. Also, a small brush must be kept handy to make any corrections to the paint on the brick wall. Spray painting a brick wall is an art, and you must devote time and patience to the activity. If you keep these considerations in mind, you will have a great painting experience.
