Through the Garage Door Through the Garage Door

There is a long list of things you can do to improve the aesthetic of the exterior of your home: landscaping, planting a garden, and painting are all options. What if you have a brick house, though? Is painting the sole provenance of those with wood houses or paint friendly siding? It is absolutely not. In addition, if you go about it the proper way, painting brick can look quite good and change up the look of your home's exterior. Throughout the course of this article, you'll learn about 5 things you need to know if you decide on taking the plunge and painting your brick exterior.

You Must Prep The Area Properly

Before getting started, you need to know that prepping the area you plan on painting is absolutely integral to applying paint to brick. If you don't plan on properly prepping the area, then you might as well consider this task a lost cause.

First and foremost, pressure wash your house from top to bottom. Make sure that you're getting the areas that will require paint application especially clean. Then, take notice of damaged surfaces. Damaged surfaces can interfere with the painting process in a variety of different ways. Look for holes in the brick, as well as areas adjacent to the brick, such as window panes, etc. Fix the area using epoxy or other quick, go-to fixers. Next, remove any loose paint with a medium grit sanding block and a paint scraper. Fill in any loose areas between molding and brick with caulk. Then, as you would with any paint job, protect your doors, windows and lights with protective surfaces such as plastic or tarps in order to prevent any stray paint from hitting them.

Painting Can Improve Your Property Value

If done correctly and carefully, painting your house can actually improve the value of your property. However, it is highly recommended that you consult with your broker or real estate agent before painting for the sole reason of improving your property value.

You Can Give Your Brick A Distressed Look

You can give your house a gritty, urban, distressed paint look that is reminiscent of the natural decay of some Midwestern and east coast cities and is becoming increasingly popular in more suburban and rural areas. After letting the paint dry for one day, you can chip away at it, either haphazardly, or carefully, to make it seem like urban wear and tear. In addition, if you place a screwdriver on the brick and give it a quick tap with a hammer, you can distress the paint on the brick.

Consult With Paint Experts

Consult with paint experts are your local hardware or DIY store to get the best idea of what kind of paint – brand, type and color – will work best with the type of brick that your home's exterior consists of. Generally, people in the know can give you a great deal of advice before you hunker down and purchase that first bucket of paint.

You Can Stain Instead Of Paint

In place of painting the brick exterior of your home, you can stain it. Staining actually works in the exact same manner that painting your brick exterior does, so simply follow the above steps. Staining your brick house can rejuvenate it, giving the brick a newer look or, depending on how you go about the process, it can even imbue the brick with a sense of classicism.

Fixing up a house and improving your home's exterior aesthetics is one of the best things you can do for your house, whether as a fun project, a general way to improve your home's aesthetic or even a method to raise the property value of your home. Hopefully, this brief article has set you on the path towards painting your brick exterior.

if you want more tips or would like to leave the work the professionals, you can go to sites of local painting services to learn more.