Staining Your Brick House Exterior

Good curb appeal shows that you take pride in your home. You want it to look good from the exterior of your home, along with the interior. Classic brick homes, or modern homes with brick combined with other masonry materials, are beautiful when they are in good condition. But red, gray, white, and other brick colors can fade over time. Brick staining services revitalize your home's exterior, enhancing curb appeal while increasing your home's value. This applies not only to the house and garage, but to walkways, patios, decks, and other exterior walls.

Difference Between Staining and Painting

The decision to paint or stain your brick should consider durability, long-term value, and sustainability, along with aesthetics. Professional contractors, architects, and homeowners are selecting stains over traditional paints for brick buildings.

Painted brick is also popular with many homeowners. While it may not last as long as stained brick, there are many color options. A painted brick home may last three to five years before repainting is necessary. A professional paint job requires primers, paints, and sealants. Old paint may have to be removed before new paint is applied. 

The choice between paint and stain may be based on the age and design of the home. As part of our comprehensive residential painting services, Ace Hardware Painting Services provides both options to homeowners.

The stain procedure penetrates the porous brick. The mineral-based pigments create a chemical bond that does not chip, crack, flake, or peel. The stain will enhance the color of the brick while sustaining its natural texture. This creates a protective barrier that lasts many years longer than paint, even when the surface is exposed to severe weather conditions. This can include rain, wind, sleet, snow, or even intense heat.

Finding the Right Stain Type for Your Brick

There are several types of brick. Stain and color selection depend on the composition of the brick.  Most decorative bricks used for homes are made of clay and finely-grained shale. You may also have bricks made from mud, loam, sand, and even shale. Water is the major ingredient that holds the brick's composition together. 

You may have reclaimed used brick that was salvaged from another site. Used brick has gained in popularity as people seek to recycle building materials.

A semi-transparent or translucent stain would bring out the natural color of brick on the exterior of your home. An opaque stain could actually change the color of the brick. Based on its composition, this could give your home a dramatic new look for curb appeal while it increases your home's value.

Acrylic and mineral stains work well on vertical surfaces such as walls, while solvent or acid staining is recommended for horizontal surfaces such as walkways. Water-based stains dry faster than oil-based stains, but they require a sealant. Oil stains are often used on damaged brick.

Solvent-based stains offer good ultraviolet protection. Acrylic and opaque stains resist fading, and they are available in a wide range of colors.

Choosing Stain Colors

Start your color selection by taking the architectural design of your home and your landscaping into consideration. 

• Do you want to enhance the original color?
• Do you want to completely change the exterior color?
• Are you staining walkways or fences?

All of these questions are important in the choice of stain pigments.

The  most popular colors for homes are:

• Classic white for the country or farmhouse aesthetic.
• Hidden white is more neutral, complementing different trim colors.
• Cream color is more off-white with taupe undertones that can also complement exterior woodwork.
• Modern aluminum moves toward more light gray-stained brick
• Slate is more of a dark gray brick stain that may have a slight blue cast to it.
• Charcoal gray is a popular, darker gray tone used for contrast with light trim.
• Brown and tan brick stains are also available.
• Red brick stains are available in a variety of colors.

Red brick stains come in tones from classic red to warm brown. Red brick is popular for historic old homes in many areas.

The Staining Process

You need to prepare your home for the staining or painting process by thoroughly cleaning all exterior masonry surfaces. Repair or replace any broken bricks and mortar joints whenever possible. A light pressure wash should remove all old grime and dirt. You do not want to stain or paint a dirty surface. Ace Hardware Painting Services will help you prepare your home.

The brick must dry completely before the stain is applied. Cover windows, doors, and any landscaped areas that can come into contact with the stain.

If this is a do-it-yourself project, you need to mix the stain and carefully apply it using smooth, even strokes in a star pattern. A professional painting service will have the equipment necessary to reach all parts of your building. This includes ladders and safety gear.

Maintenance for Stained Brick

Stained brick is low maintenance. This is a major reason for choosing stained brick. Occasional warm-water washing with a detergent or white vinegar. Cleaning with a brush is usually all that is necessary for exterior brick walls, especially if a sealant was applied over the stain.  Walkways can be washed with a garden hose.  

Clean walls carefully on a regular basis to prevent mildew, mold, or algae build-up if you are in a humid area. Algae inhibitors are available in some areas. Abrasive cleaners and power washing are not recommended. Cleaning the exterior of your home once a year is recommended. 

You may not have to stain your walls again for five to ten years, based on your architecture and location.

Stained Brick Transformation

You have transformed your home with a new, revitalized look with stained brick. Take a photo of your home before and after the staining. The difference will be amazing!

For more information on our locations and a list of the many colors available, contact us at your local Ace Hardware Painting Services.