How to Paint Exterior Brick: Prep, Masonry Primer, and Paint

Brick looks indestructible, yet the fastest way to ruin it is to seal it under the wrong coating. Knowing how to paint exterior brick starts with one fact: brick and mortar absorb and release moisture all day long, so the paint you choose has to let that water vapor escape. Trap it, and you get peeling, blistering and spalled brick faces within a few winters.

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For unpainted brick, the job breaks into four stages. You clean the wall and remove any white efflorescence, repair cracked mortar, let the masonry dry for several days, then apply a breathable masonry primer followed by two coats of elastomeric or mineral-based masonry paint. An airless sprayer handles the bulk of the coverage, and a thick-nap roller or brush works paint into the mortar joints.

Think carefully before you start, because painting brick is close to permanent. Removing paint from porous brick is slow, messy and expensive. If the brick is in good shape and you simply want a refreshed look, cleaning alone may get you most of the way there.

How to Paint Exterior Brick: Decide If Your Wall Is a Good Candidate

Brick that is sound, dry and free of active leaks takes paint well. Walk the house and look for these warning signs before buying any materials:

• Spalling: brick faces flaking or popping off, usually from trapped moisture and freeze-thaw cycles. Painting over it hides the symptom and speeds the damage.
• Heavy efflorescence: white, powdery salt deposits mean water is moving through the wall. Find the source (missing gutters, failed flashing, sprinklers hitting the wall, grade sloping toward the house) first.
• Crumbling mortar: joints you can scrape out with a key need repointing before paint.
• Stair-step cracks: diagonal cracks following the mortar can signal foundation movement. Have a mason or structural engineer look at them.

Older homes deserve one more check. If the brick or trim has any existing coating and the house was built before 1978, test that paint for lead before scraping, sanding or power washing it. Use an EPA-recognized test kit or hire a certified inspector, and if lead is present, follow lead-safe work practices: plastic sheeting on the ground, wet methods, no dry sanding, and HEPA cleanup. Old caulk and some masonry coatings from earlier decades can contain asbestos too, so test anything suspicious before you disturb it.

Tools and Materials

• Stiff nylon brushes and a garden hose, or a pressure washer set to a low, wide fan (1500 to 2000 psi at most)
• Masonry cleaner or a mild detergent; an efflorescence remover for salt deposits
• Pointing trowel, mortar mix or masonry patch, and polyurethane masonry caulk for small cracks
• Breathable masonry primer (acrylic masonry primer or a mineral primer matched to your topcoat)
• Elastomeric masonry paint or mineral (silicate) masonry paint
• Airless paint sprayer with a 0.017 to 0.021 tip, plus a 3/4 to 1 1/4 inch nap roller and a stiff masonry brush
• Drop cloths, painter’s tape, plastic sheeting for windows and fixtures
• Extension ladder with standoff, or rented scaffolding for tall walls
• Safety glasses, gloves, and a respirator when spraying

Choosing Between Elastomeric and Mineral Paint

Elastomeric paint forms a thick, flexible membrane that bridges hairline cracks and sheds driving rain. Pick a product labeled breathable or vapor permeable, since some elastomerics are too tight for solid masonry walls. Mineral or silicate paint soaks into the brick and bonds chemically, leaving a flat, natural look that breathes extremely well and rarely peels. It costs more and comes in a narrower color range. Whichever you choose, use the primer the paint maker recommends for that system.

Step 1: Clean the Brick and Remove Efflorescence

Paint grips clean masonry, and dirty brick is the most common reason a new paint job fails. Start by brushing off loose dirt, cobwebs and moss. For general grime, scrub with a masonry cleaner or a solution of mild detergent and water, then rinse.

Efflorescence needs specific treatment. Dry-brush as much of the white powder as you can first, because wetting it can dissolve the salts and pull them back into the brick. Then apply an efflorescence remover according to its label, scrub, and rinse thoroughly. Wear chemical-resistant gloves and eye protection with acid-based cleaners, and never mix cleaning products.

If you use a pressure washer, keep the pressure low, hold the wand at least 12 inches away and spray at an angle rather than straight on. High pressure blasts out soft mortar and erodes the brick face, which creates more problems than it solves.

Step 2: Repair Mortar and Cracks

Rake out loose or crumbling mortar to a depth of about 1/2 inch, mist the joint, and pack in fresh mortar with a pointing trowel. Match the original mortar’s softness as closely as you can; hard modern mortar in old soft brick can cause the brick itself to crack. Fill hairline cracks with masonry caulk or patch. Let repairs cure fully, typically several days to a few weeks for new mortar, before priming. Check the primer label, since fresh mortar is highly alkaline and some primers need it to cure first.

Step 3: Let the Brick Dry Completely

Patience here prevents peeling later. After washing, give the brick at least two to three days of dry weather, longer in cool or humid conditions. Brick holds a surprising amount of water inside, even when the surface looks dry. A cheap pin moisture meter takes the guesswork out; aim for readings in the low range recommended by your primer maker.

Plan the painting itself for a stretch of mild weather. Most masonry paints need air and surface temperatures between about 50 and 90°F, no rain for at least 24 hours, and no direct midday sun on the wall being painted. Early fall and late spring are ideal in most climates.

Step 4: Prime With a Breathable Masonry Primer

Mask windows, doors, light fixtures, hose bibs and any trim you are not painting. Cover plants and walkways with drop cloths. Then apply the primer.

1. Spray a manageable section. Work about 4 to 6 feet wide at a time, keeping the sprayer tip about 12 inches from the wall and overlapping each pass by half.
2. Back-roll immediately. Follow behind the sprayer with a thick-nap roller to push primer into the brick pores and mortar joints. This step is what separates a lasting finish from one with pinholes.
3. Brush the joints. Recessed or raked joints may need a stiff brush to get full coverage.
4. Let it dry. Follow the label, commonly 2 to 4 hours before topcoating, but longer in cool weather.

Step 5: Apply Two Coats of Masonry Paint

Topcoat the same way you primed: spray, then back-roll the first coat, and spray the second coat with light back-rolling only where needed. Two coats are the standard for exterior brick, because a single coat leaves thin spots on the textured face and in the joints.

Work from the top of the wall down so drips land on unpainted areas. Keep a wet edge and stop at natural breaks like corners, downspouts or window columns so you do not leave lap marks in the middle of a wall. Elastomeric paints go on thick, so check the spread rate on the can; textured brick often uses 20 to 30 percent more paint than a smooth siding of the same size.

Sprayer or Roller?

For a whole house, an airless paint sprayer saves days of labor and reaches the deep texture of brick far better than a roller alone. You will spend more time masking and need to watch for overspray on cars, roofs and neighbors’ property on windy days. Rolling alone works fine for a small wall, a chimney chase or a single porch, and it gives you more control near trim. Most pros combine both.

Ladder and Scaffold Safety

Brick walls usually mean ladder work, and a falling ladder is the biggest hazard on this project. Set an extension ladder on firm, level ground at a 4-to-1 angle (1 foot out for every 4 feet of height), extend it at least 3 feet past any roof edge you step onto, and use a standoff so the ladder does not rest on fresh paint. Keep three points of contact, never stand on the top rungs, and move the ladder rather than overreaching. Watch for overhead power lines when raising a metal or wet ladder. Never carry a sprayer up a ladder with the hose snagged below you.

Rented scaffolding is safer and faster for long runs, and it is often the smartest way to learn how to paint exterior brick on a big wall without constant ladder moves. For two-story walls and above, or steep lots where ladders cannot be set securely, hire a painting contractor with the right equipment and insurance.

Troubleshooting Common Problems

• Peeling or blistering within a year: moisture behind the paint. The brick was not dry, the coating was not breathable, or water is entering from above. Fix the water source, scrape loose areas, and recoat with a vapor-permeable system.
• White haze bleeding through: efflorescence returning. The wall has a moisture problem; address drainage before touching up.
• Pinholes in mortar joints: not enough back-rolling. Brush paint into the joints on the next coat.
• Uneven sheen: painting in direct sun or over patches without spot-priming. Spot-prime repairs and paint in shade.

Cost Ranges

DIY materials for an average single-story house typically run from a few hundred dollars to around $1,000, depending on the paint system, wall area and whether you buy or rent a sprayer. Mineral paints sit at the top of that range. Professional painting of exterior brick commonly runs a few dollars per square foot of wall, with tall walls, heavy repairs and repointing pushing costs higher. Get at least three written quotes that list the cleaning method, primer and paint products, and number of coats.

When to Call a Pro

Bring in a mason before painting if you see spalling, failing mortar across large areas or structural cracks. Hire a painting contractor for houses over one story, for lead-positive surfaces you are not equipped to handle safely, or if you simply do not want to manage a sprayer and scaffold. A good contractor will insist on dry brick and breathable products, which is a solid sign you have found the right one.

Done carefully, a first-time paint job on brick can last 10 to 15 years or more, especially with mineral paint. The prep is most of the work, and every hour spent cleaning, repairing and waiting for dry weather shows up as years of extra life on the finish.