How can I smooth the rough brick on my house for painting?

Question

My house has this orange rough brick (built 1970) and I would like to smooth it down and paint it. Has anyone attempted to sand down brick?

Peace Painting Co., Inc. · Answer

No because I think it's the first time it's been asked!
You could roll on a really thick paint, like elastomeric, with a flat finish.  That would somewhat deminish the texture. There are also products called block fillers that smooth things out a bit, but in the end these are just heavy paints.
I have never heard of sanding brick but you could also cover it with stucco.
Best,
Charles

Lynne B · Answer

A good masonery paint should cover it without having to smooth it down

Peace Painting Co., Inc. · Answer

For what it's worth Michael, I like the extra texture.  It's a little different and looks hand made.  
Chas.

KMS Woodworks · Answer

If you were only doing a few sq feet like for a mantle ...you might be able to get away with it ...thou it would be an extremely messy process...not so much 'sanding' but 'grinding' with a cup stone.  Doing a whole house would take forever...paint or stucco top coat.

Sheryll S · Answer

I would just cover over it with wood or stucco and paint it after.  Breathing even with a mask and all the dust goes every single solitary place in your home....... ugh to sanding.

Alida G · Answer

My son did just attempt the very same job. He nixed the sanding after trying it for a few obscure bricks. Sheryll is right, sanding-ugh!
He merely scrubbed it very hard and did do the smoothing over leaving just bits and parts of the red brick showing through. In other words, he filled in the 'cracks.'

We lived in a house with a wall like that, My older son ran into it one day, Another trip to emergency room for stitiching up forehead!

Christina · Answer

Just paint it. The more flat the paint the less noticeable the texture on the brick.

Adrianne Manson · Answer

you can coat it with a tinted slurry that is a concrete product. it will fill in the divets and give you a smoother appearance while coloring the surface at the same time.

Adrianne Manson · Answer

It's basically paint with portland cement in it. Check with a brick company or contractor in your area. Adding the concrete mix to the paint gives it more thickness. Painters or concerte guys should be able to help you head in the right direction.

Patricia Swinford · Answer

I would never paint my brick house unless it had a lot of damage to the brick , because in 2 or 3 years it needs to be redone . I like the look of brick myself our house is from 71' there's enough of work other places to be done

Terence hegarty · Answer

i would never paint these brick spray brick cleaning acid on them mix 3 parts water to 1 part acid and let it sit for couple of days and then hose it of be as good as new

Jemma Dee · Answer

If you paint a rough textured surface (brick) be sure to use a roller designed for rough surfaces (high nap).

Sheri McCullah · Answer

I am getting ready to paint my brick too.  Following.

Debi53 · Answer

I, too, had ugly 1970's orange brick. Rather than paint it, you want to use solid masonary or deck stain. (Make sure you don't use semi-transparent. That let's the color of the brick show through.)This will completely cover the brick and can be tinted to any color you want. Paint will peel off of brick, but stain will penetrate the brick and will not peel. We stained ours 8 years ago and it still looks brand new. This is a water based stain and cleans up with soap and water. It will take two coats, and does require some time, but is definitely DIY unless you have really high walls. Use the thickest rollers you can find that are meant for 'rough surfaces' and buy a bunch of them. They will mat down after a while. Also get a high quality large paint brush for the areas your roller can't get into. If you want to soften the rough texture a bit, you can use the new products for restoring damaged concrete walkways, but I think just changing the color to one solid color you like will make all the difference you need. (I tried multiple times to upload our before and after, but for some reason the site is not letting me do this. I will try again later.)

Sara Cairncross · Answer

Can you try posting photos. I have the exact same kind of brick and i’d like to stain it. Thank you!

EmaLee Trippler · Answer

Romabio paints has the best paint for brick I have found. it allows the brick to breathe so you wouldn't have to do any maintenance for up to 15 years (per their site and reviews). As far as smoothing the brick, I'm in the same boat... I have considered grinding each brick smooth, but I think it would be tedious and messy.. I think I may end up trying to fill the grooves naturally and then painting over? 🤷‍♀️🏻 not sure how well it would work....

How can I smooth the rough brick on my house for painting?

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How can I smooth the rough brick on my house for painting?

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