Any long term issues with painting brick?

[winkabob]

My garage has a brick foundation. I've installed drywall and got it all painted. Now I am thinking about the floor. I probably will either go with VCT or simply just leave it alone. However between the floor and the drywall I've got about 18" of brick. My wife thinks it might look better painted and I tend to agree but I am a bit leery. If it had to come off for whatever reason I suspect it would be a major P.I.A. (sandblasting I guess). Here is a pix of what I got.


Bryan

 

[mhoffm911]

I can't think of any reason why it would have to come off once it is applied?

I would use some sort of masonry primer and then go to town with whatever color you wanted on top of that. Be prepared for it to soak up double the amount of primer/paint that you think it will.

 

[Jononon]

Before you put anything on it, tape some plastic sheet to the middle of each stretch of wall, sealing the edges with gaffer tape, and leave it overnight. If there's substantial condensation on the surface in the morning, think twice about painting it. The build up of moisture can lift the paint or, worse, damage the bricks' surface. For reasons I've never really understood (temperature differential, maybe ?) , indoor brickwork suffers more than outdoor from this problem.

It won't all come off, ever. As mhoffm911 says, the bricks will soak up a lot of the paint.

 

[timgr]

JMO - you're turning an asset into a deficit if you paint it. The exposed brick will be maintenance free, and painted brick definitely won't. If you're uncertain about appearance, I'd think it would be better to leave it alone and let the next owners of your house paint it if they want to. Most people like the look of exposed brick, especially used brick, and often pay a premium for that over concrete, block or new brick.

(edit) The checkered VCT will look busy nest to the brick, certainly. I'd go with a solid color VCT and let the wall be the accent.

 

[Hammerdown]

If you decide to paint, use a block fill/ masonry primer before you do. This will help seal the brick and provide a more uniform surface for your paint.


$.02

 

[Junkman]

I have a friend that had his brick chimney painted about 5 years ago, when they painted the house. Prior to that, the chimney had never been painted, and the house was built in the early 1940's. They painted it because a neighbor had there chimney painted a few years earlier, and they liked the look. The neighbor has just had the chimney replaced, since the brick was cracking as a result of the moisture freezing and cracking off the face of the bricks. This is also happening to my friends home. I have suggest that he just wait till all the faces are back to the original brick look, and then paint it with clear silicone to repel the water. If this doesn't work, then he also is in for a replacement chimney. Brick was never meant to be painted, and it shouldn't be. In the old days, the paint never caused this problem, probably because it allowed the brick to "breath". Today, the modern paints are designed to repel moisture and to seal the back side. Brick acts as a wick, and as a result, it will absorb moisture, and when the moisture freezes, the brick fails.

 

[PAToyota]

Brick was never meant to be painted, and it shouldn't be. In the old days, the paint never caused this problem, probably because it allowed the brick to "breath".

Actually, historically, there were bricks that were meant to be painted because they weren't fired to a high enough temperature and were "soft" and needed the protection of paint. I've seen a few cases where people had the brick sandblasted to its "original" finish and then totally destroyed the unprotected brick.

If it is inside the garage, you should not have problems with moisture or the paint failing if you paint it - provided that the exterior of the wall isn't below grade or improperly done and would draw moisture. As others have said, seal it with a "block filler" primer and then paint.

Other than that, it is sort of a matter of taste as to whether you like the look of the brick or the paint.

 

[winkabob]

Thanks for all of the great advice!

Still have a ton of other things to finish up before I have to deal with the brick - if I do anything at all. So far all I have done is to hose it off to get the dust from the drywall sanding off of it.