is there a "brick stain"

[punkabilly136]

i have brick on the front of my house that is a light color of brick and i would like it to be a few shades darker...does anyone make a stain that you can brush onto the brick and darken it up? i have read about the concrete stain but didn't know if that would work or not

 

[PAToyota]

Hard to say. Brick is fired, which gives it a bit of a "glaze" - some more than others. I'm not sure if that would affect how the stain would penetrate. May work but come out pretty blotchy... Might want to check through the websites of the concrete stain manufacturers and send them a request for information.

 

[Junkman]

If your brick is porous, then you can brush on a silicone sealer that will both darken the brick and give it some protection from water. Problem is that the products are expensive and don't go very far. You can also spray it with good results, but it still doesn't go very far. If you have a area that doesn't show, buy a gallon of the sealer and give it a try. If you like the results, then do the entire house. If not, it will eventually wear away and you will only be out the cost of a gallon.

 

[brownbagg]

yes, its called paint

 

[punkabilly136]

yes, its called paint

yeah but i have heard paint doesn't work very well on brick

 

[PAToyota]

Actually, with the right primer paint will work - if that is the look that you are going for. Traditionally, a lot of brick buildings were painted because the old brick was soft. Many people have found out the hard way after stripping all the paint off to make something "authentic"...

 

[punkabilly136]

yeah i was thinking paint at first but i don't think it will keep the "brick" look and stain will hopefully just darken the brick but still keep it looking brick

 

[PAToyota]

If you go the route of a concrete stain, I'd definitely spray it on to attempt to get an even coat. Brushing or roller would likely not be uniform. Do you have any extra bricks or a similar match from the home supply store? I'd try a stain on some of them and see how it turns out. I also agree that painted brick does give an entirely different look.

 

[kbs2244]

They do make stain for brick. I know you can get it at a brick yard. I have never looked at one of the big box stores. But it is an iffy thing. some bricks absorb more than others. And if you spray it on, then you are staining the morter as well. That will change the look a lot.

 

[punkabilly136]

we dont have any brick yards around here so doesn anyone know any webstites that may have what im looking for?

 

[PAToyota]

You have to have some sort of supplier locally. Look in the yellow pages under "masonry supply" or similar.

 

[tintoptexan]

Keep in mind, the masonry as is requires "NO" maintenence. If you attempt to stain, paint or whatever, you will probably start something you don't want to. I made the mistake of preping and painting a brick wall one time, and wound up painting it again in 3 years and then again in another 3. What a pain.

 

[1320stang]

You might try Acme brick for info. Don't know a website, might be acmebrick.com

 

[punkabilly136]

i found a site last night and i e-mailed them (i forget there name) because they seemed to have what i was looking for...now i just have to wait and see if its available to the public