Paint for brick or brick imitation
There were times when, when decorating buildings, brickwork was certainly sought to be plastered. But its original relief was so loved by people that materials imitating this, in general, simple geometric pattern, began to be used almost everywhere. These are tiles in the form of bricks, and wallpaper for painting "brickwork", and various types of facade and interior panels.
Using the video in this article, we will explain to our readers how to fit the masonry or its imitation into the design of the room, how to paint the brick, and what composition to treat its surface - and also present a lot of other interesting information on this topic.
The content of the article
Brickwork: fashion trends in interior design
Some historical, and even more modern interior architectural styles, are generally impossible to imagine without natural brickwork. In those days, when these styles were born, the masonry was left without decoration for the simple reason that plaster was too expensive a pleasure.
Yes, and materials were not yet invented that could protect the brick from aging, the effects of the external environment.
So:
- Over the years, the surface of the brick took a picturesque appearance, blackened somewhere, efflorescences appeared, moss made its way through the seams. This gave the idea to modern designers, and today an imitation of aged brickwork, one might say, at the peak of its popularity. To do this, one does not need to refine oneself, artistically paint the brick, trying to add age to the new masonry.
- Walls can simply be faced with brick or clinker tiles (see Clinker finish: versatile material for interiors and facades) with the appropriate design, and one of these options is presented in the photo above. This finish is carried out with decorative clinker tiles of manual molding, and the result is such that it is almost impossible to distinguish imitation from natural masonry.
- Actually, there is not only tile, but also decorative brick with the same appearance at the consumer’s services. Use it for facing the facade or interior walls, it is possible only in the process of building a house, therefore, there should be a project providing for such decoration.
- If the house is old, and the idea of decorating the interior in the loft style, or updating the facade came in the process of its operation, it is much easier to use the tiles, because the brick is heavy, and must be based on the foundation. Of course, the price of such tiles is quite high, and facing one square of the wall will cost about 2700 rubles.
- Those who don’t have material capabilities for such a facing have no choice but to paint the brickwork, for example, in white, which also looks very stylish - or use wallpaper for painting with an appropriate pattern or relief. A roll of such wallpaper can cost as much as a square meter of tiled cladding, but in a roll of at least 5 m2, so the finish is five times cheaper.
Note! There is another, just a wonderful option that can be used to design rooms - a decorative plaster brick. Firstly, it allows you to get a beautiful relief, and secondly, the brick can be painted in the color scheme that you like best.And thirdly, such a brick can be made at home and at no particular cost.
And yet, loft, modern or country styles, include participation in the design of natural brickwork, and it is to this that our instruction is devoted. In the next chapter, we will tell you how to paint a brick, and perform other work related to preparing masonry for decoration.
Paint the plastered walls
Before proceeding with the painting, or other decoration of the masonry, it must be prepared for decoration. And it doesn’t matter what it will be: painting a brick balcony, or designing a wall adjacent to the fireplace - if it is not planned to plaster the masonry, then preparing its surface will be done in the same way.
- Although, a lot depends on the initial state of the walls - there is a difference: a freshly constructed one is masonry, or your house is already a hundred years old. The beauty of the brickwork is done by the jointing, and there are many ways to do it. When brick walls are supposed to be plastered (see How is plastering external walls), the seams do not fill with mortar at all, but lead the masonry “into the wasteland”.
This improves the adhesion of the plaster mortar to the base, and eliminates the need to make incisions on it. And if, for example, during the overhaul of the old house, when the stucco layer was removed from the walls, empty joints were found in the masonry, as part of the decorative surface finish, they will have to be filled with mortar with their own hands.
Masonry joint processing
This work, of course, is painstaking. But if you consider that unplastered brickwork is usually left as an accent on only one wall, or only certain fragments are decorated in the interior: a rough stove, a wall between the windows, or a niche, then this is not so difficult.
- First of all, surface cleaning is performed. Even when the masonry is carried out into a wasteland, when plastering, the solution enters the seams. When cleaning the walls to the base, a certain amount of it remains in the seams, and to fill them with a fresh solution, the old one needs to be removed and brush out the sand and dust.
- Cleaning is carried out using a narrow chisel and a hammer, only this must be done carefully, being careful not to damage the brick. You will also need another tool - flat stitching, with which you will process the seams, giving them shape.
- To fill the joints, you need a solution of grade MP * 75, but before applying it, the cleaned masonry should be washed - especially if it was previously plastered. After washing, it should dry for several days. Then the wall is primed, not forgetting about the seams. One layer of soil is not enough, the masonry must be processed at least two times.
- Only after the surface has completely dried, can embarking on embroidery work. First, make horizontal seams, and then vertical. Three quarters of the void between the bricks is filled with a solution, and allowed to stand for 30-40 minutes, until the mixture sets a little. Keep in mind that it should not lose elasticity, so do not fill the seams immediately over the entire surface area to be trimmed.
- Apply the solution in two or three rows, and when the time comes to start processing them, you can fill in a few more. Then, using the embroidery, you begin to form the seams that are filled first. Squeeze the tool slightly into the solution, and remove any excess surplus with a regular wide-blade clerical knife.
- Using the same simple tool, putty the joints in those places where the notches were left unfilled with the solution. After you have obtained beautiful smooth grooves, you can begin to grind vertical joints. Here it is necessary to pay special attention to ensuring that they are well bandaged with horizontal stitches.
Advice! Do not forget to regularly moisten the embroidery with water - this will help to better smooth the surface. In addition, the solution sticks to the dry surface of the metal, and by moving the tool along the uncured joint, it can simply be ruined. Do not worry if the mortar accidentally hits the surface of the brick. Since you have already primed it, any dirt will be easily washed away.
- In this case, there is no difference: the silicate brick will be painted, or this is bricklaying from traditional clay brick - all work is done in the same way. When processing seams, you repeat the outline of each brick. Particularly carefully you need to fill the seams in the chimneys of fireplaces and stoves, since carbon monoxide can enter the room through them.
- And it doesn’t matter if some of them are uneven - it would even be strange to see perfectly even bricks in a century-old wall. In principle, all the charm of the old masonry consists in this unevenness, not without reason because it is even imitated with the help of decorative bricks or ceramic tiles.
Your task is not so much to align the masonry, as it is simply impossible, but to make it relief, beautifully edging its elements with seams. Old bricks framed by new smooth seams look very impressive. If necessary, you can putty those places where there are potholes or broken corners.
What paint a brick
If you have a desire to leave the masonry in its original form, then the putty places are simply tinted using an ordinary dishwashing sponge. Although, some even prefer to leave potholes without seals - after all, this is all a matter of taste. But you still need to polish the masonry.
- Firstly, it’s easier to remove the dirt ingrained in the brick, and secondly, its surface will be smoother and more pleasant to the touch. After the grouting is finished, the surface to be treated must be vacuumed.
- If you are not going to paint the brick in a different color, but plan to leave the masonry as is, it needs to be primed one more time. Laminated soil "glazes" the surface, completely blocking the entrance of moisture. Thus, the masonry will not become dirty, absorb unnecessary odors, and will also be reliably protected from destruction.
Advice! It is better to apply the soil using a spray, since when working with a roller, only the surface of the brick is primed, and the composition almost does not get into the seams. If you still use the roller, then try to moisten it abundantly, or additionally walk along the seams with a brush. Make sure that there are no leaks, and rub them until all the soil is absorbed into the surface.
- As a finishing touch, seams or the entire surface of the masonry can be treated decorative azureFor example: Feidal Ambiente. Usually, wood is treated with azure, and this composition can be applied to almost any substrate. It is simply rubbed into the surface, giving it a golden sheen.
- Azure is transparent in its texture, but it can be tinted using full-tone paints offered by the same manufacturer. Thanks to tinting, it is possible to achieve not only the traditional terracotta hue characteristic of a brick - there are other options.
- One can not help but mention such a drug as Sopro KLO, which is called clinker oil. This is nothing but a mixture of mineral oils, and it got its name because it is intended for the treatment of clinker bricks and tiles, as well as other porous materials. The task of the drug is to protect the surface from pollution, give it a gloss, and emphasize the color depth.
- It does not form a film on the surface, such as varnish or oil paint. Therefore, the masonry can "breathe", that is, let steam through it.Ceramics treated with clinker oil look as if they had just been washed - but at the same time remain completely dry.
- This is a great option not only for old brickwork. Sopro KLO can also be applied to the surface of facing bricks - this will only extend its service life and make its surface unusually beautiful. By the way, if there are difficulties with cleaning the masonry during the preparation process, then the same manufacturer has such a drug that will help to cope with this.
In general, any paint can be used for painting bricks: how water dispersionso alkyd or oily. The main thing is that it was intended for the interior or facade - depending on where the brickwork will be painted.
