apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

Dear Kristin

that's a gorgeous picture! And I do see why you'd want to have your wall look that way.

- One possibility may be to find contact someone who owns that wall, and to find out what they did with it.

- The "Whitewash Concentrate Stain" which can be found at http://www.bedrosians.com/gns-spec.htm sounds also promising (I found it by googling 'whitewash porous' ).

Whatever you use, try it first in an inconspicuous area (which should be large enough to give you an impression) and wait it out a few days to see what happens.

Good luck!

Barbara

Watered-down white latex paint, applied with a rag, is how I typically see the effect handled.

Avoid "true" whitewashing, which is a liming prcedure that "sheds" (like chalk dust) over time.

I think that's really beautiful, because it doesn't obliterate the character of the wall, but it does leaven and soften it a bit.

I think that if your brick isn't already sealed, you MIGHT be able to do it in one step. If the sealer is an oil-based thing, you might be able to mix in some oil-based white paint in with it; if it's a latex sealer, some latex paint in it might do the trick, but to be honest I've never done this. If you do decide to blaze a new trail then you'll want to experiment with some part of the wall that never gets seen.

I would suggest a lime wash. Lime has a beautiful porous soft finish which is healthier for brick vs paint or *cringe* sealant.

Brick is porous but mortar needs to be more porous to prevent brick from failing. You don't want existing moisture to get trapped in the wall... over time this can cause brick spall.

Thanks for the comments. I have an exposed brick wall in another part of my house that I plan to paint opaque, so I can use that as my test area.

I don't think my brick is sealed -- it isn't shiny. But how can I know for sure?

apartment porn. i like.

If the brick in your apartment is structural, please do not seal or paint it.

I second Nicole's suggestion to experiment with a lime wash or another porous coating. The last thing you want to do to structural brick is seal it! Brick needs to breath or it and the mortar will fail over time.

I would love to see a live debate between an infection control person and a structural engineer about whether brick should be sealed or not.

http://www.askthebuilder.com/366_Whitewashing_Brick.shtml

Check out the photo of the 'aged' whitewash!

I am confused by this whole 'don't paint your bricks' thing. Does that mean that all those houses with painted brick exteriors are going to start falling down? Every 100 year old house on Capitol Hill in DC is painted brick. What is the difference? Is it okay to paint if you use exterior paint? Anyone?

Kristin,

I have been walking around with that same picture for a month now asking people how I can achieve that same look with my exposed brick wall. Have you attempted to do it? If so, please share any insights and tips. I read the BDDW suggestions, but they seem to be for that completley white wall. I am interested in achieving the look in the photo you posted. Thanks in advance!

"Does that mean that all those houses with painted brick exteriors are going to start falling down? Every 100 year old house on Capitol Hill in DC is painted brick."

Er, actually, yes!

We live in a Tudor farm house that's over 500 years old, and the main problem during restoration has been to remove modern paints and cement render. Everything we use is now lime-based.

Recent heaving flooding in nearby Gloucestershire (UK) has thrown up some interesting 'new' knowledge for the building industry involved in the repair operation: the houses that are 150 years old or more, that have lime-based limewash, mortar and render, are drying out much faster than any of the modern homes.

In some parts of the UK, new-build is going back to these old materials with a recognition that hermetically sealing houses isn't good for houses, or the people that live in them!

www.churchfarm.info to see our re-thatching work...

a lot of the houses on capitol hill that were made with pre gas fired brick used to use a brick dust wash over them.

you can tell when the house looks a brick color, but the mortar is the same color.

Kristine,

I was wondering if you ever did one of these treatments to your wall and if so, how did it turn out? I also live in Philly and if you hired someone would love the name.

Thanks