apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

To seal brick walls- I have always used the "recipe" was given in 1985 when I took over my first commercial lease on a studio property here in Chicago way out on the (then) wild-wild west side-- one gallon of Elmer’s glue to 4 gallons of hot water mixed in a 5 gallon bucket and applied to the wall with a deep nap roller. It dries clear and is the cheapest method I know. It must re-applied every 2 or 3 years.

I have exposed brick throughout my apt (not thrilled about it, but everyone else seems to love it). For paint colors, I recommend examining your mortar/grout closely, and pick a paint that is the same color as your mortar but a shade or two lighter. Worked for me.

Next project - sealing the exposed brick to minimize the dust and protect myself when I brush up against the wall. Anyone have any sealer recommendations?

Thanks for your help with my question!

My brick is rather on the dark side.

My neighboors across the airshaft painted their brick wall white. I thought I would like it, but from what I can see when I sneak a peek across the way, their apartment looks very cold now. Like a shoe store in Soho in 1999, if you know the look I mean. I don't hate it, but I don't think its the look for us.

I like the idea of matching to the grout. That's what I tired to do last time, but I ended up with a white made up of yellow and pink tones in it and I don't like it at all.

Isn't the issue with painting brick really the possibility (and complications) of "unpainting" it?

As far as paint for other/adjoining areas, I think trying to match it is actually the riskiest route, but other than that, it can be any color that works with the rest of your stuff.

I work near a skategear store, and they have done an amazing job of using brick to its advantage, with a series of inset brushed metal niches, with halogen down spots inside. I think the Pottery Barn by Bloomingdale's also has brick-backed niches (near the elevator). Seems that the key in both is how the downlights rake the brick's surface.

I also think there is a specific type of masonry paint made for painting brick.

I think Amy's comment is also right on -- everyone else seems to love it.

It reads very New York and urban and cool when you first see it. After a while, for me, it feels dark and old at worst. Other times, I just don't think much about it.

Plus guests don't have to sweep up the bits of sand and dust that drop out of it. My wall doesn't drop that much stuff, but it did put a few scratches on my best piece of furniture.

I have brick on one wall in my studio/office and I really like it. The problem is hanging heavy objects, like solid wood shelves. After many worn down mason bits, I was finally successful. But I give it a little tug now and then to be sure it is still holding.

Concerning painting brick - I had a faux brick backsplash in the kitchen of my farmhouse. Since we didn't have the funds for a renovation, I painted it with an off-white latex enamel and it looked great, especially once I installed under-counter lighting. Just as Maxwell suggested, the irregularities and shadows looked really nice.

Someone told me, but I never looked into it. That there is a sealant that can go over brick walls, so that it doesn't give off the dust. But your brick walls would have a kind of shiny finish.

Yes, MRoman, that's why I haven't looked into refinishing. I'd rather have a little dust than that glare of the finish.

When I first moved in the wall had a lot more shine, but in time and with better lighting, there is less of a glare. I am sure there is some kind of low-gloss sealant though.

My downstairs neighbor has an exposed brick wall in the bedroom which he's been complaining about because of all the dust. I was surprised since I'd never given that problem much thought before. I can't imagine it would be healthy to be breathing in all that brick dust if its deteriorating badly. Not to mention what it might do to computer/electronic equipment if you have any in the same room.

I have a deep red exposed brick wall in my apartment, but also had my heart set on light blue walls. I solved the problem by sponge painting the brick wall with watered down white paint-- I would sponge on the paint and then wipe it all. It made the brick a lighter, somewhat dusty color that worked well with the rest of the room. This way I was able to keep the brick wall (in the event of resale-- since there are those people out there who seem to love exposed brick), but it didn't interfere with my decorating plans.

The color "Pointing" by Farrow and Ball is supposed to match the color of the pointing or mortar (sp?) that's used between bricks. So it might be a good match, and you can always have Benjamin Moore copy it. I also have friends who exposed a brick wall in their apt. and then painted the rest of the room a warm white with a green tint. The pale green looked great with the brick. It was a little like Farrow and Ball's "Green Ground".

Hi

I am meeting into my new loft soon. I have drywalls painted white..but would like to get the exposed brick look. Can someone suggest how it should be done and if its too much effort timewise and costwise cause I have NO IDEA!

Thanks
Deep

Re: painting brick. I have a friend who used brick-anew on his fireplace and it looks fantastic. The brick is painted, but doesn't look painted. I plan to order this product for my dark red, depressing fire place. Check out the website: www.brick-anew.com There are lots of example photos
Connie

I'm interested in buying a house that's been stripped down to the brick walls. I'm thinking about leaving them exposed--like a 2-story loft, but I have questions about the insulation value. Will the exposed, interior brick of a 3-layer brick house keep as much heat as an old wood house with only plaster and lath walls?

I am renovating an old 1920's house and in the largest room downstairs sometime in the 60's they installed an ugly red thin brick with verticle lines on all the brick from floor to ceiling. The fireplace is over to one side and this massive brick wall is making it hard to know whether I should just paint the walls, which is very hard to pick a color, or paint the brick. I need some help.

I am exposing a brick wall (now white plaster) in my studio apartment. I was told to finish or seal it so that it wouldnt get dusty, but have yet to see a sealed brick wall that isn't too shiny. Anyone worked on sealing a brick wall without adding shine to it? Anyone know a contractor who would specialize in this???

have exposed brick wall in apt. seems the old owners painted it but not behind their pictures or the border. now trying to match the paint & not having good results. any recommendations of painters who could repaint the whole thing?

I ve just exposed a brick wall in a old row house that I am renevating. Everyone seems to have a different opinion on whether Is hould seal it or not. First how to I clean the brick and get rid of all the dust and mortar that it is hising behind? Then what do I do from there?

I just exposed the brick on two accent walls, one in the living room and one in the dining room, I used a commercial brick/concrete sealer bought at the hardware store. It came in gloss or satin finishes. I chose satin. There is some shine but not much and, to me, it really finished the wall, preventing loose dust and mortar from falling. Also, I think the size of your room, how high the ceilings are, and how much light comes in are the more important determinants of color choice.

In response to Daj's post about the Elmer's glue solution,

Last I remembered, Elmers glue was not Acid free - I'm not a Masonry expert, but I thought that Acid was bad bad bad for Brick?

Does Elmers make an Acid-Free glue that would work?

same question Deep asked, please help!... how can I get the original brick wall look from an exposed brick wall painted white? any idea how expensive it can be?

thank you

I am exposing a brick wall in my house right now. It is an 1880s row house. My neighbour did a beautiful job in his place, and he sealed it with a clear concrete sealer. It keeps the dust down, and also is not shiny or noticable in any way.

Also, I have soft clay brick, and the previous owners removed paint from one wall with a wire brush and water. I am not sure if it works because the bricks are so soft and it is removing the top layer, or if it actually takes the paint off, but either way it works. Also not sure if it would work on harder brick.

Hope this helps.

I have a horribly ugly brick in my kitchen. I live in nj and bought a house that was originally a vacation home built in the early thirties. I cannot decide whether to tear down the brick and put up sheet rock, or paint the brick some kind of white. I'd hate to waste the money and see that after i painted it white that I would hate it and have to tear it all out anyway.Please help...any suggestions at all...

I am renovating an early 1900's house and have exposed two brick fireplaces. One FP has the orange colored brick, the other has more of a reddish color brick. When we removed a wall to add a bathroom it revealed the back of the LR fireplace. It is a beautiful fireplace design, larger at the bottom and gradually tapering at the top. I would like to leave the back of the FP exposed in this guest bathroom. How do I clean it and seal it? What products would you recommend? I prefer the translucent look -- not painted -- for all of these FP's. However, the rubbed on white look would be okay in the bathroom. Thanks for your ideas!

We are building a home, Part of our basement walls are concrete retaining walls with a brick print. We are thinking about painting the bricks to look like real brick with morter colored paint in between. What do you recommend to use for paint and possibly to seal the wall? Also, do you think we will lose a significant amount of heat this way? The other option we have is to fur out the wall, insulate, sheetrock, tape, and paint. This seems like a lot more labor and material costs and not as creative but maybe more energy efficient. We would like to hear your thoughts. Thanks.

Just sealed my brick with Jasco Wet gloss sealant. On my 110 yr old soft brick, it doesn't have any shine to it where I didn't want it to shine. I applied 3 light coats, just enough to wet the brick, without letting any buildup to where it shows white or drips (using a simple spray bottle). It just looks a deeper red than before, as it would when it was wet.
I used a bit more in the kitchen behind the sink, because of splash issues, and there is a light gloss on a few bricks, but it doesn't glare because of the rough texture on the bricks.
My wife says she likes the light gloss, but after dealing with the dust for a year, I thank she wouldn't mind a chrome finish.
If you got smooth hard brick, I'd test it first: we used a small spot, and it passed our test. Now it doesn't dust at all.

STOP! Brick is composed of clay, and therefore is susceptible to fluctuations in humidity. Sealing brick (with glue, silicone, paint, etc.) will almost certainly cause the brick to dissolve from the inside out.

You have a neat fireplace there! I hope you can help me with my brick problems. The entertainment room's 4 corner walls is practically half covered with bricks. The problem is it's producing white residue (salt) for the past 3 years. We just cleaned it with brush and small amount of water. The white residue significantly reduced and that minimal red dust residue/powder occasionally falls off the brick.
My problem is we will convert this into a nursery, any idea on how to totally get rid of red dust residue? We actually painted it 3 years ago but salts are still coming out so white deposits are present so we eventually have to scrap the paint. Will painting it do the trick this time?

Help! I have a 1940's kitchen with brick from floor to ceiling around the double oven, on the island, and the entire floor. The brick on the floor is over radiant heat - a further complication. Is there any way to cover or paint the brick on the walls? Is there any way to cover the floor without hurting the radiant heat? Many thanks to all who respond!

We have exposed the brick wall in our bathroom and really like the way it looks, but are now wondering what we need to seal it with, as it's a small room with a shower and there will be quite a lot of moisture in the air. Has anyone got any sugesstions please?
Thanks

Help! My home has an exposed brick fireplace that the previous owner painted white. I know, from seeing other units in the building, that underneath the glossy white paint is a gorgeous deep red brick. (I personally love the look of exposed natural brick.)

Can anyone recommend a solid company that specializes in REMOVING THE PAINT FROM BRICK walls?? Any idea as to the costs of this or how I can prevent damage to the brick? I only have one wall (with fireplace) to worry about... it's about 6 feet long & 10 feet high.

THANKS!!

Hi,
I am an architect and I came up with an idea of mine...as a solution to the dust caused by a brick wall...you can glaze ( or varnish ) ur brick wall...it will then have that warm look but will look classy as well...and wont cause ne problems of dust etc...u might want to try it...