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Only if you want the new look enough to maintain it. Sound brick doesn't need paint for protection. Painted brick needs recoating every several years, and removing paint can damage the brick. If you go ahead, choose a breathable masonry paint, a stain or limewash. Painting or staining a GTA brick exterior typically costs $8,000–$22,000 before HST.
What are the pros and cons of painting brick?
Painting brick can fix a look you dislike, but it swaps a low-upkeep wall for one that needs regular recoating. It is also hard to reverse. Weigh both sides before you commit.
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| Unifies mismatched brick after an addition or repairs | Hard and costly to undo |
| Updates a brick colour you don't like | Needs recoating every several years |
| Covers stains and weathering that won't clean off | The wrong paint traps moisture and peels |
| Lets you choose almost any colour | Can hide cracks and moisture problems |
Before you decide, look at why you want to paint. If the brick is just dirty, a proper masonry clean may be enough. If it is mismatched, a masonry stain can even it out without a film on the wall. If the brick is flaking or the mortar is crumbling, fix that first. Paint won't.
Why does breathability matter for brick?
Brick and mortar soak up rain and need to dry out again. A coating that blocks water vapour traps that moisture behind it. In a GTA winter, trapped water freezes and expands, which can push paint off the wall and break the face off the brick.
Spalling:
the flaking or popping off of a brick's face, often when water inside it freezes and expands.
Efflorescence:
white, powdery salt deposits left on masonry when water moves through it and evaporates.
So the coating matters as much as the colour. Choose a masonry paint rated as vapour-permeable, or a mineral (silicate) paint made for brick. Oil-based paint and coatings that form a tight, sealing film are the risky choices.
Older, softer brick is the most at risk. Brick that is already damp, spalling or white with efflorescence has a water problem. Solve that before any coating goes on.
How are stain and limewash different from paint?
Paint sits on the brick as a film. Masonry stain soaks into the brick and changes its colour without a film. Limewash is a thin lime coating that soaks in, hardens as it reacts with the air, and wears away slowly.
Limewash:
a coating of slaked lime and water, often tinted with pigment, that soaks into porous masonry and wears away gradually.
| Paint | Masonry stain | Limewash | |
|---|---|---|---|
| How it works | Forms a film on the surface | Soaks into the brick | Soaks in and hardens in the air |
| Look | Solid, even colour | Brick texture and variation show through | Soft, chalky and matte |
| Breathability | Depends on the product | High for penetrating stains | High |
| Upkeep | Recoat every several years | Low: no film to peel | Refresh as it wears |
| Undoing it | Very hard | Very hard | Some products wash off in the first few days |
Traditional limewash and mineral stains need bare, porous brick. They won't bond to brick that has been painted or sealed, so they are choices for brick that has never been coated. A stain suits a house where you still want the brick to read as brick.
Can painted brick be returned to bare brick?
Sometimes, but it is slow, costly and rarely perfect. Chemical strippers are the gentler route, but they often take several rounds and can leave paint in the pores. Sandblasting and other abrasive methods strip the brick's hard, fired face along with the paint.
The U.S. National Park Service's guidance on historic buildings explains the damage. Abrasive cleaning erodes that hard outer layer and leaves the soft core exposed to faster weathering. So treat painting brick as close to permanent.
Do you need permission to paint brick in Toronto?
Usually not, unless your home is heritage-designated or in a heritage conservation district. There, painting brick that has never been painted can need a heritage permit. North Rosedale's district plan, for example, requires one for masonry cleaning or painting that can be seen from the street. Painting wood, stucco or metal there needs no permit.
Toronto's heritage decisions are guided by the national Standards and Guidelines for the Conservation of Historic Places in Canada. They advise against painting masonry that was never painted. Other GTA municipalities have heritage districts too, such as Unionville in Markham. Check with your city's heritage planning staff before you start.
Condo townhouses have their own rules. Exterior walls are often common elements, so check your declaration and ask the board first.
How should brick be prepared and painted?
Fix the water, repair the brick and mortar, clean it, let it dry, then apply a breathable system. The order matters more than the product.
- Stop the water. Fix gutters, downspouts, flashing and caulking that wet the wall.
- Repair. Repoint crumbling mortar and replace spalled bricks. One major brand asks for about 30 days of curing on new masonry before paint.
- Clean. Wash with a masonry cleaner at low pressure, and remove efflorescence and mildew.
- Dry. Give the wall a few dry days, since masonry holds water longer than siding.
- Prime if the system calls for it. Use the masonry primer the coating's maker specifies, especially on new or alkaline surfaces.
- Coat. Apply two coats of a breathable masonry paint, or a stain as its maker specifies.
The weather rules for any exterior apply here too. See the best time to paint a house exterior, and painting stucco for the same breathability logic on another masonry finish.
How much does it cost to paint or stain brick?
On our price list, painting or staining a brick exterior typically runs $8,000–$22,000 before HST. Every brick job is quoted once we've seen the brick, because the right finish depends on the brick and its condition.
Start with Get My Estimate. A crew lead then checks every surface for repairs, from your photos and usually in person, since the brick's condition decides the finish. Your written, itemized quote arrives within 24 hours of seeing the job and names the product by brand and line.
Projects over $2,500 include a free 30-minute colour consultation. The work carries a written 3-year workmanship warranty. See brick painting and staining for the service, and the exterior painting cost guide for how brick compares. Before you compare quotes, read what a painting quote should include.