Brick Staining

Brick staining changes the color of brick with a breathable masonry stain that soaks in instead of coating the surface the way paint does. It keeps the brick's texture and mortar lines visible. It is often used to blend mismatched brick after an addition or repair, or to update a dated brick color.

Brick stain vs paint vs limewash

• Stain soaks into the brick and changes its color. The surface still looks and feels like brick.
• Paint covers the brick with a film and hides its color completely. See brick house painting.
• Limewash is a matte lime coating that soaks in and fades over the years.
• Whitewash and German schmear let brick show through a wash of paint or mortar.

The Brick Industry Association's Technical Note 6 describes masonry stains as a way to change color while keeping the natural texture. It notes that stains do not alter the surface texture, do not need maintenance, and have a track record of lasting 20 years or more. Mineral-based stains are generally preferred because they let water vapor pass through.

Why we water-test brick first

Stain only works if the brick can absorb it. TN 6 says a water test must be done before staining to see how the surface absorbs. We spray or brush water on several bricks and watch how fast it soaks in. Brick that drinks water fast takes stain well. Brick that sheds it may need a different approach. TN 6 also notes that glazed brick cannot be stained at all, and some dense, smooth brick will not take stain well.

Matching new brick to old

When a home gets an addition, a new garage or a patched wall, new brick almost never matches the old exactly. Stain fixes that. TN 6 notes that stains are often used to blend new or repaired masonry with existing brick, and that they can be applied to individual bricks while the existing mortar stays as it is. We mix and test the stain on a few bricks, let it dry, compare it in daylight and adjust before doing the full area.

Changing the color of the whole house

Stain can also change every brick on a house. A red or orange brick can be shifted toward brown, gray or a deeper red, and mottled brick can be evened out. Mortar can be stained separately or left alone. Since stain keeps the texture, the house still reads as brick from the street.

Choosing a stain color

Brick is never one color, so stain colors are judged on a group of bricks, not a single one. Look at test panels from the street as well as up close, and in morning and afternoon light. Roof color, trim and stone accents all change how stained brick reads. Going a shade or two darker usually looks the most natural, since the brick's own color variation still shows through.

Can painted brick be stained?

No. Stain needs bare, porous brick. On painted brick, the choices are to keep it painted or strip it first, and stripping paint from brick is slow and rarely complete.

How brick staining is done

1. Water test on several walls.
2. Clean dirt, mildew and efflorescence off the brick, then let it dry.
3. Test panel in a hidden spot, approved in daylight.
4. Apply by brush or sprayer, brick by brick where blending is needed.
5. Walk the walls to catch thin or uneven spots once dry.

Newer brick homes

Many staining requests come from newer neighborhoods where an addition or repair left a patch of brick that does not match. In Hickory Creek about 76 percent of homes were built in 2000 or later, by Census estimates. See our Hickory Creek service area.

Local rules and HOA approval

In Denton's Oak-Hickory district, the code limits changes to masonry that was never painted, so check with the city first; the limewash page explains the rule. HOAs often treat a brick color change as an exterior change, and we help with HOA color approvals. At Lake Kiowa, the property owners association handbook says exterior painting and staining need no permit; see exterior painting at Lake Kiowa.

Nearby

• Exterior painting
• Limewash brick
• Brick house painting