Brick is perhaps the best building material for homes when maintenance cost and fire resistance are a consideration. However, brick is typically only used for the exterior of the home (the notable exception being fireplaces). Because of its resistance to heat and fire, brick is by far the most commonly used material for fireboxes and fireplace surrounds. Your fireplace may be as simple as a few rows of bricks or a much more elaborate structure depending on the type of home you have. If yours is a more modern home, you may have exposed brick other than your fireplace, particularly if your home is a loft conversion.
Depending on the decorating scheme you have chosen for your home, exposed brick can be either an element which adds comforting charm or is entirely too dark for its surroundings – this is also dependent on the exact color of the brick.
The color of the brick depends on the type of clay used to manufacture it. Bricks may range from yellow or buff to dark reddish brown. Sand or limestone coatings can also affect the color and texture of the brick.
When deciding on how to integrate exposed brick into your decor, think about whether this is a feature which should be downplayed or made more prominent. This can be done through the choice you make for the colors of your walls in the room.
If you have exposed brick in a color which you simply cannot abide, you can paint over the brick in a more pleasing color.
Look for the Dominant Color
Work with the color of the brick the same way as you would a paint or fabric color; use a color wheel to try to match these colors with harmonious tones.
Brick which is pinkish or light red works well with muted yellows, cool greens, and antique off-whites.
Yellow or buff-color brick naturally works well with browns, grays and other neutral tones. You should go with more subdued shades which will blend with the similar neutral tones of the brick.
Remember that the more your brick contrasts with the color of the walls in the room, the more attention will be drawn to the brick. You may want to consider adding accents which complement the color of the brick to make the integration of the brick with color scheme more natural.
Rather than painting your walls a light color to try to balance out dark colored brick (which will only emphasize the brick), try painting in neutral tones which complement the brick.
If your walls are the darkest part of a room’s decor, add something darker to the room to prevent the dark color of the walls giving an oppressive feeling to the room.
Painting Brick
If the color of the brick can’t be integrated into your decor, you may want to consider painting it.
You can emphasize the brick as an architectural element by repainting it to match the trim. If you find that this draws too much attention to the brick, then try painting it a very slightly darker color than your walls and paint the mantel to match your trim instead.
If the exposed brick is a fireplace, then paint the brick to match the woodwork in the room to make the fireplace a focal point. Alternately, you can paint the brick to match the walls and paint the mantel to match the trim.
If you want to paint untreated, raw brick you should ask for some advice from the staff at your local paint shop. You’ll probably need to apply a latex primer meant for exterior use, as this will stick to a brick surface far better than an interior primer. You could also use a primer-sealer stainkiller instead of an exterior primer.
If you are instead working with brick which has been painted, use a deglossing stain blocking primer-sealer; this will prevent you from having to sand the brick before you prime.
Make sure to get the primer into all crevices as you prime. You’ll want to follow this with two coats of latex paint in the color of your choice. Be sure to use only latex paint, oil or alkyd based paints will trap moisture.
Use a high gloss or semigloss finish to display the texture of your exposed brick to its best advantage; this will also make the surface easier to clean.
