Let’s talk about Romabio Masontry Flat for your brick home, shall we? There’s just something about a brick house. Sturdy, classic, and timeless, brick houses appreciate in value more than other types of homes, and they add more value to a neighborhood. Let us not forget that brick is also gorgeous.
But if you have a brick house, you may decide you’d like to update its look with some paint. We’ve all seen the stunning white brick homes, the dramatic black homes, and the charming gray ones. Painting your brick home seems like an easy way to give it a facelift, modernize its look, and enhance curb appeal. And it can be!
There are a few things to consider before you grab a brush though. Read on for some things to think about and information about what we used–and love–on our own brick house exterior. To help encourage you, below is a before photo of our home. As you can see, painting it made a HUGE difference!
Should I Paint My Brick House?
The decision to paint your brick house is a big one: once you paint it, it’s very difficult and time-consuming to remove the paint–if it’s possible at all. That doesn’t mean you shouldn’t go for it! Just make sure you’re ready to commit. Painting brick has a number of benefits including:
- updating the look and making it fit into your personal aesthetic.
- enhancing curb appeal by making the finish look fresh and new.
- making the home look more modern (especially if the brick’s color leans toward maroon or orange)
- making repairs and renovations easier. If you need to remove or replace some brick, it can be challenging to get an exact match when it’s unpainted.
On the downside, painted brick can be difficult to maintain. Brick is a porous material that absorbs and releases moisture. If you seal it with paint, the moisture has nowhere to go. This can lead to mold, mildew, crumbling bricks and mortar, and even structural damage to your home. Additionally, if the wrong paint is used, it can peel or crack as the brick naturally expands and contracts with the weather. And it can require multiple coats of paint to get good coverage since the bricks will absorb it.
If you love the look of painted brick but don’t want to deal with moisture issues, cracking and peeling paint, or buying extra paint to offset the brick absorbing it, I have a solution for you.
Romabio Masonry Mineral Paint
Enter Romabio. All of these negative issues with painting your brick house are made obsolete with this remarkable product. I speak from experience. We painted the exterior of our brick house with Romabio masonry flat and have loved it.
Romabio is a company based out of Atlanta, Georgia that focuses on making excellent, beautiful products that are also safe for the environment (the “bio” part of their name). Many of their products are formulated in Italy but are available in the US.
The masonry line is specifically formulated for application on unpainted brick and masonry. It’s a mineral coating that is almost more like a stain than a paint. Romabio masonry is breathable! This means that the issues that can arise if you use latex paint on your brick aren’t a problem with Romabio. Moisture can get out, the bricks can expand and contract, and the paint won’t chip or peel. It only takes two applications of Romabio mortar to fully cover unpainted brick, unlike latex paint which will take three or more coats.
If applied according to the instructions, Romabio masonry is guaranteed to last twenty years. And while it is formulated for use on unpainted brick and masonry, it can also be used on non-porous surfaces like Hardie board, siding, gypsum stucco, and even on home interiors. In these cases, you’ll need to apply a primer coat to help the paint adhere to the surface.
Romabio comes in a variety of classic, neutral, muted colors that are really quite lovely. You can also get it in white and have it tinted to any color you want. Make sure you try it out on your home exterior in several places to see how it looks before you commit!
Romabio Masonry Flat or Textured?
Romabio masonry comes in two finishes: flat and textured. The flat version provides a very smooth, flat surface. It gives a luxurious, high-end look that is both traditional and classy. The textured variety can smooth out a rough surface as the grit fills in divots and cracks. Or if applied to an already smooth surface, it gives a stucco-like texture. You can choose whichever look you prefer–we love flat on our home.
How to DIY with Romabio Masonry Flat
Depending on the size and height of your house, you may want to hire this job out to a professional, if you need scaffolding or lifts. But the application of this product is actually very easy and you can do it yourself if you want to!
Step One: Prepare your home
Remove shutters or light fixtures, tape plastic over windows, and cover landscaping. Make sure any areas where the mortar is crumbling are addressed and if repairs are needed, wait until the area is completely dry before painting.
Step Two: Prepare the paint
Romabio mineral paint is sometimes sold in concentrated form. Check which kind you have, and dilute according to the provided instructions if necessary. (Note: if you do have the concentrated variety, you can save it in undiluted form for years.) Mix well until it’s completely combined with the water.
Step Three: Clean the brick
Pressure wash the brick to make sure it’s totally clean and ready to receive the paint. You actually want it to be moist when you paint it, so do this step right before you start applying the paint. You can also spray the bricks down with water in sections if you need to. You don’t want it to be dripping wet–just damp.
Step Four: Begin the first application
You can apply Romabio masonry flat with a roller or a sprayer (Note: if you’re using textured paint, a special sprayer is necessary because of the grit.). Sprayers are much faster. If you go that route, you can backroll each section as you go to make your second coat quicker and easier. Backrolling is when you spray a section, and then roll over it with a roller full of paint to increase the coverage.
Step Five: Begin the second (and final) application
After the first coat has dried (about four to eight hours), apply the second coat. That should be all your home needs to achieve a gorgeous, fully-covered surface.
Step Six: Touch up and clean up
If you missed a little spot or need to touch up, it’s easy to do because the paint is flat. Just use a light layer of paint wherever needed. This mineral paint can be cleaned up with soap and water, and it’s safe to do so outside. It’s completely environmentally safe and won’t harm your lawn or plants.
Summary
If you’ve decided a painted brick house is for you, I highly recommend using Romabio Masonry Flat. It’s beautiful, durable, and high-performing. Because it’s mineral paint, it’s breathable and won’t cause issues with moisture trapped in your brick–ever. It is easy to DIY and it will look great for years to come.
Save for later!
