- Q.I need to paint an interior
brick wall in a bedroom, and I’m not sure what
type of paint to use. Because the brick wall includes
the back of a fireplace, I’m worried that the
heat from the fireplace might affect the selection or
durability of the paint.
A.Painter Dan Greenough, a
member of PaintCraft Associates, a San Francisco
Bay-area guild of professional finishers,
responds: If the bedroom can be occupied
comfortably while the fireplace is in use, the
bricks are probably not hot enough to cause
durability or color problems with any high-quality
paint.
Before painting the brick, inspect the surface
for staining that may be the result of water
penetration from the outside. If there is a sign of
a white crystalline powder (efflorescence) on the
surface of the brick, the underlying moisture will
cause the paint to fail unless you repair the
exterior first. Be sure to clean the surface to
provide a sound substrate for good paint
adhesion.
The brick should be primed with a good-quality
latex stain-killing primer, such as BIN 1-2-3. If
the surface is porous and pitted, one or more coats
of latex block filler can be applied as the prime
coat.
Once the primer is dry, you can paint with two
coats of any type of interior paint finish.
Good-quality latex paints are easy to use and to
clean up. They also dry quickly, so you can put the
room back in service without delay.