Giving your home a facelift with brick staining

Whether you hate the color of your brick or you’re looking to give your home a facelift, there’s a new option to consider. Brick staining is a technique that can have an impact on your home’s curb appeal.

Homeowner Beth Cornelison replaced her siding last year, but the color of the new siding no longer matched her home’s brick.

“If you can see the old brick, the old brick had some variation in the coloration, so we wanted to preserve the variation so it would still look like brick,” said Cornelison.

“You can get the type of brick that you want, and it’s going to be unique, and you’re the only one that will have exactly that finished product,” said brick staining contractor Harry Brax. “The reason is that every brick is different.”

Whether you need to match an existing brick color or want to change the entire façade, staining is an option for both exterior and interior brick. To create the stain, most contractors layer together colors. Unlike paint, brick stain penetrates the pores of the brick, so it doesn’t peel. Brick staining also costs less — and creates less mess — than brick re–surfacing.

“I would say that the majority of our customers end up going from darker to lighter,” Brax added. “The reason being that many of our customers have brick that dates back to the 60’s, so it’s outdated and it’s dark.”

Because this is a relatively new technique, Angie’s List cautions you to make sure the person you hire is experienced and knowledgeable. Ask the company to provide references of past work, and find out how they charge.

“Brick staining is a newer trend, so first and foremost, when you are interviewing contractors, be sure you have someone that has experience in doing brick staining, because you want it to be a project that lasts,” said Angie’s List founder Angie Hicks. “When it comes to pricing, it still varies. It depends on either by square foot, or some contractors will charge by the hour or part of the day.”

Highly rated masons tell Angie’s List that brick stain works on stone as well, and it doesn’t have a strong odor, so there’s no need to escape the house during application.