Painting internal brickwork

[Colin Green]

Hi,

I have a fairly old (1930s) brick rear porch area, single skin, external si de is rendered and external paint. The inside was plastered at some point, and has also had external/masonry paint applied, I'm currently removing all of that because the plaster has come away from the brickwork, in places it 's actually the paint that is keeping it from falling away completely.

I originally planned to re-plaster (bonding + skim), but now I've stripped back to the brickwork I was thinking it would look OK if I painted the bric k white, but I'm not sure what sort of paint would be appropriate, if any. I think masonry paint would be bad as the walls would then be sealed on bot h sides.

Would something like limewash be a good solution? Or are there more modern alternatives?

Cheers.

[meow2222]

side is rendered and external paint. The inside was plastered at some point , and has also had external/masonry paint applied, I'm currently removing a ll of that because the plaster has come away from the brickwork, in places it's actually the paint that is keeping it from falling away completely.

d back to the brickwork I was thinking it would look OK if I painted the br ick white, but I'm not sure what sort of paint would be appropriate, if any . I think masonry paint would be bad as the walls would then be sealed on b oth sides.

n alternatives?

The only good solution imho is to strip and leave uncoated. Anything else l ooks much worse and requires maintenance. Unfortunately some brickwork is i n bad shape, but even some of that is best tidied up.

If its too bad to leave bare, lime evaporates damp well and can be wiped on to partly smooth the surface.

NT

[RJH]

Isn't masonry paint fairly porous?

[Colin Green]

I don't have much experience with the stuff, but the stuff that was on the inside was pretty tough and definitely not porous. Same goes for the bog standard stuff I bought to paint a section of external wall last year.

This porch has had non-porous paint on both sides for some years (at least 20 years, likely more) and it appears to have trapped a load of moisture that probably got in when some cracks appeared on the external side (now repaired).

The exposed brick has dried out now, but it's still a single skin, unheated porch, so likely to get a bit damp during the winter I would guess.

Cheers.

[Colin Green]

looks much worse and requires maintenance. Unfortunately some brickwork is in bad shape, but even some of that is best tidied up.

on to partly smooth the surface.

Having worked on it a bit more today I think I'm going to plaster, the issu e is that there are sections of really tough cement/render that are going t o be tough to remove. I think it will be easier to use bonding plaster to b ring it up to the same level and then skim over the lot.

The doubt in my mind is whether a single skin wall in an unheated porch wil l get damp during winter, and therefore whether emulsion would start to get mouldy, and/or show blemishes coming through from the wall.

Cheers.

[meow2222]

:

se looks much worse and requires maintenance. Unfortunately some brickwork is in bad shape, but even some of that is best tidied up.

d on to partly smooth the surface.

sue is that there are sections of really tough cement/render that are going to be tough to remove. I think it will be easier to use bonding plaster to bring it up to the same level and then skim over the lot.

ill get damp during winter, and therefore whether emulsion would start to g et mouldy, and/or show blemishes coming through from the wall.

Hopefully you know whether it has been damp or not. Re adhering render, I d ont know how much there is, and thus whether its realistic to thin it with a grinder and acid weaken what remains.

NT

[stuart noble]

I think you probably need to deal with this on the outside, either by hacking off the render and re-applying, or by identifying and sealing any cracks. Or, if warm air is getting through the front door, it could be a condensation issue

[DICEGEORGE]

If the bricks are still damp then I would leave it to dry out in the summer or from internal heat before sealing the internal surface with masonry paint or plaster - unless you use lime plaster [g]

[JimK]

I'd go with limewash over render if you want it smooth, if you can live with brick texture just limewash.

Plaster will not last long if getting damp over the year...

Jim K

[stuart noble]

Nothing will last long if the rain is pissing through the wall

[meow2222]

Lime's fine outdoors, as is cement render

NT

[stuart noble]

Sounds like whatever's on there at the moment isn't fine

[meow2222]

Who knows how long its been there. Might even be from the 30s.

NT

[JimK]

/Sounds like whatever's on there at the moment isn't fine/q

That'll be the plaster presumably?

Jim K

[stuart noble]

Whatever's on the outside should be cement render one hopes