How to Bring Out Your Interior Brick Accent Wall with These Painting Tips
Few features make a room pop more than an accent wall. Brick is an inspired option for accent walls, delivering rich and rustic texture with minimal effort. Of course, if you’re not fond of your interior brick wall’s natural look, you’ll want to paint it to suit your style. Not only must you employ the proper painting process and products — you must also consider color, contrast, and technique. Here are some painting tips for making your interior brick accent wall the focal point of your room.
How to Bring Out an Accent Wall
Get the Painting Process Right
Whatever your reasons for painting your interior brick accent wall or your desired outcomes, you must first make sure you tackle the painting process properly. Despite the difference in environment, painting interior brick isn’t all that different from painting exterior brick — both processes require thorough surface cleaning, repair, and priming prior to painting. Neglecting this preparation will prevent the new coatings from properly sticking to the surface and result in a rough, uneven finish.
It’s equally important to select the right type of paint. Acrylic interior paint specifically meant for masonry/brick is typically suitable, though some prefer elastodynamic paint for its increased flexibility and performance. Semi-gloss or high-gloss paint finishes are recommended for interior brick because they bring out the brick’s detail and make cleaning easier. The main difference between painting interior & exterior brick is the application method; while spraying is recommended for outdoor brick, a thick nap roller is safer for interior brick, making less of a mess and preventing the inhalation of paint particles.
Stick with Neutral Colors
Process aside, bringing out your interior brick accent wall is largely a matter of color selection. In most cases, neutral tones are the better option here. You might think that brighter, saturated colors would more strongly emphasize your brick wall, and while this is true to some extent, too much color can also strain the eyes, making your accent wall more of an eyesore than an enticing focal point. Indeed, brick’s natural texture is enough to make a statement, so gaudy interior paint colors aren’t usually necessary. Tones such as white, off-white, gray, and black typically go a long way toward accentuating your brick wall. These color choices also fit into just about any existing color scheme you’ve got going.
Go for the Distressed Look
Distressed brick is currently in style for homes and businesses alike (especially boutiques and coffee shops). There are many ways to achieve this charming, antique look. You might simply whitewash your brick accent wall by diluting your white interior wall paint, resulting in a faint finish that lets some of the brick’s underlying color cut through. Another option involves sanding down your recently painted brick wall to reduce portions of the paint’s upper layers. You can also partially glaze your interior brick surfaces for a darker distressed appearance. No matter how you go about it, distressing your interior brick will make a bold statement and give your room a rustic, welcoming aesthetic.
Consider a Faux Finish
If you’ve always liked the look of a brick interior accent wall but don’t have the time to have one installed, you can also try painting your drywall in such a way that resembles real brick. This process of mimicry via interior painting is called faux finishing, and it’s used to replicate textures like marble, fabric, wood, brick, and more. The easiest way to achieve a brick faux finish is with a stamp that resembles a portion of a brick wall. You might also look into covering your drywall with a brick veneer made of polyurethane or some other material. To make this faux material look authentic, paint it and then distress it with a high-grit sanding tool. This will create a visually gritty texture that looks like genuine brick, especially from a distance.
A Better Brick Wall for Your Interior Space
An interior brick accent wall speaks for itself. Make it speak even louder with the painting tips mentioned here. If you need more advice or help bringing these ideas to life, Anderson Painting is just a call or click away. To learn more about us and all we do, call today at 919-610-1855 or email us at info@andersonpaintingnc.com!
