How to Stain Brick

Brick stain gives your exterior or interior brick walls or fireplace a face-lift with minimal effort. It can help new additions to a home blend in, camouflage ugly repair work, age new brickwork or simply give hour house a new look. Staining retains the texture of the brick, lasts longer than paint and won't peel up. Here's how to stain brick yourself.

Difficulty:

Moderate

Instructions

Things You'll Need

• Gloves
• Dust mask
• Stain and polyurethane mix
• Plastic container
• Medium-size artist's paintbrush
• Towel

1. Choose a brick stain in a stain and polyurethane mix. The polyurethane protects the stain to make it last longer, and since it's mixed in you don't have to apply it in a separate step.

2. Test the stain you purchased on a brick that matches those you want to stain. If possible you may want to bring several bricks into your local paint store and ask them to stain the samples with different types of stain.

3. Read the instructions that come with the stain you purchase. Some have extra steps such as wiping off after application (latex stains) or thinning with paint thinner (oil based stains).

4. Protect your hands with gloves. Wear a dust mask to prevent inhaling fumes from the stain.

5. Pour the stain and polyurethane mix into a shallow plastic container that you can throw away afterward.

6. Use an artist's paintbrush to apply the stain to the brick. For a more faded aged look, dip part of a towel into the stain and rub it onto the brick. If you have a large surface to cover (like the exterior of a building), use a paint roller or sprayer.

7. Smooth away any drips before they dry.