Primer for masonry

newbuyer2007

13 years ago

We are getting ready to paint the exterior of an approximately 150 year old brick building. Do we need to use a special kind of primer and paint for it? We would not paint it if it hadn't already been painted in the past. Alas, it was, so we need to repaint it. I was hoping some of the pros here could weigh on on what we should use.

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Comments (3)

Faron79
13 years ago
"Use an acrylic paint as it's more flexible than enamel."

I had to kinda smile at that that statement...

As I've babbled about sometimes here, the word "Enamel" doesn't mean ANYTHING anymore, related to paint. It doesn't imply a better type of Latex OR Oil. It's now just a marketing buzzword, much like "Kleenex".

ACRYLIC is a type of Latex resin. There's 100% acrylic latex, and vinyl-acrylic Latex.

In the 60's & 70's, & even into the 80's, "Enamel" used to imply/sell OIL paints, 'cuz that's mostly what was available! Like the "Enamel" on your teeth, which is hard, this term was chosen to give Oil paints (which are fairly hard when cured) that extra "cache".

Soooooo...when marketing companies got into it for Latex paints, the word "Enamel" was trotted-out to hype Latexes as well.

To the OP:
ONLY after a thorough exterior cleaning/rinsing/drying...prime with a good, top-notch LATEX primer, like Zinsser's 123, C2-ONE Primer, or any reputable brand. Don't cheap-out on the primer.

Faron
edgar.m
13 years ago
Good day I agree that a good washing is recomended and to make sure there is no loose paint. I have used a product called loxon xp from sherwin williams quite a few times and have had excellent results and no complaints over the past 5 yrs. It combines the primer and finish coat so you have 1 less coat to put on. Just a heads up it isn't something they normally stock so plan on waiting at least a week for it to be shipped to the shop. Good luck, edgar
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francesca_sf
13 years ago
We are 90% done priming a 40-yr old stucco wall. After meticulously power washing every inch of the 250'W x 10'H wall, we hired a professional stucco mason to patch cracks (earthquake country). Then we used 'The Gripper' primer, available at ICI professional paint stores (Glidden). We bought a 5-gal container which ran approx $22/gallon. It's always in stock, so if I run a little short, I can always run over and pick up some more.

This stuff is 'da bomb'! It filled in a lot of the crevices and left us with a very, very smooth finish with a pleasant little sheen. I can tell the paint coat is going to go on very easily.

All of the guys at the store were very helpful, even though it's clear I am a DIY novice and they mostly serve professional painters. Nevertheless, they opened an account for me and gave me a substantial discount because I'll be buying a lot of paint.

As a comparison, I visited my local S-W and B-M stores. Neither was friendly or helpful, and both were substantially more money for similar quality primer and paint to the ICI paint I purchased.

Note: I have no affiliation with ICI. I'm just a very satisfied customer.