Although brick has been used for building homes and other structures for hundreds of years, brick seems to have taken a recent upswing back into trendiness when it comes to home decor and design. But whether you’re exposing brick that hasn’t been seen in years or installing brick for the first time, you need to know how to best maintain it if you want it to be able to stand the test of time. To help with this, here are three tips for cleaning and caring for brick in your home.
How To Clean Your Exposed Brick
While brick is a very sturdy and stable material to use for building, it still needs to have proper maintenance in order for it to last and maintain its integrity. This means that you have to know when and how to properly clean it just like the other surfaces in your home. According to Taysha Murtaugh, a contributor to Country Living, the first step toward cleaning your exposed brick is to dust it. This can be done with a microfiber cloth or even with the attachment of your vacuum. Once it’s been dusted, you can make a homemade cleaning solution that you then rub on with a bristle brush, leave sitting for ten or so minutes, and then rinse off. This will all help your exposed brick to stay looking good for years to come.
Watch Out For Water Damage
Just because you may have heard that brick is a very sturdy material doesn’t mean that there aren’t things that can damage it. Once of the most common culprits that can cause your brick to get damaged it water. According to BobVila.com, most water damage usually occurs either due to splashing or water rising. When water damage occurs, it can severely hurt the stability of your brick, so it’s important that you try to check for water damage on a regular basis. If you notice something that looks like water damage on your bricks, consider calling in a professional to help you address the problem before it gets too bad.
Painting Brick
While red brick is beautiful, there are many homeowners that feel like painting their brick a more complementary color to the rest of their home will make it even more appealing. If you’re attempting to paint the brick on your own, DoItYourself.com advises that you ensure that you’ve properly prepared the wall, selected the right paint, and applied it the right way. The best paints to use are either Latex or Portland cement-based paints. Other paints won’t let the wall breathe the way it should, which can damage the materials.
If you have brick that you’re not sure how to best take care of, consider using the tips mentioned above to help you do just that.