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How To Paint Fletton Brick

Fletton brick is a highly porous surface that needs to be properly prepared and primed to prevent the cracking and peeling of topcoats. Our 4-step guide shows how to use Zinsser products to paint over fletton brick surfaces, including a finish coat that is available in over 4,100+ RAL, NCS and BS colours.

See our blog for more information on painting issues, including painting over efflorescence and friable surfaces.

Contents

Click on a link below to jump to the section:

The Benefits

Step 1. Surface Preparation

Step 2. Patch priming

Step 3. Priming

Step 4. Decoration

More Information

Further Reading


The Benefits

The look of unpainted brick isn’t for everyone. As a business you may wish to match your corporate branding or offset it with a neutral colour scheme to really stand out on the high street, appealing to customers and passing traffic. Landlords and letting agents may paint properties to match others in the area, or to create a surface that is easy to maintain.

Such properties may include:

  • Commercial shops and offices
  • Supermarket fronts
  • Garages and workshops
  • Council offices and services
  • Public libraries
  • New-build, buy-to-let homes
  • Boundary walls
  • Outhouses and brick sheds

However, fletton brick is highly porous and needs to be properly primed to prevent future cracking and peeling of paint films. Using Zinsser’s products, this can be a quick process without much downtime or disruption to customers and staff, needing just a few hours between coats and products to allow for sufficient preparation and drying.

Zinsser listens to contactors and develops new products – or adds features to existing products – to meet their changing needs, delivering world class products that meet “real world” challenges, providing tried and tested solutions to painting problems, such as painting over fletton brick. Their Bulls Eye 1-2-3 properly primes fletton brick for painting over with topcoats available in more than 4,100+ RAL, NCS and BS colours.

Step 1. Surface Preparation

Clean the surface and ensure it is dry and free from anything that will interfere with the adhesion of the materials to be applied, removing loose material by scraping or brushing with a stiff bristle brush to a sound edge.

Prior to painting, the moisture content should not exceed 18%.

Remove all visible signs of organic growth, treating the affected areas with Zinsser Mould Killer & Remover in accordance with the manufacturer’s instructions, and allow the surface to dry.

Any unstable pointing should be raked out and re-pointed using a suitable cement mix, in accordance with the manufacturer’s instructions, allowing it to cure.

Step 2. Patch priming

Bare and filled areas should be patch primed with Zinsser Bulls Eye 1-2-3 (in accordance with the manufacturer’s instructions), allowing, in normal drying conditions, a minimum of an hour to dry before bringing forward with more Zinsser Bulls Eye 1-2-3 and allowing to dry.

Step 3. Priming

Prime all areas to be decorated with one full coat of Zinsser Bulls Eye 1-2-3 in accordance with the manufacturer’s instructions and allow a minimum of an hour to dry, in normal drying conditions, before moving on to decoration.

Step 4. Decoration

Available in more than 4,100+ RAL, NCS and BS colours and 2 finishes (Satin or Gloss), use two full coats of Zinsser AllCoat Exterior Satin/Gloss in accordance with the manufacturer’s instructions, allow a minimum drying time of 1 hour between coats in normal drying conditions.

More Information

If you require more advice on painting over fletton brick surfaces, give our technical team a call on 0113 2455450 (option 2) or send a message to [email protected].

Further Reading

3 comments

  1. Hi
    I am painting a wall in the garden and your 4 steps are helpful but which paint do you recommend for a Fletton face to be painted Matt or satin black which has planting next to it. Is oil based or water based the best option?

    • Hi Landia,

      Many thanks for reading our blog and for your question. For fletton brick we recommend priming initially with Zinsser Bulls Eye 1-2-3 followed by 2 coats of Zinsser Allcoat Exterior Matt or Satin Water Based providing the application temperatures are above 8°C. The solvent based version of the topcoat can be applied in temperatures below 8°C but is only available in Satin or Gloss.

      I hope this helps and please feel free to get in touch if you have any further questions.

      Many thanks
      Stuart

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