Common Brick Stain Colors
Updated: Nov. 27, 2023
Refresh or revolutionize the look of your brick house or interior with one of these popular brick stain colors.
What Is Brick Stain?
That brick house or interior wall of yours might be sturdy, but does it need a makeover?
If you long to freshen up your interior brick or change the color of the outside brick entirely, your first thought might be to paint. But painting has its pitfalls, which is why many homeowners and home improvement professionals opt for brick stain instead.
According to contractor and TV host Mike Holmes, aka Reader’s Digest Canada’s Second Most-Trusted Canadian, “Brick stains are mineral-based stains that allow the brick to breathe. They bond by crystallization, and they will never peel.”
Brick stain is a liquid pigment formulated to absorb into the masonry pores. It’s available in a wide range of colors, so there are lots of options. Many pros recommend staining brick instead of painting, for the following reasons:
- Painted brick can’t breathe: Brick is porous. It needs to breathe and release moisture. Brick paint essentially stops that process because it traps any moisture that enters, from the ground or in areas not covered by the paint. This can eventually cause brick to break down and crumble.
- Brick stain lets brick breathe: “Mineral-based stains soak into the brick rather than forming a film or layer,” Holmes says, “which is important as your bricks need to breathe.”
- Brick paint is permanent: If you paint brick, there’s no going back. It’s almost impossible to remove all the paint once it’s on brick.
- Painted brick needs maintenance: If the brick surface is not properly prepared or you use poor quality paint, painted brick will peel. It will also get dirty and stained, requiring pressure washing. And even in the best case scenario, it will need scraping and repainting frequently.
- Brick stain can be redone: Unlike brick paint, brick stain can simply be stained over again, even for color changes. Opaque brick stain will even let you change from a lighter color to a darker one.
We love the versatility of brick stain, especially the color options.
“Staining allows you to make subtle or dramatic changes to your brickwork, as the stains can be semi-transparent or opaque,” Holmes says. “Semi-transparent stains work with your existing brick color, allowing the subtle variations of color to show, while opaque stains will provide a uniform, solid color.”
Classic Brick Red
For a classic look that never goes out of style, brick red is your go-to. If your brick is already a natural color, staining it red will deepen it and bring out the variations on the different bricks.
This color is well-suited to Colonial-style homes. It’s also likely a safe bet if you live in a neighborhood with a homeowners association (HOA). If your brick is a lighter shade, red stain will cover it well. Just be sure to try a test patch somewhere out of sight, so you can make sure you like the new color before you commit.
Clear Stain
To make your existing brick look cleaner and more vibrant without a drastic color change, consider a transparent stain.
Like a transparent wood stain, it deepens and enhances the color of what’s already there. That makes it another good option for neighborhoods with HOAs, where approval for a color change might be required. If you love the color of your brick and just want it to pop a bit, stick with a transparent stain.
White
Yes, you really can stain your brick house white!
We’re amazed at the transformation white stain can bring to a brick house, even when the brick is a medium to dark tone. The opacity will depend on the product you buy and may vary from brick to brick.
With semi-transparent stain, light and medium-tone bricks will achieve a more all-around white effect, while darker bricks will come out a dirty white or light gray. But with an opaque stain, even a dark brick house can get to bright, clean white.
White brick stain is a great way to make a small brick home look bigger, or a dated home look more modern. White brick also pairs well with lots of trim colors, so you could change the trim paint color from time to time to achieve a new look.
Gray
Available in a wide range of shades, gray brick stain can add an air of sophistication and modernity to your home. We especially love it on a mid-century modern home, and when paired with a daring red door or trim.
Gray stains can range from semi-transparent, dove gray to dramatic, nearly black shades of slate and charcoal gray. “We’ve used gray tones on several homes for our shows, as it tends to be a popular choice today,” Holmes says.
If you opt for gray brick stain and later decide to change the color, you’ll likely have to go with an opaque stain. Looking for more? Check out these exterior brick paint color ideas.
Sage Green
A pleasant, restful and trending color, sage green, like gray, adds a touch of sophistication and design sensibility to a home. We like it on an interior brick wall or on a fireplace in a living room with a complementary color scheme.
More bold than gray or natural brick colors, sage green really helps you put your personal stamp on your home. Sage might be iffy in its semi-transparent form, because the resulting colors may be unpredictable. Try a test patch with opaque and semi-transparent stains before you commit.
Brown
While it certainly doesn’t grab the neighborhood’s attention the way sage green or dark gray brick stain might, brown is a reliably good choice.
A semi-transparent brown stain will darken and enhance natural brick variations and result in some nice play of colors. Brown also pairs well with a vibrant front door, an on-trend choice. We’d steer clear of an opaque brown stain, as the result is likely to be too heavy and monotone.
Try out several shades of semi-transparent brown stain, which comes in a range of colors including reddish brown, khaki and oaky hues.
Originally Published: July 20, 2023
