A typical brick has a lifespan onwards and upwards of over 500 years and thankfully so. Clearly, you do not want a monumental structure to erode and break within a decade as not only is your hard work, grit and determination destroyed, but it imposes a massive safety hazard to those within the vancity. Over time, bricks’ appearance will fade, discolour slightly and begin to look old. So how do you revive an old looking brick building so that it looks brand new? 

The answer is simple. Brick tinting. 

Most houses in the UK are built from bricks that are no longer made, and even those that are still made could be rare. Finding a brick the same size, texture, or colour, as the original can be immensely challenging. This can result in bricks that look out of place, and reduce the visual appeal of the building; however, brick tinting can be the answer you have been looking for. 

In this article, we will provide you with the knowledge of brick tinting and the major benefits using this method creates when trying to revive the look of your brick buildings. 

 

What Is Brick Tinting And How Does It Work?

Brick tinting is the process of physically and permanently changing the colour of bricks to either blend in smoothly and consistently to surrounding facing brickwork or in some instances, completely changing the colour of facing bricks to match your specific requirement. 

     The process works by using water based pigments that soak into the brick

and as a result create a chemical bond.

The process works by using water based pigments that soak into the brick and as a result create a chemical bond. The solution penetrates the brick and creates a coating which remains unaffected by extreme weather or UV sunlight. It is important to note that before any permanent tinting occurs, the solution is always tested on a small sample area beforehand to match the colour and get prior approval. There is no fixing agent applied to the sample, so the tint can easily be washed off and the colour corrected if needed. 

Once there is a perfect colour match, a fixing agent is added to the mix, and the tinting solution is applied brick by brick. There are also other factors that can impact the duration such as the number of coats needed, the texture of the brick, level of access, and even weather conditions (brickwork needs to be dry to absorb the tint). The final finish makes the brick look more natural and retains its texture and is usually a better option than painting.

The treated surface can also ‘breathe’ in the same way as non-treated surfaces, and will weather at the same rates giving it a more uniformed look to the brick building. 

 

 

Reasons For Brick Tinting 

There are many reasons why brick tinting may be required:

  • One reason for brick tinting is due to older bricks' weathering over time in conjunction with brick manufacturers discontinuing the original brick. If this is the case, brick tint is a perfect alternative solution. 

 

  • Nearly all types of bricks can be tinted, which proves an even better reason for brick tinting. The only thing to consider is hard bricks such as engineering blue bricks are very dense and have a low water absorption rate, so require a different type of tinting solution. 

 

  • In situations where no damage to existing brickwork is present, rather than require a completely new brick structure and demolitioning the original building, brick tinting can be the best and easier solution available.

Why You Need Brick Tinting? 

There is an increasing need for brick tinting within the UK. This is because most of the time it comes down to the fact that you simply can't find the perfect match and you may be asking why this is. Well the brick industry has gone through a rapid change in recent times, primarily as a result of the 2008 global financial crisis. Small brick manufacturers that once provided local areas have been shut down which has left the avenue for the larger brick manufacturers to overpower most of the industry. As a result of this, bespoke or unique bricks were left discontinued and not available anymore. In addition, owners of masonry structures built before 1970 are likely to be built from bricks with no specific name which further makes it even more difficult to find that exact brick you need for construction purposes. 

 

However, even if you do miraculously find the exact match to your building structure, you still have to combat or find solutions to production defects, batch colour variations, and even weathering as your bricks have been outside and exposed to the elements. Bottom line is, your new bricks will likely look slightly different from any existing brickwork, which makes brick tinting essential parts of the process in order to get the perfect match on many construction builds. 

 

Now that you know the reasons and rationale for brick tinting, why not have it done to one of your very own projects? If you are interested, give us a call to speak to one of our experts for the best course of action.