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Angie's List: Give Your Home A Facelift With Brick Staining

PITTSBURGH (KDKA) -- Whether you hate the color of your brick or you're looking to give your home a facelift, there's a new option to consider -- brick staining.

Homeowner Beth Cornelison replaced her siding last year, but the color of the new siding no longer matched the brick.

"If you can see the old brick, the old brick had some variation in the color, so we wanted to preserve the variation so it would still look like brick," Cornelison said.

"You can get the type of brick that you want, and it's going to be unique," brick staining contractor Harry Brax said. "And you're the only one that will have exactly the finished product. The reason is, every brick is different."

Whether you need to match an existing brick color or want to change the entire façade, staining is an option for both exterior and interior brick.

To create the stain, most contractors layer together colors. Unlike paint, brick stain penetrates the pores of the brick, so it doesn't peel. Brick staining also costs less, and creates less mess, than brick re-surfacing.

"I would say that the majority of our customers end up going from darker to lighter," Brax said. "The reason being that many of our customers have brick that dates back to the 60s. So, it's outdated and it's dark."

Because this is a relatively new technique, Angie's List cautions you to make sure the person you hire is experienced and knowledgeable. Ask the company to provide references of past work and ask how they charge.

Brick staining is a new trend, so first and foremost when you are interviewing contractors, be sure you have someone who has experience with brick staining because you want it to be a project that lasts. When it comes to pricing, it still varies. It depends on either by square foot or some contractors will charge by the hour or part of the day.

Highly rated masons tell Angie's List brick stain works on stone as well. And it doesn't have a strong odor, so there's no need to escape the house during application.

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