Painting bricks with bitumen DPM

[JohnBishop]

Hi All,

I hope you are well.
I have the outer insulation however below the damp line there are red bricks. There is some black residue but it's worn out. I was wondering if I should repaint it with a bitumen paint?
What do you say?
Best

[markc]

What damp line? Was this question supposed to follow on from another thread?

[Redbeard]

dpc? I guess...

[JohnBishop]

Yes, the DPC.

[JohnBishop]

I am talking about this:

[joe90]

The DPC should be level with the bottom of the render, I have often seen bricks painted like that but never understood it, surely the bricks being below the DPC would be better letting any damp evaporate which Bitumen paint would stop 🤷‍♂️.

[JohnBishop]

55 minutes ago, joe90 said:

The DPC should be level with the bottom of the render, I have often seen bricks painted like that but never understood it, surely the bricks being below the DPC would be better letting any damp evaporate which Bitumen paint would stop 🤷‍♂️.

right so you say it's nonsensical to do that on those bricks. Not sure if this is actually bitumen paint but it looks like it must be at least 15 years old.

[JohnBishop]

but can I paint it with an exterior masonry paint or just leave it as is?

[Onoff]

My old man would paint the bricks below the dpc religiously, every year. Mind he got the black bitumen paint from work...

 

I like the look tbh.

[JohnBishop]

Hi again,

 I understand painting the DPC with a bitumen paint is detrimental to the purpose of the DPC itself.
What other paint can I use to paint it so it looks more appealing? The masonry paint I used to paint my wall says it's breathable but I don't think it's as breathable as the brick itself. Maybe slap something that is less tacky on it.
I am going to blast it with a jet wash first before painting but I already blasted it slightly once but this black stuff does not come off, I think I have to spend more time on it and either scrape it off to expose the brick or keep the nozzle of the jetwash much closer.

Edited September 13 by JohnBishop

[Mike]

8 hours ago, JohnBishop said:

I already blasted it slightly once but this black stuff does not come off

If pressure washing doesn't work, the next step up would be sandblasting. I'd not paint it.

[JohnBishop]

23 hours ago, Mike said:

If pressure washing doesn't work, the next step up would be sandblasting. I'd not paint it.

Ok, I try once more with a different nozzle.

[Andehh]

A pressure washer will strip that paint away very quickly (move it to within 6 inches) , just be careful as if you catch your render you risk blasting that off!

 

I'd then just use black masonry paint applied when it's all very dry.

 

All looks to be aesthetics only.