Discover the brick tinting process

So, how does brick tinting work?

Brick tinting is the process of physically changing the colour of brickwork to match surrounding areas by applying a bespoke coloured tint to each individual brick or the mortar joints.

Home | How Brick Tinting Works

Step 1: Developing the perfect solution for your property

The brick tinting products we employ are water-based pigments that are non-toxic, non-flammable and odourless. Unlike paint which coats the surface, brick tints are absorbed and chemically bonded to the masonry. This preserves the original texture and character of the brick, resulting in a natural-looking change of colour that’s permanent and doesn’t require any ongoing maintenance.

Chameleon Brick Tinting Services Brick Dyeing Solution Colour Mixing
Our brickwork colour correction addresses a wide range of common issues

Our most popular work is blending an extension in with the rest of the brickwork, but we also do...

  • Colour Banding Correction

    This occurs when there is a change to the brick or mortar colour part way through construction. The result is a building with an unwanted and obvious band of different coloured brickwork.

  • Cleaning Stained Brickwork

    Bricks which have become stained with mortar or concrete splashes can be tinted to restore the original brick colour.

  • Disguising Brick Remedial Repairs

    Brick tinting can be used to disguise remedial repairs which often stand out as looking too new.

  • Enhancing Brickwork Features

    The opposite of blending in, give architectural brick features (such as plinths, quoins and arches) more definition by tinting them to contrast the main brickwork.

  • Recreating Aged Brickwork

    Add instant maturity to new brickwork by tinting it to replicate the effects of years of natural weathering.

Brick Tinting - Chameleon Brick Services Chameleon

So, what does brick tinting involve?

Because no two brick tinting projects are the same, a specific shade of brick tint has to be developed for each situation.

By mixing appropriate colours and controlling the concentration of the solution, Chameleon can produce a shade of tint to correct almost any brick or mortar colour issue. Not only can we tone down brickwork, in certain situations we can also lighten the original colour.

We are always happy to visit the site, assess your situation and discuss the brick tinting options with you. We can apply a small colour sample to an inconspicuous area for your consideration before committing to the work.

Once the sample has been approved we will then carefully brush apply the agreed tint colour to each individual brick or mortar joint, avoiding any unwanted contamination.

The building blocks for success: our guide to ordering bricks that are great for tinting

We often get enquiries about our brick tinting service from customers before they’ve ordered their bricks. Typically, they’ve been unable to find suitable matching bricks for their extension, are resigned to buying “the next best match” and thinking of having them tinted. If you are in this situation, we’ve put together some tips on what you can do to enhance your chances of tinting your new bricks.

Chameleon Brick Services Ltd Brick Tinting Experts Brick Dyeing Southampton UK

Tip No. 1

Don't settle for the lightest, blandest bricks you can find thinking it's a blank canvas to work from. The new bricks ideally need to be similar but lighter in colour than the originals - it's easier to tint darker than lighter. Remember, we are applying a water-based stain, not thick covering paint. (Fig 1)

If the original bricks are multi-coloured, select new bricks that are also multi-coloured.

Fig 1. These infill bricks are too light for successful tinting. Ideally, they needed to be closer in colour to the originals

Tip No. 2

Order clay bricks. Most bricks are clay but you can still get calcium silicate, sand lime and concrete bricks which are not recommended for tinting.

New, clean bricks are preferred to secondhand or reclaimed bricks.

Tip No. 3

Ask the manufacturers if the bricks can be tinted. Bricks that have been sealed, painted or waterproofed cannot be tinted. As a quick test, spray water on the bricks and make sure they can absorb it. If the water runs off, then so will our tint. (Fig 2)  

Sand faced bricks with a higher rate of water absorption tend to look more natural after tinting than low water absorption, hard, smooth engineering type bricks

Fig 2. Close up of a sealed brick with water droplets running off it. Not suitable for tinting

A quick additional note:

Unfortunately, because there is such a huge, diverse range of brick colours, textures and technical properties to chose from, we're unable to recommend specific bricks or guarantee to be able to tint absolutely every available brick. Some bricks do tint better than others, some not at all. The above isn’t an exhaustive list of recommendations, but hopefully, it will improve the chances of successfully tinting the bricks you do select.

Ultimately, whatever bricks you purchase, we will need to conduct colour trials to see how close we can tint them. When you reach this stage, contact us and we will make the arrangements for a site visit and trials.