German Smear
Experience is everything when applying a smear. All smears are not created equally. Very few contractors are experienced enough to properly install a good smear. When the brick walls are in bad shape the smear is a great option. As we smear, we fill in all the joints, gaps, cracks and holes in the bricks. The worse the shape of the brick walls are the heavier we apply the smear. If you hire a bad contractor, be aware the only way to remove a bad smear job after it cures is with a grinder. It can ruin your house.
Covering up the color of your brick with a wash or paint will not only look ugly, but significantly reduce the value of your home. It will create a nightmare of maintenance issues trying to cover up paint peeling off the brick. If I am looking to buy a house and see its painted, I will pass 100% of the time, every time. The German Smear adds value to what your home is worth, it enhances the color of the brick and makes your home look new. Some of our best smear jobs were done on houses where the brick was in such bad shape that the customers wanted the brick taken down. We can stain some of the bricks on the home before we smear making it look fantastic. The examples below of light and medium smears are on 2 different houses with the exact same brick. This is a before photo of the bad shape of the brick on both houses
LIGHT SMEAR
A light smear fills the mortar joints and gets a very small amount on the edge of the bricks which fills cracks, holes and gaps where water is getting in. We keep almost all of the brick visible except for the edges.
MEDIUM SMEAR
The medium smear is my personal favorite. A medium smear fills in all the mortar joints and gets a very light coat on the brick. It still allows the color of the brick to show, and it makes the brick really pop. The mortar fills in all the holes, cracks, gaps, and areas where the bricks has chipped or missing.
Before
During
After
The danger of using an inexperienced contractor is that if they use the wrong color or apply the mortar wrong the only way to remove the mortar after it cures is with a grinder. Smearing requires great patience when applying as every brick-and-mortar joint must be gone over with the proper material, tools and methods. Smearing requires a ton of time and patience.
If you are interested in a free consultation, please give us a call and we will do a free evaluation and put samples on your house. It is better to see what the smear will look like on your own house rather than seeing photos. When we prepare a brick wall for the smear, we can stain bricks any color you like to create a perfect masterpiece to match your style.
DON’T PAINT YOUR BRICK. Get your walls or fireplace German Smeared instead. This whitewash appearance will catch the attention of all your neighbors and increase the value of your home. We can go with a light, medium or thick texture to make that home look new and gorgeous.
