Painting over exposed bricks (interior)

[Emily77]

I have exposed (interior) brick work in my flat which I would like to paint. I have been advised not to paint the brick work as it could encourage the bricks to become damp. Instead I have been advised to plaster over the brick work and then paint it. However I would like to see the brick work, and plastering the wall will hide the brick feature. Can you advise mme on this problem? Are there specific paints that should be used when painting over exposed bricks?

[Bonzo 2000]

Painting interior brickwork wont make them any more susceptible to dampness - certainly no more than plastering them. If the brickwork is on an exteral wall and they suffer from dampness, you may want to address that as a problem. However, paintying it internall will do no harm. An exterior grade masonry paint will bind best to the bricks.

[secretspirit]

I speak from experience! We had a rather odd brick pillar in our kitchen and I just painted it with normal emulsion. I've seen people use emulsion watered down on TV which could be because when it's normal thickness you have to frequently reload the brush and it's easier to paint on when it's thinner. I just used it straight out of the tin though and apart from taking a while to get in all the nooks and crannies it looks fine.