How Much Does It Cost to Tint Bricks?
Brick tinting has become one of the fastest-growing exterior finishing services in the UK, especially on homes where brickwork doesn’t match after an extension, repair, or patchwork replacement. Whether you’re blending old and new brick, refreshing faded brickwork, or correcting a colour mismatch from a previous renovation, brick tinting offers a permanent finish without painting over the surface.
But what does it actually cost?
Across the UK, brick tinting typically costs between £15 and £25 per square metre, with most residential jobs ranging between £300 and £1,500, depending on the surface area, access difficulty, type of brick, and number of colours needed for blending.
That said, the real cost depends on much more than just surface size. Tinting is a specialist trade, not a spray-and-go coating, and pricing reflects the skill, labour time, and finish quality required to make the tint look natural.
Average Brick Tinting Costs in the UK
| Project Type | Typical Size (m²) | Average Cost Range |
|---|---|---|
| Small patch repair (1–2m²) | 10–20 bricks | £80–£150 |
| Blending brick on a repaired wall section | 2–5m² | £150–£350 |
| One wall tinting (small house side) | 10–20m² | £250–£500 |
| Front elevation of house | 20–30m² | £400–£750 |
| Full house tinting (semi-detached) | 40–60m² | £650–£1,200 |
| Full detached house (all elevations) | 80–120m² | £1,200–£2,000+ |
The larger the area, the lower the cost per m², because preparation and colour-matching time is spread across more bricks.
Why Brick Tinting Costs More Than Paint
Brick tinting is not the same as painting. Paint sits on top of the bricks and seals the pores, while tinting is a mineral stain that soaks into the surface and chemically bonds, allowing the brick to continue breathing.
| Feature | Brick Tint | Brick Paint |
|---|---|---|
| Breathable | ✅ Yes | ❌ Usually no |
| Permanent solution | ✅ 25+ years | ❌ Can flake in 3–7 years |
| Looks natural | ✅ | ❌ Can look “flat” or shiny |
| Works with different tones in each brick | ✅ | ❌ One solid colour |
| Maintenance required | Low | Medium to high |
| Cost per m² | £15–£25 | £8–£15 |
You can paint brick cheaper — but long-term, maintenance, flaking, and moisture damage often make paint the more expensive solution.
Factors That Affect Brick Tinting Cost
| Cost Factor | How It Affects Price |
|---|---|
| Surface area | More square metres = higher cost, but lower rate per m² |
| Number of colours used | Multi-tone blending costs more than single tint |
| Brick type & porosity | Highly porous or glazed bricks take longer |
| Access difficulty | Scaffolding, ladders, or lifts add cost |
| Condition of brickwork | Dirty or damaged surfaces require prep |
| Travel & location | Remote areas or city-centre access may cost more |
| Detail work | Arches, quoin bricks, decorative stonework take longer |
| Matching vs full recolour | Blending small areas costs more per square metre |
Typical Add-On Costs
| Add-On | Typical UK Price |
|---|---|
| Cleaning brick prior to tinting | £2–£4 per m² |
| Tinting mortar to match | £5–£10 per m² |
| Lime mortar restoration | £15–£30 per m² |
| Scaffolding hire (if needed) | £200–£500 |
| Colour sampling / sample panel | Sometimes free, sometimes £50–£100 |
| Crack or spalled brick repair | £8–£20 per brick |
Real-World Cost Scenarios
| Property Situation | Description | Estimated Cost |
|---|---|---|
| Small repair blend | Orange patch after a window was bricked in | £120–£200 |
| New extension doesn’t match main house | 12m² side wall tinting | £300–£450 |
| Front of 1930s semi mismatched after repointing | 25m² blend + mortar tint | £450–£700 |
| Entire 4-bed detached recolour | 90m² total | £1,200–£1,800+ |
| Commercial retail unit rebrand | 150m² full tint | £2,500–£4,000 |
Brick Tinting Cost Calculator (Quick Estimate)
1️⃣ Measure area in square metres
2️⃣ Multiply by £15–£25 per m²
3️⃣ Add £200–£400 if scaffolding or tower required
4️⃣ Add £50–£150 if multiple tones are needed
5️⃣ Add £5–£10 per m² if mortar tinting is required
Example:
30m² wall × £18 per m² = £540
- 2-colour blend = £80
- Tower hire = £120
Estimated total: £740
Why Brick Tinting Can Save You Money
| Alternative | Typical UK Cost | Downsides |
|---|---|---|
| Replace bricks to match | £1,500–£3,000 | Mortar never matches, labour heavy |
| Paint entire wall | £500–£1,200 | Needs repainting, traps moisture |
| Cladding | £2,000–£6,000 | Changes original building finish |
| Leave mismatched brick | £0 | Reduces kerb appeal & resale value |
Brick tinting is often the cheapest permanent solution for colour consistency, especially after extensions, repairs, or patching works.
Why Tinting Costs More When Matching Bricks
Blending brick colour is more complex than full-surface tinting. A colour technician may use 4–8 different tones to replicate ageing, iron spotting, soot staining, weathering and sun fade.
| Type of Tint Job | Cost Per m² | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Full recolour, one shade | £12–£18 | Faster, single-tone |
| Full recolour, multi-tone | £15–£22 | More labour & skill |
| Patch blending (make it invisible) | £20–£30 | Highest skill, slowest work |
The smaller the area, the higher the price per metre — because colour matching is labour, not square metres.
When Tinting Is Not Recommended
| Issue | Why Tinting Won’t Fix It |
|---|---|
| Powdering or crumbling bricks | Structural failure, not colour issue |
| Brick sealant already applied | Tint cannot absorb into blocked surface |
| Paint over brick | Paint must be removed first |
| Salt or efflorescence present | Tint will not hold on damp salt-laden surfaces |
| Major mortar decay | Repointing needed before tinting |
Brick tinting improves look — not structure.
Brick Tinting vs Brick Cleaning Cost
| Service | Cost per m² | Purpose |
|---|---|---|
| Brick cleaning (acid/steam) | £6–£12 | Restore original brick colour |
| Brick tinting | £15–£25 | Change or correct brick colour |
Many properties require cleaning before tinting, especially where soot, paint residue, algae or cement staining is present.
Pros and Cons of Brick Tinting
| Advantages | Disadvantages |
|---|---|
| Permanent finish (25+ yrs) | Higher upfront cost than paint |
| Brick stays breathable | Cannot be used on sealed/painted brick |
| Colour-blended, not 1-tone | Requires specialist skill |
| Can correct mismatched repairs | Not a DIY job |
| Cheaper than brick replacement | Scaffold may be needed |
| Does not peel or flake | Weather can delay work |
How Long Does Brick Tinting Last?
The mineral stain used in brick tinting bonds chemically to the brick face and does not peel or flake like paint. Most UK tinting products last 25–40 years, depending on:
- Brick porosity
- Weather exposure
- Pollution level
- Application quality
- UV exposure
Tinting lasts longest on clay bricks and shortest on very soft reclaimed bricks — but still vastly outperforms paint.
DIY Brick Tinting – Is It Cheaper?
DIY tint products exist, but they are not the same as professional blends and rarely match existing brickwork well.
| Option | Cost | Result |
|---|---|---|
| DIY off-the-shelf tint | £30–£80 per litre | Often patchy, wrong tone |
| Pro tinting service | £300–£1,500+ | Natural, blended, guaranteed |
DIY tinting may save hundreds of pounds, but can easily:
❌ Stain mortar
❌ Create patchy or plastic-looking finish
❌ Fade within 2–3 years
❌ Ruin brick if wrong tint used
Most DIY jobs eventually require professional correction, which costs more than hiring a pro first time.
How Long Does a Brick Tinting Job Take?
| Surface Area | Typical Duration |
|---|---|
| Small repair (1–2m²) | 1–2 hours |
| One wall only | Half day |
| Full frontage of house | 1 day |
| Full semi-detached house | 1–2 days |
| Full detached house | 2–4 days |
Tinting takes longer than painting because it is applied brick by brick, not sprayed.
Mortar Tinting – Cost and When It’s Needed
Sometimes matching the brick isn’t enough — the mortar tone must be adjusted too.
| Mortar Colour Issue | Fix | Cost |
|---|---|---|
| New mortar too bright | Mortar tinting | £5–£10 per m² |
| Patch repair stands out | Blending | £80–£200 |
| Full repointing mismatch | Full tint | £200–£600+ |
Mortar tinting is common after insurance repairs, window replacements or storm damage.
Brick Tinting vs Limewash vs Painting
| Method | Cost per m² | Breathable | Natural Finish | Long-Term Cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brick tint | £15–£25 | ✅ Yes | ✅ Yes | Low |
| Limewash | £8–£15 | ✅ Yes | ✅ Yes (chalky) | Medium (re-coat 5–7 yrs) |
| Masonry paint | £8–£15 | ❌ No | ❌ Looks “painted” | High (re-paint 7–10 yrs) |
Tint is the only option that preserves original brick texture permanently.
Final Summary
| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| How much does brick tinting cost? | Usually £15–£25 per m² |
| Minimum job price? | Around £100–£150 |
| Full house tint? | £650–£2,000+ depending on size |
| Is it cheaper than brick replacement? | Yes — by hundreds to thousands |
| Does tint last? | 25+ years if applied properly |
| Can you DIY it? | Possible, but rarely colour-accurate |
| Does tinting damage brick? | No, it remains breathable |
| Does it fix structural issues? | No, only visual colour |
How Brick Texture Affects Tinting Cost and Appearance
Not all bricks absorb tint the same way. Handmade, reclaimed, clay-fired and engineering bricks all behave differently because of their surface hardness and pore structure. A soft, sandy-faced brick will take tint quickly and evenly, which means less labour and less product. A hard, dense, smooth brick (like a blue engineering brick or a semi-glazed type) may require multiple coats or a modified tint mix to get proper penetration. The more resistant the brick surface, the more time the technician must spend testing, adjusting and reapplying. That’s why two houses with the same square metre measurement can have different prices. Texture also affects final appearance: rough bricks look naturally blended because tint settles in the micro-pits, while smooth bricks show colour variation more clearly, so extra colour layering is often required to make the effect realistic instead of “flat”.
Brick Tinting for Listed or Heritage Buildings
Tinting is often approved for heritage and conservation work because it is considered reversible and non-destructive. Unlike painting or sealing, tinting doesn’t trap moisture or alter the structural surface of the brick, which means it doesn’t breach most UK conservation guidelines. However, heritage jobs usually cost more because they require:
- Extra test panels
- Colour matching to aged soot, weathering or lime staining
- Lime-compatible tint mixes
- Slower application to preserve historic mortar edges
| Heritage Situation | Typical Cost Impact |
|---|---|
| Listed building approval needed | Adds £100–£250 in prep time |
| Matching 100-year weather fade | + £3–£6 per m² |
| Lime mortar protection masking | + £1–£2 per m² |
So while tinting is allowed, it is rarely the cheapest form of tinting work — it is, however, the only breathable, reversible way to fix brick mismatch without damaging historic fabric.
Why Brick Colour Looks Wrong After an Extension (and How Tinting Fixes It)
Even when you order “the same brick” from the same manufacturer, you will almost always see a colour mismatch when new work meets old walls. The reason: original bricks have 15–50 years of weathering, UV exposure, pollution staining, rain wash and clay oxidation — all of which dull and darken tone over time. New bricks look brighter, cleaner, redder or yellower because they haven’t aged. Mortar also plays a role: old lime mortar tones down brick colour, while new cement mortar makes it look bolder. Tinting solves this by ageing the new area to match the original, rather than trying to brighten the old area to match the extension. It is almost always cheaper and less invasive than replacing bricks, repointing, or coating the full wall.
Brick Tinting vs Brick Replacement: Full Cost Comparison
| Option | Typical Cost | Disruption | Breathable | Long-Term Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brick tinting | £15–£25 per m² | Low | ✅ Yes | Natural, permanent |
| Brick replacement | £1.50–£3.00 per brick + labour (often £1,500–£3,000+) | High | ✅ Yes | Structural change, may still not match |
| Rebuilding a full wall section | £2,500–£6,000 | Very high | ✅ Yes | Guaranteed brick match only if full wall replaced |
| Brick cladding over existing | £80–£150 per m² | Medium | ❌ No | Cosmetic only |
| Full property render | £40–£70 per m² | Medium | ❌ No | Hides brick completely |
Brick replacement is only worth it when bricks are failing structurally. For colour mismatch alone, tinting wins on cost, time, disruption and breathability.
Questions to Ask Before Booking Brick Tinting
Even though you’re not looking for recommendations, there are key questions every homeowner should ask so they can understand cost and quality differences:
| Question | Why It Matters |
|---|---|
| Is the tint mineral-based and breathable? | Avoids paint-like coating that traps moisture |
| How long is the expected lifespan? | A proper tint should last 25+ years |
| Is colour mixed on-site or pre-mixed? | On-site mixing = better blend match |
| Will the mortar be protected or tinted too? | Important for patchwork repairs |
| How many colours will be layered? | Single tone is cheaper, multi-tone is more realistic |
| Does the price include access equipment? | Scaffolding can add £200–£500 |
| Will I get a sample patch first? | Essential for colour confidence |
| What prep is included? | Cleaning, masking, mortar protection, etc. |
Asking these questions ensures you pay for real tinting, not a brick “paint job” disguised as tinting.