You can put siding over brick, but vinyl and metal siding are better choices than wood
If you’re tired of the way your home’s brick exterior looks, you can put siding over it, but it’s a difficult process. Siding allows homeowners to change the color and look of the exterior of their house, while also adding insulation or covering up flaking or spalling walls.
Keep in mind that adding siding over brick will make the walls thicker and will require the help of a professional siding contractor. Let’s review the ins and outs of putting new siding over brick.
Siding is a great option for homeowners who want to update the look of their home and don’t have existing brick damage. Siding may help with energy costs (as brick is a poor insulator) and can help reduce erosion of the existing brick.
However, installing siding over brick requires several preparation steps to ensure your home’s exterior is a good candidate for this type of project. Siding cannot be installed directly on top of brick, so you’ll need to add sheathing to create a smooth, waterproof surface for installation. If you want to add wood siding, you’ll need to use furring strips for secure attachment. Consult a local siding contractor to determine whether you can use siding over brick, depending on the age and condition of the brick.
Older brick homes, especially in historic districts, are not good candidates for siding. Siding will be challenging to install, and the brick—often 100 to 200 years old—has historical value that potential homebuyers will appreciate.
You also shouldn’t put siding over brick simply to cover up serious structural damage. If there are extensive issues with your brick wall that indicate water damage or foundation issues, you’ll want to hire a mason near you to review the issue and provide a solution.
In short, it can make sense to install siding over brick veneer but not older brick homes. In some cases, it’s a better structural and financial decision to remove the brick siding and start fresh with a new material. If your brick siding is uneven or bowing, consider hiring a professional to replace it with vinyl or wood siding.
So why would you put siding over brick? Here are a few of the most common reasons:
Exterior upgrade: Over time, the color of your brick siding will fade, and the mortar will start to crack. You can make small repairs, paint the brick, or replace specific sections of brick that look worse for the wear. Alternatively, you can give the exterior of your home a totally new look with vinyl, metal, or wood siding.
Insulation: Installing new siding over your existing brick veneer can add insulation to your home and potentially reduce your utility bills. However, siding may not be your biggest source of heat loss. Get a home energy audit before making any uninformed decisions about how to better insulate your home.
Lower maintenance: While old brick homes are relatively easy to maintain, brick veneer maintenance is more involved. Installing new siding on top of the brick veneer could reduce the amount of work you have to do.
Installing siding to existing brick is challenging, but some types of siding are better suited to the project.
Vinyl siding is a great choice when covering up the existing brick. It’s durable, affordable, and easy for most professionals to install. It’s also easy to maintain (here’s how to clean vinyl siding) and comes in a wide range of colors and styles. Vinyl siding offers decent insulation, especially if you purchase insulated vinyl siding. However, vinyl siding is not as durable as some other types of siding on this list.
Metal siding is much more durable than vinyl siding, though it’s also a more expensive investment. Metal siding is great for lowering energy costs since it reflects sunlight away from the house. Installing metal siding over existing brick is much more difficult, however; you will absolutely need to hire a metal siding installer near you to tackle this job.
Fiber cement is a durable siding choice that can be installed over brick. It’s incredibly fire-resistant, and you can find it in a wide variety of styles and colors. Fiber cement siding is not an ideal insulator, however, and is more expensive than vinyl siding.
Wood siding has a nice charm to it, and it offers a fair amount of customization in color and style. It’s also a decent insulator. However, wood siding requires a significant amount of upkeep, is susceptible to rot and pest damage, and has high upfront installation costs. Wood siding is also more challenging to install on top of brick siding than the other options on this list.
In addition to these four main types of siding, you can install the following types of siding over brick:
Hardie Board siding
Stone veneer
Composite siding
The cost to install siding on top of brick will depend on the materials and the size of your home. The table below shows sample costs in square feet.
| Siding material | Cost (per square foot) |
|---|---|
| Vinyl | $3–$12 |
| Metal | $1–$35 |
| Fiber cement | $5–$14 |
| Wood | $1–$15 |
While basic siding installs may be an approachable project for homeowners who are handy around the house, installing siding on top of existing brick siding is much more complicated. To ensure correct installation and avoid durability and moisture issues, you should always leave this task to a trusted siding contractor near you.
The cost to put siding over brick depends on the type of siding you’re installing over the brick and the size of your home. Installing any type of siding onto existing brick walls is challenging, which can lead to higher labor costs. On average, installing siding ranges in cost from $5,550 to $17,550.
The best siding to cover brick is vinyl or metal siding. Vinyl is low maintenance and affordable, while metal is highly durable and offers some of the best insulation on top of brick. Fiber cement is another great option. Though you can install wood siding on top of brick, it’s not as ideal.
