Adobe bricks are made from soil (consisting of sand, silt, and clay) mixed with water and left in the sun to dry. Adobe brick walls can be left unpainted for a natural organic look or can be rendered for painting.
A typical adobe wall is earthen in color, and the mud substance ranges from light beige to deep shades and tones of brown. If you do want to change from these neutral shades, luckily it’s very easy to paint your adobe home.
You can paint adobe brick by:
- preparing the walls with a light scraping to knock off the loose material
- applying one or two coats of linseed oil and turpentine sealant
- applying two coats of interior paint inside walls
- applying two coats of the exterior to the outside walls
How to paint adobe brick
Some precautions should be taken to prepare the walls: you shouldn’t apply the paint directly over the adobe walls, as it will quickly be absorbed into the wall.
Before you start painting your adobe wall you must prepare it; to obtain the best results you must mix and apply a sealer first.
Different types of sealer
Sealer for interior adobe walls.
- 1 part white glue
- 3 to 4 parts water
This will prevent dusting, but at the same time the wall can still breathe and in case it gets wet, the surface will dry without leaving any water marks. It should be applied to an entire wall at one time,.
The reason is because if you stop in the middle of the wall, let the paint dry, and then get back to it later there may be a line where you started up again.
TIP: Use a wide brush for the application and work into the joints as you proceed. Applying a sealer to an interior adobe wall will slightly darken the color of it and will also even out the color between the brick and the mortar.
TIP: Tapioca powder is a natural glue that we used to make adobe mud for coating the earthbag house. It is cheap and natural so if you can purchase it you should consider trying it in place of the white glue.
Step 1: Add 1.5 cups of tapioca powder to 1 cup of cold water and mix.
Step 2: Boil 4 liters of water.
Step 3: Add the tapioca mixture to the boiling water and reduce heat to simmer.
Step 4: Stir until the mixture is clear. Adjust the ratios to your preference.
TIP: If you are going to coat the bricks with adobe mud prior to sealing and painting then you should add a binding agent such as tapioca. There is more information about this at Building Trust International here.
Sealer for exterior adobe walls.
- 1 part boiled linseed oil
- 3 parts paint thinner
A sealer on an exterior adobe wall will help to prevent any damage from exposition to the elements, avoiding any water to get behind the coating and causing the wall to spall off, yet it will still be able to breathe.
The oil darkens the surface of the wall considerably, but it’ll fade back to its normal color in about a month.

Learn through my articles how to make adobe bricks water proof here and advantages and disadvantages, and how many you need, and 10 best anchors for a strong house.
Scott Boyd
Best paint for adobe walls
Interior and exterior paint, what’s the difference?
There are two main types of paint you can choose from: these are water-based and oil-based. Acrylic and latex are water-based, while alkyds are oil-based, and both interior and exterior come in both types.
For exterior jobs on adobe walls a few things should be considered, oil-based products are better at resisting dirt, but some water-based options are more durable than oil-based ones.
The exterior paints are better at handling humidity, temperature changes, and other weather factors, as they’re formulated to resist the elements.
TIP: Exterior paints provide better resistance to cracking and protection from the damage caused by ultraviolet rays. The lack of environment-specific additives is the reason why you shouldn’t use interior on external surfaces
The three basic components are pigments, binders, and liquids. Pigments provide the color.
Interior paints may contain organic pigments, and certain types of organic pigments are known to considerably fade when used on exterior surfaces.
Exterior paints don’t have pigments, increasing the times necessary for outdoor drying times.
Binders are additives, used within the formula to bind the pigment together and provide adhesion on the surface of the wall. As exterior specific options need to be able to endure the effects of severe weather and the surrounding environment.
Binders used in outdoor-friendly paint increase their resistance to issues like cracking and better performance in moisture control. Some of the binders found in interior paint have better resistance to abrasion, which is something not so important in exterior paint.
Another difference between interior and exterior paint is the type of liquid used. Interior options, especially the ones water-based including latex, are specifically prepared to have the lowest levels of volatile organic compounds (VOC).
These are used as solvents in the liquid paint’s component and vaporize at room temperature. Because they’re associated with various health problems, from short-term ones such as headaches and dizziness to more serious respiratory diseases and even cancer; you should always look for interior paints the lowest VOC levels.
TIP: Exterior paints, on the other hand, don’t meet the same VOC requirements for their formula, so it’s extremely important to never use exterior-specific inside your adobe home.
How to paint an adobe wall
If you’re never painted an adobe wall you can consider it as similar to a super rough-textured wall with a brush or a roller. Let’s see what are the things you’ll need in order to get it done, and how to proceed:
Tools and materials you’ll need
- Mixing buckets
- Boiled linseed oil
- Paint thinner
- Cotton rags
- Paint
- Roller
- Long fibers brush
- Fine mazed sponge

Steps to paint an adobe brick wall
The steps are easy to follow and can be fun for the whole family. Don’t forget to invite your friends too for beer and a BBQ, and when they show up hand them a paintbrush 🙂
Step 1 – Prepare bricks and mortar
Fill and repair any cracks that are visible on the adobe wall you’re about to paint.
Step 2 – Mixing the DIY sealant
As we’ve seen above, in case you’re working on an exterior wall, start by mixing 3 parts of thinner to 1 part of boiled linseed oil. Both items are available at any home improvement, DYI, and paint stores. Stir well.
Step 3 – Prepare the wall
Using the cotton rags apply the linseed oil and thinner mixture to the adobe walls. This mixture will act as a sealant, so make sure you’re covering the entire wall, not missing any nook and cranny.
You should allow this to dry for the next 24 hours before proceeding.
Step 4 – Apply with a brush or roller
After the sealant is dry you can start painting your wall. Using a roller or brush with long fibers apply to the adobe wall with an exterior, oil-based paint, which is thicker and allows for less absorption into the adobe wall.
Keep in mind that even with a sealer, some of the paint will be absorbed. Allow some time to let the first coat dry.
TIP: Application with a brush: When applying your paint onto the wall with a brush, make sure you’re spreading it evenly. After some drying, but when it is still slightly moist if the substrate is still visible use your brush to re-touch these spots.
TIP: Application with a roller: If you’re using a roller apply by rolling over repeatedly over the surface, without adding more paint to it.
With a roller you should be able to achieve a nice result, spreading evenly over the wall.
Step 5 – Second coat of paint
After the first coat is dry, you can apply a second coat to the adobe wall. After waiting for it to dry, you can decide whether you’d like to apply a third coat to it.
Both primer and paint work well on adobe walls. It’s better to use an oil-based primer because it penetrates a bit further and the oil toughens up the surface. Latex/acrylic primers work, too.
TIP: Mud plastered walls or exposed adobes accept primer and paint in the same way.
Step 6 – Finishing the brick walls
Your adobe wall can be finished after it has fully dried out, ideally 24 hours after the application. Carefully wipe the surface down with a moist, not soaking wet, sponge.
Using a fine-mazed sponge is preferred over a rough one. Repeat this passage one or two more times.
TIP: It’s important to always be careful and not pressing too hard as this can alter the texture of your adobe bricks.
Finishing walls effects and tips
Adobe brick walls can be finished to give different effects. If you want to obtain a smooth finish, you can fill in the mortar flush with the bricks.
Alternatively, you can scrape out the mortar so that the adobe brick will stand out more, in order to emphasize the natural, organic look of the adobe brick.
TIP: You can make cleaning the walls easier by applying a further layer of sealant on the wall, using again the linseed oil or turpentine. This increases the effectiveness to prevent water from getting in from the outside and to make it easier to wipe and clean on the inside.
TIP: Having large roof overhangs will give extra protection from harsh weather conditions like driving rain.
Adobe brick walls are much easier to make than you think: it’s a material that you can work on until you’re completely satisfied with the final result. Unlike all the other building materials this feature is maintained over time.