Hey all! We did it, we moved! I apologize for the delay in new projects, but we have been a touch busy. I am finally ready to share with you one of my very first projects in the new house, and I have got to say I am in LOVE with it. It all started with this very large blank wall in out dining room/kitchen. I really wanted the wall to make a statement without adding hanging wall decor. My first instinct was shiplap, but I wanted to try something new! Ever since I made my sons “Fire Station” I have wanted to use the brick paneling elsewhere. This was my chance a faux brick wall!
I wanted to white wash it, and my sister suggested I try a “German Schmear” technique. I loved the idea! Lucky for me Sandra AKA “Sawdust Girl” recently did something a little different, with a TON of character, so if you like my wall, you will LOVE her faux brick wall!
How to: Faux Brick Wall
Materials Used – Faux Brick Wall:
- Brick Paneling ($25 a piece)
- Wall Spackle ($6 per quart)
- White Wash
( It averaged out to be about 1 quart of spackle per 4’x 8′ panel.)
Tools Suggested – Faux Brick Wall:
- Table Saw
- Nail Gun
- Spackle Knife
- Paint Brush
So here is the thing… I freaking love this house, it has nice tall ceilings! On the flip side the 8′ brick panels didn’t really cut it. So I kind of needed to puzzle piece my wall together.
How to: Faux Brick Wall – Attaching Brick Paneling
Initially, I had TRIED to cut the bricks in a zig-zag pattern so that none of the bricks would be cut in half where the panels ended. Again, I TRIED! (Look at the picture. Proof: one such panel is laying on the ground.) It was not happening. I got mad and impatient and just slapped the entire panel up.
Here is the thing, the panels are made so that they will go together. So no, it is not perfect, but it was good enough for me. Plus, I knew I was planning on adding a few layers, and I crossed my fingers that it would cover the seams.
In order to attach the panel to the wall, I used finish nails. I would suggest securing it with liquid nails or caulk, but I change my mind with decor so much I wanted the option of taking this down. So, I just used the finish nails. ( A LOT of them.) When securing the panel to the wall, make sure you tack throughout the middle of the panel, as well as around the edges.
Even without adding my top layer of spackle and paint, I think that the seams are pretty well hidden.
How to: Faux Brick Wall – The Spackle
Now for the fun part! Try as I may I didn’t know how to show you this technique without a video. So here I am in all of my late night, all day work, glory.
I know this looks like it would take FOR-E-VER, but really it wasn’t too painful. Honest. After a few hours of DIRTY work and 3 containers of spackle later, I had a gorgeous statement wall.
Look at that texture, and would you ever guess I am taking a picture of the seam?! Yup, that is a close up of the seam!
How to: Faux Brick Wall – The Top Coat
Once the spackle had completely dried, I needed to top coat it. ( Plaster is a chalky consistency, and can rub off on clothing and little hands if it is not sealed.) You can purchase a “white wash” from most home improvement stores, or you can make your own by watering down a white paint or primer. (Which is what I did.)
I have gotten a lot of questions about the top coat, so I made a sample using different paint/water ratios. IF you want more brick exposed, I THINK that a “Acrylic Clear Poly” would work. Definitely test an area before trying, I am just giving you my BEST GUESS.
So there you have it folks, a gorgeous faux brick wall that adds a whole lot of character with zero clutter!
Take Luck,
Corey
Copyright secured by Digiprove © 2016
Love it, Awesome!!!
Love it! Looks amazing! That sister of yours sounds brilliant!!
She really is the best!!
😉
I love your wall! You did a great job! Doing a faux brick wall was our next project do your post was very timely. Thank you.
Love this SO MUCH!!! I also love the video!!!
I love it! So want to give this a try!
DO IT Christy, I was a little hesitant, but now it is may favorite part of the house!
Where did the panels come from?
I got these ones from Home Depot! I know Lowes also carries them, but they are a touch darker in color!
Do you know what type of paneling it was. I’m looking all over the Home Depot website and I can’t find the 4×8 panels… Do you remember the cost? I just bought a brick house, and I want some of that brick to be inside as well! Yours looks amazing!
It was about $25 per 4’x8′ panel. Best of luck!
Lori,
Good question, I will end up putting a small piece of quarter round trim around the edges to create a nice finished look! Thanks for reading!
I Love this!!!
We are building a brand new home which I’m super excited about, but the idea of having super sleek walls with no texture through the house really bothers me. One of the rooms is our shared “office”, and I think a wall like this would be perfect!
Did you have to convince your husband to trust you? Mine isn’t as creative with this stuff as I am and has a hard time imagining finished projects. (I once had to “re-design” a box to ship something in and he couldn’t even watch me do it as I cut and bent it down to the perfect size. I love the man, but he has to see things to believe it).
I’m thinking of a less rustic feel and more “all-over-white”. Do you think this would work with your wall design?
I like your “all over white” idea, thinking of doing that myself on outside walls.
Would you grout the spackle in & texture the bricks, before painting to give it more realism?
The panels, already have a decent amount of texture, I am sure you could add more and it would look great.
Love this! I ended up doing my fireplace surround after I watched your video and I is exactly the look I was going for. Even my kids commented on how they liked it. Thank you for sharing and the inspiration.
I currently have a faux brick wall, and it’s been painted Navy. Do you think I could spackle over the Navy or should I paint it a brick like red first? Your wall looks fab!
I actually considered painting it blue first, I think it would look amazing with that as the back drop!
So cool!! I love this as an accent wall!
Love love love this , you did an amazing job , so my question to you is , where did you buy the brick paneling ?
I bought these panels at Home Depot
Wow! I absolutely love this! I want to add brick in our master bath but don’t think this would hold up with all the moisture. It will be great in our game room! Thanks for the video!
I never comment on anything, but this was great work.
We’re did you find the brick panels? I love it!!!
Thanks Heather, you can get them at most big box home improvement stores. I got mine at Home Depot, they run about $25 a panel.
Wow, the wall is beautiful!
LOVE THIS! I’ve been wanting to try this either look in my living room or our sun porch. Dumb question, I assume hanging things (photos, clock, etc) wouldn’t damage the “schmeer” effect?
haha nope, you can always just add a little spackle to fill any nail holes! haha
I was debating whether or not to do this in our office- this made my decision final! Beautiful work! (I did the time zone clock project you posted & have gotten lots of complements, so I know you are steering me in the right direction, lol)! ????
HI, we live in an old house and have a fireplace that’s already been painted white and it has no character. How can I make it look more like this? I would rather not have to remove t he paint and then repaint it white to get this look? Any suggestions would be appreciated.
I would probably try and take a sander to parts of it and see if you cant get down to bare brick in some areas? I have never tried it, but that is what I would try!
Silly question I am sure, I can do
this to my real brick fire place and the wall around it in my house ?
I would assume so. “German Schear” is an actual technique used on real brick, I THINK in that case they use mortar… I think ?
I love this! I am getting ready to do a small wall in our house like this — but I have a question. So you did the spackle and then you said you needed a top coat… Did you use an actual sealant or did you simply do the whitewash technique you suggested? Primer watered down with paint?
I’m just trying to tell if you’re finished project is spackle, plus a whitewash on top (that acts as a top coat/sealant)? Thank you!
Don’t worry you are not alone, I am uploading an image right now as a reference! 🙂
Thanks!
Which paint/water ratio did you use on your wall? I see the sample picture but was curious what you used. Thanks.
I used the 25% paint, 75% water!