DIY White Faux Brick Wall
We’re converting an area in our Plymouth store to a warehouse loft space and decided that, since both white walls and brick walls are trending, it might be fun to replace our turquoise wall with a combination of both!
In addition to knowing a lot about design trends, the oh-so-talented Chad is also experienced at decorative painting and faux finishes, and he did an awesome job of bringing the brick wall vision to life.
If this is a look you’d like to try, we’ve got the DIY breakdown for you:
Creating your faux brick wall:
1. Choose and purchase brick paneling. We purchased ours here.
2. Lay all of the paneling out and make sure the sheets are going the same way so that the bricks line up when installed.
3. Measure for any outlets or windows and mark all of the areas on the back of the paneling.
4. Drill pilot holes and then cut all of the openings out with a jigsaw.
5. Spread liquid nails on the back of the paneling and attach to the wall. Secure with an air nailer.
6. Once you have all of the paneling in place, it’s time to add the brick texture.
We used a pre-mixed all purpose joint compound and added Elmer’s Glue for extra adhesion. The glue is an important step because there’s no binder in the joint compound so, without the glue, it will chip off easier.
Chad didn’t have a specific glue to compound ratio, but said just don’t go too thin or it will fall off the wall. (If it does end up too thin, add more joint compound or let the mixture sit until it thickens up.)
7. Using a 6″ trowel, apply the mixture to each brick at a steep angle (approximately 10 degrees) using a dragging method. If you don’t use the steep angle, it won’t have the right texture and will just end up looking like frosting rather than brick texture.
Apply the mixture on the bricks only – not the grout lines. Make sure you have very good coverage on the bricks that are by the seams, though, to make those less noticeable on the white faux brick wall.
8. Let dry for 24 hours and then go back and touch up with a second coat.
After drying another 24 hours, paint the newly textured paneling with white paint (we used Hirshfields 0023 Shell Tint in a flat finish), using a regular 1/2″ nap roller.
This white faux brick wall was a fairly simple, and inexpensive, way to incorporate current wall trends and add amazing texture to a space.
More inspiration!
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Adding the mortar is absolutely genius! The problem with alot of faux brick panel is they are not as dimensional as I like, where the brick sort of ‘pops out’ like they do in real brick. I LOVE how the mortar truly makes it look real. Great job!!!
Thank you Jana! We’re glad you like the idea. If you recreate it in your space, we’d love to hear about it!
This is exactly what I am looking for! Great post. Question, if you didn’t want it to be a permanent fixture on the wall (by that I mean if I change my mind in three years and want to take it down without destroying the drywall) do you think you could go with out the glue and just use nails into studs?
Hi Becki! Thank you for commenting! It is hardboard, so it seems like nailing it could be an option. We purchased ours at Lowe’s (link in blog post), so you could double check with them or wherever you decided to purchase yours to be sure. Would love to see it when you get it done!
I LOVE the cover on that chair!
It adds a great pop of color in the space, doesn’t it? Thanks for commenting Dana!
This is a great look! It’s all about white and this is a great way to incorporate it into a design plan.