DIY Faux Brick Wall

I’m so excited for this blog post and to show you how I made two faux brick walls in my home for $30. Thank you so much for your patience in waiting for this post. Let’s just say, my computer has not been super cooperative which is why this post will have no videos. This was a long process and took me a full week of working about 6-8 hours a day. It was worth it to me for the budget friendly end result. I will also add some affiliate links and a full source list of this space at then end of the post.

 

This is the bare wall that I started with. My walls were a little textured which did not make a difference since I was going to change the whole appearance anyways. This photo here is actually a seating area below my window which I bricked on the wall part of it.

 

 

I used joint compound that I picked up from my local hardware store. It was a 4.5 gallon bucket which covered both of my large walls with a little left over. Each bucket cost $15 which made this a super budget friendly project. Sometimes when things are on the “cheaper” side it just means that there is more sweat involved. Well, this was one of those projects.

 

 

Yes, I know I have my wedding ring on and no I didn’t mean to, lol. I had my hubs come and dig it off through all of the joint compound after this photo. I would not advise wearing rings, it was just all part of my last minute, fly by the seat of my pants project. I literally smeared the joint compound onto the wall with my hand. I would work in sections, so that the joint compound would not dry too quickly. Some of my sections were quite large so that I could make sure that the bricks were alligned properly in those areas during the brick drawing process.

 

 

I then used a trowel to spread the joint compound evenly. I would say my joint compound was about 1/4-1/2″ thick on the wall. It’s ok if it’s not completely smooth because bricks are not completely smooth. The texture makes it look more realistic.

 

 

 

 

 

When I had the joint compound evened out, I used my level to draw the lines with my fingers. I would measure how long and wide I wanted them with my level and then would slide my finger across the wall to make the “grout” lines. The level helps make sure that all of the brick lines are even and level in each row. You can see here on the right side that I had that part of the wall finished and am now working on the bottom part of my “bench seat”.

 

 

After I had all of the horizontal lines finished, I started on the vertical lines. This is where more precise measuring of the bricks were needed. I wasn’t all that precise because I didn’t mind if some were a little larger or smaller than others. I thought that it would look more realistic if not every brick was exactly the same so some of them were maybe a 1/2″ different than others in some areas. Making sure that you start your rows with the bricks staggered is also important for the realistic look.

 

 

 

This is my intricate process of measuring the size of my bricks. I would just hold the measuring side of the level up and make a mark for where my line would be. Professional, huh? Well, it worked so great and I didn’t have to use tape. I have seen some that use tape for these types of faux walls and I hate taping walls. This turned me off to the idea of ever doing my own until I realized I could just use my finger. I’m sure taped lines might come our more perfect but I’m loving the results of my wall.

 

When I finished with the joint compound, it was an off white color. I let it dry overnight. When it’s completely dry it turns white. I loved the white color of the “bricks” but wanted it to look aged so I decided to do a painting technique and distress them. Since I can’t get my video portion of my computer to work, I will just share the photos of my technique. I just used paint samples that I had in my closet for the painting technique and I love the final look and how well all of the colors went together. I started off by painting all of the grout lines with Toasty Grey Behr Paint in flat finish. I used a 1″ purdy brush for painting the grout and the bricks.

 

 

When I was done painting all of the grout lines, I started brushing the colors in various places in the brick, overlapping some. I didn’t even rinse out my paint brush between colors (as you can probably tell). After brushing the colors here and there, the bricks look a little shabby but don’t worry because when you distress them they will look amazing. Here are the 5 colors that I used on the bricks. I would advise using flat finish as I noticed that the flat finish distresses the easiest.

 

Colors: 

 

1. “Toasty Grey” Behr Paint: I used this for the grout and to brush on the brick.
2. “Cliffside” Valspar Paint: I used this color more sparingly as it is a darker color
3. “Campfire Ash” Behr Paint
4. “Birchwood” Dunn Edwards Paint mixed with 2-3 Parts White paint that I had on hand to make for lighter color
5. “Vintage Frame” Valspar Paint: I used this color sparingly as it is a darker color

 

 

 

 

 

 

When I had the five colors brushed on different areas of the bricks, I used the two darker colors to add little lines throughout some of the bricks for a more aged appearance. I would use also use the lighter colors for lines in some areas.

 

 

After all of my bricks were painted, I used 60 grit and 100 grit sand paper to get the distressed look that I wanted. If I felt like I needed more paint, I would just go add a little more and distress in the areas that I needed to. This also gave the bricks more of a smooth feel. I would highly advise wearing a mask while you are sanding. There is a lot of dust. And boy were my fingers sore after all of that sanding.

 

 

 

 

I am so happy with the final result of the wall. It truly looks like real aged brick. I’ve had so many compliments and questions about the process, so I hope that this helps answer some of those questions so that you can complete you own budget friendly brick wall. I have also had people ask me how I will get rid of this wall if I don’t want it some day. I guess the best answer is, I won’t, but the next home owner is more than welcome to try. Some day I will have some curtains in here but until then, I’m enjoying all of the light beaming through. If you are wondering, it is very possible to hang things on the brick wall. The “grout” areas really have little to no joint compound on them, making them easy to add a nail into for hanging pictures or decor.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I recently painted this abstract art from a piece of plywood that I had from a package that I received in the mail and I love it! I think it adds a great artistic touch to this space.

 

I love using thrifted and vintage finds for decor. I feel like it gives originality to a space.

 

 

 

 

 

Thank you all for stopping by! I love all of your brick wall spaces that you have completed from my tutorial on Instagram and that you have shared them with me!!! It’s a passion of mine to help others complete budget friendly DIY projects. I’m so excited to see all of your spaces in the future! I would love hear all of your opinions of my faux brick wall. Have a wonderful day!

 

Source List: 

Trunk: Craigslist

White Sofa and Chairs: Ikea

Jute Rug: eSaleRugs

Colorful Rug: Boutique Rugs 

White Frame: Thrifted

Wood Frame: DIY

Artwork: DIY

Crock: Yard Sale Site

Chippy Side Table: Thrifted and painted with Old Barn Milk Paint

Side Trunks: Thrifted

Pillows: Ikea and similar sofa Here 

Antler: Thrifted

White Blanket: Home Goods but similar blanket Here

Office Space: Sourced Here 

Lamp: Thrifted but similar shade here