FAUX BRICK WALL

I've been looking forward to working on this project for some time now.....to see it finished is really gratifying.   This is the main wall of my work studio.  Since I'm creating an "industrial" feel, I knew I wanted one of the walls to be a brick wall.  I had looked at a lot of different options to create the look and determined the easiest one was to use the faux brick panels you can purchase at Home Depot or Lowes.  We opted for the Home Depot just a couple miles from us; we needed a total of 7 (6 and a partial) panels.  My husband managed the panels on his own.  Fortunately, most of the panels could be nailed up without any cuts.  We have two outlets and  a soffit covering the main beam on that wall, which created the need for a shorter panel and two openings for the outlets.

I chose the panels with red brick and grey grout lines.  They also have an option of red brick with black grout, but that didn't look very authentic to me.  I don't know that I've ever seen a brick wall or building with black grout?

My job was the painting.  I took the time after the panels were in place, to add some texture/color to the bricks. They were a little too "perfect".  I wanted them to have variegated color like true brick, so I added some beige, brown, and sage green.   The beige is actually the wall paint color and brown and sage green are my accent colors.

It took me some time to find the right technique.  I used a blotting technique with a paint brush (completely ruining the brush by the end of the process!) which created the look I wanted.   I placed the tip into the paint, then wiped it on a piece of paper towel to remove the excess, then dabbed the brush on the brick, very similar to the dobbing technique when stencilling.   I also went back and caulked the seam lines and painted over them to try to camouflage them a bit better....you couldn't see them from about 15 feet away, but the minute you walked closer to the wall you could see them, and it really bothered me.

Both the top and the bottom of the wall will have a wide white trim/moulding (you can actually see the top piece is in place in the picture above) as finishing.

Next up is the floor.  We're attempting something else we've never done before and that's a "painted" concrete floor.  It should be just the right look.  Throw down a couple of area rugs here and there and it should be great!   I'll share some pics of that project in the near future.