If you want to add a lot of character to your home doing a thin brick wall treatment is a great option. Brick has been used for hundreds of years in home design. Although its popularity in home trends may come and go, brick is a timeless and classic addition to any home. See how doable brick is to install in this how to do a thin brick accent wall tutorial. It will also be helpful to check out our video tutorial on installing the brick and this tutorial on grouting where you can see all the steps of this project.
How to Do a Thin Brick accent Wall
Chad was a mason by trade, which has been advantageous for me because it has made it easy for us to add brick and stone to our home. If you have been following me for a while you know that I love to add character to my home. I am not afraid to try a new DIY project and am always looking for a surface to change. So Chad has taught me how to install thin brick. A while back we did a thin brick accent wall in my front entryway/living room and fell in love with it! In fact, I loved it so much that we did it on my stair wall too! Today I will show you how to do a thin brick treatment on your interior wall.
With the right tools this project is relatively easy to do and very forgiving, even for someone who is not an expert DIYer.
Let’s get started doing a thin brick accent wall.
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Supplies for Thin Brick Treatment
- Thin brick (different than regular brick, often referred to as brick veneer)
- Tarp or paper or plastic covering of some sort
- Mastic
- Trowel (to apply mastic)
- ⅜” dowels for spacing
- Level or laser level
- Saw or grinder to cut brick pieces
- Bucket or wheelbarrow for mixing grout
- Mixing tool like a garden hoe or a variable speed drill with mixer attachment
- Mortar
- Brick towel
- Grout bag
- Tuck pointer
- Stiff brush
How to Do a Thin Brick Accent
- The first step in this thin brick accent wall is to measure the wall and buy the materials that are needed. Be sure you get a thin brick. Thin brick is also commonly referred to as brick veneer. You might also search “cultured stone” online. A regular brick will not work for this project. Thin brick is more lightweight, which allows for its application on an existing wall.
- When you are ready to begin, you will want to clear the area and lay a tarp or construction paper on the floor, this is a messy project.
- Start by taking a thin brick and applying a little bit of mastic to the backside of it. You will plop some mastic on and then smooth it around with the trowel, as if you are buttering a piece of bread. You don’t need a lot and it does not need to cover the whole back of the brick. The mastic will spread out as you attach the brick to the wall. Once you apply the mastic, stick the brick to the bottom corner of your project. So if you are doing an entire wall, place it on the bottom next to the corner to begin. Apply some pressure and slightly move the brick back and forth until you feel it grab to the wall.
- Grab your next brick and place it next to the first, with about a ⅜” space in between. Continue to follow this application method for the entire first row of the project. Use a level to help ensure the rows of bricks are straight. Due to the imperfect shapes of the brick, everything may not line up exactly. Remember that brick is different from tile in that it doesn’t have to be quite as precise.
- Once the first row is complete you will return to the corner, but you do not want to put the first brick in that row next to the corner. You want to create a traditional staggered brick pattern so you will stick the brick lined up with the middle point of the first brick. This will leave a gap in the corner which is fine we will fill that in later. Be sure when you lay the brick that you leave a ⅜” space between the rows. Grab a handful of ⅜” dowels at the store to help you keep the same spacing between the rows.
- Continue laying the entire second row.
- When the second row is complete, begin the third row right at the wall corner. Repeat this pattern throughout the whole wall.
- Once all the thin brick treatment is done, it is time to go back and fill in the small pieces that are next to the corner every other row. Use a grinder or a masonry saw to cut these pieces. You can even use a chisel if you need too. Put them in place.
How to Grout a Thin Brick Wall
Once you have laid all your brick on the wall and the mastic has had time to dry, it is time to go back and grout it. While this may be intimidating at first glance it is actually very easy to do and forgiving!
- First thing you will want to do is mix up your mortar. You can mix the mortar by hand in a bucket or wheel barrow with a mixing tool like a garden hoe. Or you can use a variable speed drill with a mixer attachment. The mortar should be like a peanut butter consistency. If it’s too runny the grout won’t stay in place. If it’s too thick the grout will dry too fast.
- Once your mortar is mixed you will fill your grout bag. When filling your grout bag, you want to be sure that you remove all the air bubbles. You do this by tapping it down (over the mortar you mixed) until a little bit comes out. This ensures all the air is out of the bag. Twist the top of the grout bag like you would a pastry bag and squeeze a little bit more mortar out. I like to cut my grout bag tip at an angle because it is easier to grout, in my opinion.
- The proper way to hold your grout bag is your left hand is the guide hand that squeezes near the tip and your right hand holds the twist closed at the top of the bag. It’s similar to decorating a cake with a frosting bag.
- If you are doing a large area, you will want to section off the wall into 5’ x5’ spaces. The mortar will dry quickly and you will need to do other steps after grouting before it dries.
- Stick the tip of the grout bag in the space between the brick and squeeze the grout out. How much grout you apply depends on personal preference. Fully fill the grout lines or overfill them a bit depending on the look you’re going for. Do the horizontal long lines first and then go back and do the small vertical lines in the same section.
- Let it dry for about 15 to 20 minutes, then tuck it out. The grout needs to be dry enough when you tuck it out so that it smooths nicely without removing the grout. But if it’s too dry, you will have a hard time smoothing it.
- To tuck it out, take your tuck pointer and push the grout into the joint and smooth it out. When you do this you want to use hardly any pressure. Just nice and gentle. Tuck pointing smooths out the grout lines and helps remove excess grout.
- Once you tuck the grout in, take your brush and brush off the excess. You will probably make mistakes when you do this. If you make mistakes, review our tips in the FAQ section as to how to fix them. But also remember brick does not require exact precision and perfection; the slight imperfections add to the character.
- Finish the entire 5’ x5’ area and repeat the process with the next section until your project is complete.
Tips Tricks and FAQS
- The great thing about working with brick is it doesn’t have to be perfect. There is so much character in brick that even your chisel pieces will look like they belong perfectly.
- If a brick starts to slip or move around after you’ve set it, try applying some pressure and wiggling it a bit to get it to grab. Sometimes there is a bit of movement. The dowels not only help with spacing, but they also act as a support. In some cases you may need to apply a bit more mastic and reattach the brick.
- Grout is your best friend and helps cover up a lot of mistakes, don’t stress that you made a mistake.
- You will make mistakes while grouting, just leave them and let them dry. It is much easier to fix them dry than wet.
What if I make a mistake when grouting?
It’s okay. Mistakes happen. Let it dry. Once dry, use the tuck pointer to gently remove it.
What if an air bubble pops in the grout?
If you get an air bubble and it pops while grouting just leave it and let it dry. If you try to wipe it off it will smear everywhere making a big mess.
What if you over grout a section?
It’s okay if you over grout a section. Just let the big clump dry. Once it dries take your tuck pointer and knock it off. It comes off perfectly and clean.
There you have it! How to do a thin brick treatment on an interior wall and how to grout thin brick! After reading this you may be overwhelmed and still have questions. I recommend watching a video of the process for the best visual to help you with your thin brick accent wall. Check out our video tutorial on the first step and this tutorial on grouting where you can see all the steps of this project. Chad has several years of experience with masonry, and he demonstrates some super helpful tips in our videos. I hope this gives you the confidence to attempt a brick project in your own home! Be sure to tag me on Instagram in your finished projects so I can see how amazing they are! #howwedoandyoucantoo
