There is a certain rustic quality to bricks, and unless you live in a big city apartment building or loft, the chances of you having actually bricks in your wall are slim. This is where faux painting will come in handy. It will give you the desired look in mind without having to dig deep into funds or access certain materials that are necessary for many of these types of jobs.
There are two ways of creating the faux brick look; the first below with joint compound that will give you a slight 3 D effect and the second using a ‘stamping’ method with sponge.
Method 1: Joint Compound
Tools and Materials:
- 1/2-inch tape
- Joint compound
- Trowel
- Sponge
- Stipple brush
- Tinted glaze (red, brown, gray)
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- Prepare the walls for painting and let primer dry.
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- Tape off 4-inch by 8-inch staggered squares.
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- With a trowel, apply joint compound and cover all areas. Before joint compound dries, use a sponge and stipple brush to create different brick-like textures throughout. Do this randomly for a more ‘natural’ and bricklike look.
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- Once the joint compound dries, use a mix of red and brown glaze to create the brick color. Mix up your colours so that the colours are not uniform throughout, while staying in the same colour family but with some variation.
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- Remove tape and use the gray glaze to paint the “grout” lines in between the “bricks.”
Method 2: Sponge Work
Tools and Materials:
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- 2 Rectangular Brick-Shaped Sponges
- Base Coat Color Paint (This will be the color of your grout)
- Foam Brushes
- Acrylic Paints (Reds, Blacks, Whites, Browns)
- Disposable Plates
- Paint Brush and Roller
- Paint Tray
Prep your wall as per usual.
- Apply base colour on the wall. Allow the base coat to completely dry before moving on.
- If your wall is dark and you’re painting a lighter colour base coat, primer it first before applying the base coat.
- Cut one of the brick-shaped sponges in half so that it is half the length of the other sponge. Brick walls are staggered with a full brick and then a half a brick every so often. This will lend a realistic effect to your brick wall.
- Dampen the sponge with water and squeeze out the excess. Pour the primary acrylic color for the bricks on a disposable plate. Use the foam brush to apply the acrylic paint to the damp sponge. Do not over-saturate the sponge with paint. Dab some of the secondary colors onto the sponge for the right effect then press the sponge onto the wall and remove. Leave a gap of about a ½ inch of base color showing between the bricks. Every so often, use the half brick for realism.
- Apply fresh paint for each brick. Don’t over-use the sponge to the point the bricks begin fading.
- When the wall is complete, allow it to completely dry. Add in little effects like a cracked brick or worn edges if you wish.
How To Create Strié Faux Finish?
Faux Finish: Strié
Strié is derived from the French word meaning striate or stripe. The strié look is achieved by dragging a dry brush through a glaze mixture that was applied over a base color.
Tools and Materials:
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- Paint for the base coat
- Paint roller
- Sandpaper and drywall compound
- Putty knife
- Drop cloths
- Painter\’s tape
- Paint for the glaze coat (usually darker than the base coat)
- Glaze
- Mixing container
- Paint brush/wallpaper brush
Prep your walls and room as per usual.
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- Apply base coat to the newly prepared walls with a paint roller.
- Allow to dry. Combine surface colour and the glazing mixture in a three to four ratio, (that is 3 parts paint to 4 parts glaze) and mix well. Apply the glaze mixture with a small paint roller in a vertical strip about 6 inches wide, working up and down and not across the walls.
- Before the glaze has dried, drag a dry paint brush or wallpaper brush vertically through it. Use long smooth strokes applying easy pressure and again work from top to bottom.
- Let the glaze dry.
