How to Add an Interior Brick Wall

Choose one of three styles of thin brick for interior installation: individual brick slices installed with mortar on metal lath, individual bricks cemented to a solid wall with mastic -- or panels of individual bricks fabricated in sheets on a cement fiber backerboard. Use one of these methods on wood-sheathing or drywall; install thin bricks with mortar directly on a concrete or concrete block wall.

Measure the wall with a tape measure and select a pattern for installing bricks to determine the quantity needed. Thin bricks come with 2-inch or 4-inch faces, generally in 8-inch lengths, but check the specific dimensions of bricks you choose. Panels generally are 4-by-8 feet, but may be trimmed. Trim all thin brick with a power saw with a masonry blade.

Install thin brick panels by setting them in place, starting at one end of the wall. Level panels horizontally and vertically with a level, and fasten them with screws at least 1 3/4-inches long, driven with a screwgun through joints in the bricks into wall studs. Put caulk at joints where bricks do not touch bricks. Fill mortar joints with grout, using a cloth grout bag with a metal tip, once all panels are secured. Smooth the joints with a brick finishing tool which pushes grout into a concave shape.

Lay individual thin bricks with mastic starting at the lower left corner of the wall. Snap level chalk lines the length of the wall to serve as guidelines. Use a mason's trowel to put mastic recommended by the manufacturer 1/2-inch thick on the back of the brick in three spots, each 3/4-inch around. Press each brick firmly into place and wiggle it to spread the mastic. Work across and up the wall. Use special end and corner bricks and cut others to fit with a masonry saw as needed. Fill joints with grout once the mastic has set, and shape it with a finishing tool.

Prepare the wall for a traditional mortar installation by covering it with a waterproof membrane, fastened with a construction stapler. Add a layer of metal lath fastened with shingle nails and a hammer. Spread a thin coat of mortar over the lath with the flat edge of a rectangular trowel, and scratch it horizontally with the notched edge of the trowel. Let that scratch coat dry.

Install individual thin bricks by coating the back side with mortar, using a pointed mason's trowel, and pressing each brick into place so the mortar connects with the scratch coat. Use chalk lines as level guides. Start at the bottom of one corner and work across and up the wall. Cut bricks as needed with a masonry saw. Fill mortar joints with grout after the wall has set, and shape joints with a finishing tool.

Lay thin bricks on a concrete or concrete block wall with either mortar or mastic. Put mortar or mastic on the backs of the bricks and set them in place against the concrete. Use level chalk lines as guides, and work across and up the wall. Dampen the concrete first if using regular mortar. Fill joints with grout once mortar or mastic is set, and finish with a finishing tool.