How to Finish Faux Brick

A faux brick finish is a classic way to add a look of strength and a touch of timeless elegance or rough comfort to your home. Don't be intimidated, brick never goes out of style. This faux finish works well on any wall type, and covers cosmetic imperfections nicely. Even an indoor cement floor or outside patio can be transformed into charming paving bricks. You can turn your kitchen into an Italian café or your living room into a rustic old-world abode, at minimal cost and time spent.

2 rectangle cellulose sponges (in whatever size you want your bricks to be)
Paint roller
Paint tray
Disposable plates or scrap cardboard
Foam brushes, assorted small sizes
Painter's tape
Plastic paint tarp or old sheet
Latex satin paint (this base will be your grout color)
Acrylic paints (assorted brick colors that you desire)

Instructions

- 1
  Clean the surface of the wall you plan to paint. Use the painter's tape to tape off trim, outlets, and baseboard. Lay the plastic tarp or old sheet under the painting area.
- 2
  
  Pour base paint into paint tray. Use the paint roller to apply paint evenly to entire wall. Follow dry time instructions on paint, and allow to dry completely (could require a day or so of dry time).
- 3
  Cut one of the sponges in half. This will come in handy along the edges of your wall to fill in half-bricks, which gives you more of a natural brick-layed look.
- 4
  Pour the acrylic paints that you have chosen for your brick colors onto the disposable plates or scrap cardboard. You can choose one or more colors, depending on the look you want to achieve.
- 5
  Coat the full sponge with the acrylic brick paint(s), using a foam brush to apply the paint to the sponge, don't dip sponge into puddle of paint. You may want to do a few test applications on the cardboard to make sure it is the look/color/effect you want.
- 6
  Press the first brick onto the wall, gently, starting in an upper corner. Repeat step five, and continue applying bricks across in a row, leaving a small space between each brick where the base paint will show through as the brick grout.
- 7
  Move to the row below, staggering the brick application against the first row you applied. This is where the half brick sponge can be used on the row ends. Continue to stagger each row as you add them.
- 8
  Remove painter's tape once paint has dried completely. Use a small foam brush to touch up or correct any flaws.

How to Apply Polyurethane Wood Finish

Step-by-Step Staining Acid Concrete

Faux Finishing