We just completed our dining room nook, and I am IN LOVE! It's perfectly neutral but still a textured wall treatment!
And Yes, everyone who sees it is fooled by it every time! It really looks like real brick and it is SO gorgeous that I find myself staring at it often.
It was seriously SUPER easy to do! I’m telling you, then you should REALLY try this one! All you need is just 1-2 tools to get started.
Making your own faux brick wall out of 3D faux brick panels and some joint compound doesn't take long at all. We actually finished our wall in less than a day… that’s start to finish AND making cuts for an outlet. So, are you ready to make your own accent faux brick wall?
Here’s how to do it:
Supplies to DIY a Faux Brick Accent Wall
THE FAUX BRICK WALL PANELS we used are from Lowes. They are 4′ x 8′ 3D panels that look exactly like a red brick wall. They are priced at about $35 per panel, and we used 3 panels. If you know your cuts, you can have the store cut them for you.
*Note – When you’re picking out your brick panels at the store, be sure that the ones you select have “bricks” and “grout lines” that line up evenly. It will make your DIY faux brick wall MUCH easier to install!
Liquid Nails or Brad Nailer
If you do not own a brad nailer, liquid nails is a type of adhesive that is strong as a thousand nails and will work just as well!
If you are using a Brad Nailer I suggest using a 18 gauge and use 2″ brad nails into studs. If you are not sure where the studs are, The Stud Buddy stud finder is a magnet that will detect where the nails are behind the wall. Most studs are 16" apart. If you have to go through drywall and not a stud, a QUICK TIP: is to angle each nail slightly in different directions.
Miter Saw and/or Jigsaw
You’ll need a miter saw or a Jigsaw to cut the brick wall panels to fit your wall. If your wall has any outlets or switches, you’ll also need to cut around those. The jigsaw made the smaller cuts for our outlet much easier! However if you know your cuts, ask the Home Depot or Lowes to cut it for you. They won't make intricate cuts, so keep that in mind! QUICK TIP: When cutting always flip the panel on the back side and add painters tape for a clean cut!
Joint Compound
We used USG All Purpose Dry Wall Joint Compound. It was about $7.00 for 3.5 quarts and we used almost the whole container. The joint compound on top of the bricks makes your wall look EXACTLY like real brick. This stuff dries fast but all it needs is a little water to soften again. Be sure to apply a lot of joint compound, especially where the brick panels meet to hide the edges so it blends all together. This will also give the brick texture once it dries in 24 hrs.
Plastic trowels
These were very helpful applying the joint compound over the brick panels. The more texture the better!
Painting your Brick Wall
After nailing your panels into the studs, adding joint compound, waiting 24 hours for the compound to dry you are ready for paint! We used two different colors of paint to give it more dimension. You know that little Paint card you can get at Home Depot? Just go one shade lighter and get a sample paint of that color. This will be your highlight color.
Once we painted two coats of our base color (City Loft Gray), we took a bristle brush and lightly dipped our brush into our highlight shade of paint and distressed the wall in a few areas. Its hard to tell when enough is enough when it comes to distressing, but always take a step back and observe.
Caulk
You are nearly done! All that is left to do is finish by using a caulk gun to seal in the edges where the brick panel meets the wall. I use a baby wipe or any kind of wet wipe to use my finger to glide across and smooth it down as you go! This gives it a clean finished look!