DIY Brick Mortar Wash

2 Materials
$15
1 Hour
Easy
There are many of us who prefer new and shiny things when it comes to our homes and home decor. On the flip side, there are those of us who prefer the weathered and worn. The antique and vintage. The "aged IS beauty" look.

I'm one of the latter.


So when we decided to build a fireplace wall in our master bedroom using these new brick tiles (awesome product, btw), I was a little hesitant of the "newness" factor.



Here's the fireplace wall being framed out and installed. The installation took us a full day.



These tile bricks are real brick, but thinner (and lighter). We installed them with regular sanded thinset, as you would use for a tile install. The grout process was a little more labor-intensive than a typical tile installation though, as we used a grout bag instead of a trowel.


When the brick went up, I really liked the look...even though it wasn't so aged and beautiful. In fact, I ALMOST didn't move forward with the next stage. And for those of you who love this look, just stop reading this post right here. No use getting anyone upset.



BUT, for all those who love torn and tattered, vintage, antiqued, aged and beautiful things, come with me to the home improvement store. We need to buy a few items so we can give that brick a more "mature" look. Actually, it's really only ONE item. White mortar.



Application of the mortar onto the brick is a hard to explain in words. I did a quick, one-minute video tutorial on the blog that shows you the process.


After seeing some other tutorials on this project, I honestly thought I was in for a LONG project, but I was THRILLED when the entire thing only took about ONE HOUR, start to finish.



And after that hour invested, here's how it turned out! I'm glad we tried this project because I'm loving the aged and brighter look that it gave our fireplace. And if you decide you want to try this project, the step by step tutorial is on our blog.
Resources for this project:
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Heathered Nest
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  • Katherine Katherine on Feb 10, 2018

    Thank you for inspiration and so very NOT complicated!!! How many orders of bricks did you use for this project? I was trying to get an idea of cost for myself. Thanks

  • Kim Kim on Feb 22, 2018

    I have a red brick fireplace with the red tile hearth, will this technique work not the tiles like it does the brick? It’s gorgeous!

  • Diana Diana on Apr 13, 2023

    I have dark wood beans on my ceiling in living room and above my fireplace. Would my fireplace look good if I whitewash it or German Schmear? Not sure I spelled that correctly. Would love opinions. Thank you

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