Easy DIY Faux Brick Wall

6 Materials
$100
3 Hours
Easy

Brick...it's classy, modern and traditional. It warms up a space and brings a rustic feeling to the room. If you are wanting an accent wall or to add some character to your room then consider adding brick. I have brick stenciled a wall in my kitchen nook and in this post, I will show you how to install brick paneling that we did as part of our home gym makeover.


Here is a way before pic of our home gym.

To prepare for the project start by measuring your wall.


Determine how many panels you need then use a saw to trim your panels to size. I used a table saw to cut the brick panels to size and a jigsaw to make cutouts for outlets, windows, etc. 


If you can, I recommend laying your panels on the floor to get an idea of where your cuts will be and to get an idea of how it will be laid out on your wall. 

Find your wall studs. Once the brick wall is up you won't be able to see your stud markings. A workaround is to mark the floor with tape to show where the wall studs are for nailing. I only used nails to attach the paneling. I didn't use any glue as this can ruin the drywall.

When adding your first panel make sure it is level. Use shims to help with leveling. Keep in mind that floors, ceilings and walls are not perfect angles and not level. So you probably will have gaps in places. Caulk and trim can help hide these imperfections.


Once it's level, nail the first panel in place. Grab a buddy! It's helpful to have another person to assist with holding up the panels. 

You will repeat the same process for each panel you need to install. If you need to make a cut out for a window or an outlet then measure and mark for your cuts. Drill a hole in the middle of your cut out if needed, to insert the jigsaw blade then cut out the rest.

Apply some wood filler to your edges where the two panels meet. I was planning on adding a whitewash so it didn't matter what color my wood filler was. The wood filler did a good job of filling in the slight gap. 


One final touch I added to the brick is an easy whitewash. I also made that large rustic sign to give the room some personality.

 

I love the transformation. So much easier than using real brick.


Thanks for checking out this post. If you like this post check out this easy and cheap way to get a Restoration Hardware Look.


Come say hi to me at Dream Design DIY!


I believe you can create a beautiful, practical home no matter your budget, time or talent.


Happy building,


Tiffany

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Tiffany from Dream Design DIY
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3 of 4 questions
  • Joannawg Joannawg on Jun 20, 2020

    Wow! Your room looks so nice now!


    I have on question on this, (with a bit of explanation behind it).


    Did you go over the paneling or did you take that down first.


    My kitchen, dining room and nook are all in the same oak-y paneling. We want to update it all, but we hate the look of painted over paneling. I am a little afraid to just pull it down because who knows what the wall will look like under it.


    Which is a whole new can of worms that I can’t tackle!


    Thank you!

  • Cj57 Cj57 on Jul 08, 2020

    Just a quick one, where did you guys get the nicks gym sign (or did you make it)? if you guys made it, could you do a DIY project spot on it? thx.

  • Karen Finn Karen Finn on Jul 17, 2020

    the brick is wallpaper? how did you white wash it?

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  • LT LT on Jun 19, 2022

    Super job and so clean and fresh. Sometimes people are overwhelmed with old paneling and have no idea what to do. Thank you for sharing your idea.

  • Eva Eva on Jun 28, 2022

    Congratulations 👏

    This is a nice & well-done project 🔨 🔫 🔩 ✏️📏

    What a difference 😮 I really like it ❤️

    Thank you for sharing your beautiful work 👍️

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