Brick faux painting techniques can give you the look of rich brick on your walls without the expense and hassle of using real bricks. If you have do-it-yourself phobia, never fear. Brick faux painting techniques are easier than you think. You can get the job done in a few steps.
Brick Faux Painting Techniques - Before You Begin
Before you kick off the painting job, there are a few things you should keep in mind about brick faux painting:
- Real bricks are not perfect. That is to say, no two bricks are the same, and they all have imperfections. Your faux painting job will be more realistic if your "bricks" are not entirely uniform - which is great news if you are worried about a steady hand!
- Using two colors with similar tones can help you create a more lifelike look.
- Your walls should be prepped before you begin painting. This means removing any wallpaper, sanding any rough spots and filling in any holes. This will allow your paint to go on smoothly.
Brick Painting Techniques - What You Need
Here is what you will need for your project:
- Base coat color - Use a latex satin paint as the base color to mimic the mortar lines between bricks - so think of gray, cream, tan and similar colors.
- Glaze - This glaze is the color wash you will use to actually make your "bricks." Remember that two similarly toned colors will make your faux bricks look more realistic.
- Assorted paint brushes
- Assorted paint rollers
- Paint tray
- Painter's tape
- Drop cloth to protect floors and furniture
Brick Faux Painting Techniques - Start Painting
Start out by applying your base coat. Tape the corners and around the ceiling and base of the wall, and then use a paint brush to fill in the corners and area along the baseboards. Then use a roller to fill in the rest of the wall. Two coats of paint may be necessary - be sure to allow the first coat to dry before applying the second coat and allow the final coat to dry completely before moving on to the next step. It is ideal to wait 24 hours before moving on after the final coat.
The next step is to start painting your bricks. For this step, you will need your sponges. Add the color glazes to paint trays and then randomly dip your sponges into different colors of glaze and start sponging "bricks" onto your wall. The trick is for the bricks to be random in size and color. They don't even have to be precisely straight. There should be color variation from brick to brick to mimic the variations seen in real bricks. Fill in as much of the space you are painting with whole "bricks" as possible. After that process, you can fill in any large gaps and rooms around corners with "half" bricks. Allow to dry, remove the tape, and you're done!
Tips for Success
These few tips will have your faux brick wall looking amazing:
- Relax! You are making these "bricks" freehand so they look realistic, so don't worry about creating a uniform look. The flaws and the differences between your bricks will give your wall life. Pay special attention to making sure you don't end up sponging your bricks on in rows. They should not line up perfectly, just like the bricks in real brick walls are staggered because of differences in sizes.
- Use a light touch with your sponge. The holes and bumps in your sponge will help create the bumps and imperfections seen on the surface of real bricks, so press the sponge lightly on the wall to preserve these features. Pressing too hard will cause the paint to spread out more and lessen the look of the texture.
- Don't put too much paint on the sponge. Excess paint may drip down the wall and leave streaks.
