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5 DIY Faux Brick Wall Plans You Can Make Today (With Pictures)

brick wall

Faux brick is a neat invention. It can give a room a significant makeover at minimal cost as it’s super affordable. Usually, the materials that go with a faux brick wall project, like drywall compound or MDF, cost more than brick panels.

The best part about these projects is that they are all easy. Even if you’re inexperienced, a DIY thin brick wall doesn’t require a lot of precision. If you have even a minor eye for artistic design, you’ll have no problem bringing a room to life with a faux brick wall.

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The 5 DIY Faux Brick Wall Plans:

1. This DIY Life – Realistic Faux Brick Wall

DIY Faux Brick Wall with Plaster
Image Credit: Frugal Family Times
  • Materials: Faux brick panels, ¼” MDF, adhesive, screws, drywall tape, skim coat cement, drywall compound
  • Tools: Drill, drywalling knives, sponge,
  • Difficulty: Easy

This realistic faux brick wall has a unique and creative look to it. The finished result almost looks like you started demolition and realized there was a brick wall underneath, then stopped the demo. This wall would be an incredible addition to a basement bar to give it that old-timey feel.

What brings this faux brick wall to life is the addition of mortar to the bricks. Using the skim coat cement, the plan shows you how to give the fake mortar the texture of real mortar. This is a step that many other faux brick walls lack.


2. A House We Built – Faux Brick Wall with a German Schmear

DIY Faux Brick Wall
Image Credit: A House We Built
  • Materials: Faux brick panels, adhesive, joint compound,
  • Tools: Jigsaw, square, nailer, level, hawk, drywall knives, ladder
  • Difficulty: Easy

The plans for this faux brick wall have an interesting take on creating a realistic effect. By cutting out half of every other brick, it allows the panels to interlock, creating a seamless look. Even if your cuts aren’t precise, some joint compound or caulking will hide the seam.

Putting the panels up is easy, but the German Schmear is easier. Essentially, you load up your drywall knife and “schmear” the compound on the wall. This gives it that iconic white, rough texture.


3. Sammy on State – Faux Brick Wall

DIY Faux Brick Wall
Image Credit: Sammy on State
  • Materials: Faux brick panels, nails, white spackling, polycrylic protective finish
  • Tools: Circular saw, hammer, knife, stud finder, putty knife
  • Difficulty: Easy

This faux brick wall gives you the option of another German Schmear-styled wall. The cool thing about a German Schmear is that there is no actual wrong or right way for it to look. There are some general guidelines for the style, but no two finished products look the same.

With these plans, you have the added benefit of getting walked through installing a faux brick wall around electrical fixtures and outlets. So, if you’re doing a wall like this, these plans are ideal.


4. My Vintage Porch – Faux Brick Wall

DIY faux brick wall
Image Credit: My Vintage Porch
  • Materials: Drywall compound, paint
  • Tools: Drywall knife, trowel, level, paintbrush
  • Difficulty: Moderate

Don’t have access to faux brick panels? That’s fine; this faux brick wall is DIY thin brick wall without the bricks. The only reason this one is labeled as moderate is because it requires a steady hand. Because you’re not using panels, the brick look comes from being able to draw the brick shapes into the mud.

If you’re a regular DIYer, you will likely have everything you need for this project already lying around the house. So, it shouldn’t cost you anything but your time. Also, everything from the “brick” size and color is only limited by your creativity, so go wild.


5. Blesser House – Whitewashed Faux Brick Backsplash

DIY Whitewashed Faux Brick Backsplash
Image Credit: Bless’er House
  • Materials: Degreaser, tack cloth, liquid nails, faux brick panels, paint, caulk, tape
  • Tools: Circular saw, jigsaw, measuring tape, paintbrush, sandpaper
  • Difficulty: Easy

This whitewashed faux brick backsplash will bring a new wave of life into your kitchen. The best part about an upgrade like this is that you can do it for a fraction of the cost versus an actual brick or tile backsplash.

Keep in mind that there is usually a lot of grease and grime in a kitchen area. So, pay careful attention to the cleaning that this plan advises you to do.

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What Material is Used for Faux Bricks?

The most common material used to make faux bricks is high-density polyurethane. However, some are made of less durable foam. How long your faux brick wall lasts rests partly on the quality of bricks you start with.

Also, faux bricks come in two primary forms. You can purchase them as panels that you cut to size or buy individual faux bricks that you put up in a traditional way. The panels are the more efficient way to go. However, the individual bricks benefit from easier customization into a space.

Is a DIY Thin Brick Wall Expensive?

There are a lot of styles of faux brick panels available. If you’re shopping at a building center such as Home Depot or Lowes, you’ll be able to purchase most panels for under $100.

However, suppose you decide you’d rather hire someone to do more faux brick on your house. In that case, the price goes up significantly because a contractor will charge anywhere from $4–$10 per square foot, on average. This may not seem like a large number, but it adds up quickly.

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Conclusion on DIY Faux Brick Plans

As we see by the simplicity of these projects, a DIY thin brick wall project is a great one to start your DIY journey with. While they are simple materials to use, their beauty is that you can get as crazy or complex as you want. Take the first plan on this list, for example. It’s a wild-looking wall compared to the clean, whitewashed backsplash we looked at last.

Faux brick wall projects are one of those things that are limited only by how much creativity you want to sink into them. We hope these plans have inspired you to breathe new life into a room in your home.


Featured Image Credit: Alexander Denisenko, Shutterstock

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