Facing brick in the interior: making a choice

Facing brick has gained popularity recently as an interior design element, giving houses a hint of industrial flair and rustic charm. Facing brick can give your walls personality and texture, whether you’re remodeling an existing structure or creating a brand-new one. This will make any space feel cozy and welcoming.

With so many options available, selecting the ideal facing brick for your interior can be a little overwhelming. Every variety has a distinct appearance and texture, ranging from sleek, contemporary patterns to more conventional, worn bricks. It’s crucial to take into account both the practical and aesthetic qualities, such as upkeep and durability.

This post will walk you through the various kinds of facing brick so you can choose the one that best fits your needs and style. The right facing brick can completely change your space, whether your goal is to add elegance to your kitchen, create a feature wall, or improve your living room.

Criteria Considerations
Material Type Choose between natural brick, brick veneer, or faux brick depending on budget and weight tolerance.
Color and Finish Select colors and textures that complement the room’s style and existing décor.
Installation Consider ease of installation, especially if you plan to DIY. Veneer and faux bricks are usually easier to install.
Maintenance Think about the upkeep required; natural brick may need sealing, while veneers and faux options might be less demanding.
Cost Balance quality and budget; natural brick is often more expensive but offers durability.
Room Environment Evaluate the room’s humidity and usage; some bricks might be more suited for specific conditions.

Brick for interior decoration

Facing brick comes in a variety of varieties. There are alternatives that are applied to facade finishing more frequently. We will discuss which facing brick is the best option for interior design and planning.

Glazed and relief brick

The art of glazing bricks has its roots in ancient Egyptian technology. It was utilized in several nations, many of which had unique technologies that are still in use today. Thus:

  • Some glaze the raw brick and then fire it, others apply glaze to the fired brick and subject it to secondary firing. Each technology provides the product with its own physical and mechanical properties, in accordance with which its price also increases.

  • And if the technologies have been worked out for centuries, then the decorative surface of the brick is regularly adjusted, due to the emergence of new trends in design and decoration. Standard red brick is not so popular now.
  • The main consumer demand falls on brick with a finish on its front surface. And it can be not only glazed smooth, but also relief and engobed, that is, covered with a composition of white clay, glass and quartz sand.

  • As you understand, these types of facing brick have the highest cost. It can vary depending on how many of its sides have a decorative coating: two or four.
  • Brick with a double-sided coating (spoon and butt) is used for laying load-bearing walls or their cladding. With a masonry thickness of one and a half to two bricks, on one side the decor will simply not be visible.
    Why pay more for a brick decorated on all sides?

  • If you need to build, for example, an interior partition one brick thick, then four-sided decor will make it possible to get an ennobled masonry in two rooms at once.

This is crucial if you’re building a country home or purchasing an unfinished apartment in a new building. There are no interior walls in these apartments, nor in cottages or townhouses; instead, the layout of the space is determined by the person who purchased the housing.

Erection of a partition

The partition needs to be built correctly for the design to look fantastic. In addition, if you choose to tackle it yourself, you’ll need to decide which decorative facing brick to use for interior decoration and where to begin. Thus:

  • Begin laying with the installation of rows: both intermediate and corner. They are verified using a building level and a plumb line, although professional builders use a level for this.
    The row pattern is a metal profile or a wooden strip on which notches are applied corresponding to each row of bricks.

  • When the beacons are laid out, the row patterns are verified and secured, cords are pulled between them, called moorings. They ensure the horizontality of the rows during the masonry, and serve as a guide for the position of each brick and the equal thickness of the horizontal seams.
  • It is better to choose hollow bricks for erecting a partition, as this significantly reduces the load on the supporting structures. To ensure the stability of the future partition, its rigidity is strengthened by anchoring.
    Metal anchors are placed in the seams between bricks with one end, and in the grooves punched in the load-bearing walls with the other.
  • A strip of roofing felt is laid under the first row of masonry, and the laying of bricks along the axis of the partition begins. The masonry is carried out with bandaging of seams, by shifting each subsequent row by half a brick.
    A small gap formed between the ceiling and the masonry is filled with mounting foam.

  • In principle, for the construction of a partition without subsequent plastering, you can take both clinker brick and silicate. They can simply be covered with a hydrophobic impregnation that protects the surface from absorbing moisture and odors.
  • These types of brick have a dense and smooth front side. Therefore, the masonry is often simply covered with a water repellent or painted. In this case, no surface preparation is required, except for removing mortar drips.

We have only provided a broad overview of the brick partition installation process. Make sure to watch the video if you decide to tackle this work on your own. The best training comes from a master class taught by experts.

Facing load-bearing walls with brick

One way to obtain brickwork for interior decoration is to build a brick partition out of facing brick. However, there are instances when you must face a load-bearing wall:

  • The ideal option is when the interiors of the rooms are thought out in advance, even at the stage of building a house. In this case, facing the walls with decorative brick is carried out during the construction of the walls.
    Decorating during the masonry, you can not only the facade, but, if necessary, the interior walls.

  • If you are about to decorate and renovate an old house, then you should think about the options for finishing the walls. It is necessary to make a decision based on the structural wall material.
    If the house is built of brick, you can create a beautiful interior design without additional cladding.
  • The best option is when the brickwork has not been plastered before, and the wall was, for example, covered with boards or dry plaster. Then, having removed the old coating, the wall can simply be cleaned, the brick surface can be sanded, primed and painted, as in the photo below.

  • You are unlikely to be able to clean plastered walls so as to completely free the masonry. Even if the plaster does not hold well, there will definitely be places where you will have to use a hammer drill, and it can damage the surface of individual bricks.
  • This is the very case when decorative facing bricks for interior decoration are simply necessary. Its choice is made depending on what kind of room design you would like to implement.
    You may even need several types of cladding. You can see such a finish in the picture below.

  • Here, two types of decorative bricks of a contrasting color and with different relief are used. The beauty of this interior is that the cladding is made in separate fragments and, as it were, zones the room – this is called design.
  • Even if the walls of the house are made of other structural materials: panels, blocks of cellular concrete, wood – they can also be faced with decorative brick. But it is advisable to do this only if you know for sure that the foundation of the house will withstand the additional load.

  • Of course, finishing small fragments of the walls will not create any problems. But if you want to face an entire wall or the entire room, the masonry should rest on the foundation or floor slab, which may not withstand the weight of the cladding.
  • Then ceramic tiles stylized as brick come to the rescue. In the example above, the walls of the room are faced with it. But, without knowing this, few people will guess that this is not a brick, but a tile.
  • By finishing the house with facing brick, you can also solve structural problems. One of these problems is strengthening the load-bearing walls.
    For this purpose, the most durable, and therefore the most expensive, hyper-pressed brick is used.

The only reason we didn’t bring it up today was that it’s typically utilized for exterior cladding. However, there is nothing stopping you from using this kind of brick inside as well if you need to reinforce the walls from the inside. By the way, facade tiles, which are made with the same technology as hyper-pressed brick, can also be used to simulate brickwork.

When it comes to interior design, facing brick offers a special fusion of warmth, style, and durability that can completely change any area. An industrial, modern, or rustic aesthetic can all be achieved with the right brick, which gives your walls character and texture. Making an informed decision that both satisfies your functional needs and the aesthetics of your home requires an understanding of the various types, colors, and finishes that are available.

Using facing brick in your interior design can give any area a special combination of warmth, character, and texture. Facing brick can be used in many different styles, from industrial to modern, depending on your preferred aesthetic. Its earthy, natural tones can help create a warm atmosphere, and its longevity will make your walls a talking point for many years to come.

Think about what color, size, and finish will work best with your current decor when selecting facing brick. Darker bricks provide depth and a hint of drama, while lighter hues can help a space feel larger and more airy. The choice of finish, be it reclaimed, rough, or smooth, will also be crucial in determining the overall style.

It is important to take into account practical factors like maintenance and installation techniques. Brick is generally low-maintenance, but it’s crucial to know how to install it and to select the right kind for your needs. Speaking with an expert can help guarantee that your brick walls will not only look fantastic but also endure over time.

In the end, facing brick provides an elegant and classic option for interior walls. Making the appropriate decision can help you turn your living area into a visually arresting, hospitable setting that expresses your unique preferences.

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Veronica Gerasimova

Interior designer, author of books on the design of residential premises. I will help you make your home not only functional, but also beautiful.

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