Create a feature or focal wall by making a faux brick wall using brick paneling and some paint to create a unique look. This tutorial shows you my step by step process of adding brick paneling and painting the brick wall.
I love textures and focal walls and accents in a home. I think it adds so much character to your standard builder-grade home.
We have lived in our house just at 10 years and over the last three to five years we have slowly changed our style or upgraded certain things around our house.
We have added shiplap, removed walls, added walls, painted, and have painted some more. We made it ours and finally put our start on it.
When we closed in our dining room to convert it to my home office and craft room we added shiplap on the new wall.
On the opposite wall, we had this crazy arch that was inset by about four inches. It was a feature the builder had designed throughout the whole house.
I have never really been a fan of the arches. However, when the house was built they were considered back then to be an upgrade or a feature.
I just never liked them because you are forced to hang things on place furniture that fit only within the arch.
Most frames and furniture will fit until it doesn’t.
How To Add Faux Brick
So after 10 years of looking at the arch all dark in color and just odd, I decided it was time to fix it and lighten it up a bit. Bring some brightness to the room.
I made of vide of our entire process which you can check out below.
Making The Brick Wall
We purchased the faux brick paneling from Lowes. You can also find it at Home Depot. Then we simply measured where we needed to cut the corners of panels to line up with the arch.
To do this we made a template and then added the panels all the way the cross. Then using the same paper template method made a pattern for each piece until we fille the entire arch.
The arch itself stayed. We did not remove it or cover it or change the shape. However, I feel by adding the brick paneling we made it so much better. It actually looks like drywall was placed over a real brick wall. The arch just reveals the brick.
Painting the Brick Wall
Once the brick panels were all in place we went back and covered the seams with drywall mud. I did an okay job at this. For the most you can’t see the seams, however, I am no contractor and upon close inspection, you can them in a few spots.
Luckily, I had some books shelves I was putting on the wall so this sort of hid or conceals the seams.
Once the mud was dry I began painting the brick.
I didn’t want the natural brick color. It looked good, but I didn’t want the pizza parlor look.
I painted one coat of white paint and then went back with two shades of gray and randomly painted bricks gray and a dark beige.
I then went back while those brick were still half dry and half wet and painted the second coat of white to get that subtle color or gray peeking through the white.
I absolutely loved this look!
It also was very easy to do. Over it took a weekend from start finished, and by Monday I was rearranging my office furniture back into place.
Now, my office space is more bright and I love spending time here without the frown of seeing a funny arched wall.
Instead, I have the beautiful brick that complements the room.
What do you think? Would you do this in your home??
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