Our faux brick wall/backsplash using joint compound.
The supplies you’ll need are as follows:
- Joint compound
- 1/2 inch blue painters tape
- Spackle knife
- Level
- pencil or pen
- template for brick size
- and Ibuprofen!!!
(The backsplash in my kitchen is the first place I did this process on and I didn’t realize what predicaments I would have to get into when drawing lines and taping, hence the ibuprofen!)
Supplies and tools required!
Step 1: As this DIY faux brick wall technique is being done on the backsplash in our kitchen, the first thing we did was remove the 4-inch granite backsplash. I wanted my brick to start right at the countertop. Once the granite backsplash was removed I cleaned the wall to make sure it was free of dirt and grime!
Removing the granite backsplash was a bear! But we won! I knew that I wanted my bricks to match the bricks on my open shelving wall, which are actually brick panels, so I made sure to use those same measurements. This is why I call out 1/2 inch blue painter’s tape. Some folks have used regular masking tape but that is too wide for the size grout lines that I needed. I was only able to find the 1/2 inch tape on Amazon so I got a 6 pack of it. 🙂 My level is the exact width that I wanted the bricks to be which worked out in my favor because I could just use my level to make all my marks.
Step 2: This step is important! Draw the lines on the wall that you will put the tape on, these lines will become your grout lines. Draw your line using a level so that you know your line is straight. THEN place your blue tape ABOVE (but touching, that line).
Placing the tape along the pencil line! You cannot draw all the lines at once, or your bricks will end up being smaller than you planned. (Unless of course your level is much wider than mine.) With that first strip of blue tape on the wall, you now lay your level at the top edge of that tape, draw your line at the top edge of your level, and repeat the taping process. Then you just repeat this process all the way up as far as you want your brick to go. Be sure to allow the tape to extend past where the brick will end so that you have something to grab when it’s time to remove the tape.
Dee is a sweetheart and always willing to help out with my projects!
Step 3: Now that you have all of your horizontal lines finished, it’s time for the vertical lines! This process is similar in that you do one line, then tape it, and then measure for the next one. For a template, I used a scrap piece of 2×4 that we cut to the exact length we wanted our bricks to be. These short vertical strips I just tore and made sure that they laid on top of the horizontal tape above and below it!
No, I’m not resting, I’m trying to tape without having to bend over. 🙂
Step 4: Now for the really fun part! The joint compound. You guys this is really super easy. If you can frost a cake, you can do this! The only difference is, you’re frosting a wall! I wanted my bricks to be thick enough to look like bricks…so I was generous with the joint compound and therefore did not have to worry about it drying before it was time to remove the tape. You’ve got time so don’t sweat it. I tried to keep my joint compound about 1/4 inch thick. Using your spackle knife (mine is a 4 inch and it was a good size for me) just glob some on the wall and start smearing it around. Remember that bricks are not actually smooth, they have texture and divets and lots of character, so don’t feel like you have to make it perfectly smooth, it’s actually the opposite! Depending on the size of your wall, you can just do the entire wall before you need to remove the tape. But if you’re doing more than one wall, I suggest doing the joint compound on one wall at a time!
Frosting the wall with joint compound, covering all the blue tape!
Step 5: I know I said step 4 was fun, and it is! But in my opinion, this part is even FUNNER!!!! Time to take off the tape! Prepare to get messy, because you can’t do this step without getting your hands very messy. The beauty of it is that joint compound washes away so easily with just water! For this step, you should have a good size bucket or trash can that you can throw all the tape in. Put a plastic bag in it for easy clean up. You might also keep some paper towels handy to wipe off your hands when it starts to get thick. See how fun this sounds? Sure wish I had a picture of this part of the process but my hands were messy! 🙂 I typically start at the top, but I don’t think it really matters. However, you do need to start at the end or corner of your wall where you can see the blue tape. Then just start peeling it off! Don’t worry if small sections come off and then slap against the wall…it just adds character. 🙂 A lot of your vertical pieces will come off with the horizontal strips but some may not so you’ll need to double-check when you’re all done removing the tape to make sure you’ve got all the strips.
Tape removed from wall on the right…now working on the next!
Close up to show overlapping tape. Use those grout lines to make sure your lines all match up! Once all the tape is off, you can start cleaning up because you’ve got at least 24 hours (depending on your climate) before you can do anything else to that wall. Make sure the kids and dogs don’t touch it and allow it to get good and dry.
Now we wait for it to dry and harden! Well folks that’s it for this part of the process. In my next post I’ll show you the 3 different methods I’ve used for painting and finishing my faux brick walls using joint compound. I hope you try this project somewhere and if you do, be sure to let me know. Head over to Instagram @somethingpaintedwhite and tag me there so I can share your faux brick wall in my stories!
Happy DIY’ing!
~Cindy~