The article will describe in as much detail as possible how to lay decorative bricks on the wall with your own hands. For many years, decorative brick or stone can be found in the interiors of country houses and apartments. This material is sold in any building stores, a wide selection of colors, sizes, due to this, you can make a unique decoration of the walls in the rooms. The advantage of the material is that it can be attached to walls made of absolutely any material. And it will look like the wall is lined with natural expensive bricks. The composition of decorative bricks includes expanded clay, sand, perlite.
The main features of the brick
Before laying decorative brick tiles, you need to carefully study its varieties and features. This will allow you to choosethe most suitable type of material. Let's look at what materials artificial bricks are made of:
- Clinker is a very durable material, its surface is resistant to wear. On sale you can find bricks made of this material in various colors. This brick is used for both internal and external cladding.
- Gypsum is a rather fragile material, but it has one significant advantage. This, of course, is weight - the product can even be glued to walls made of drywall, plywood, and other fragile materials. Initially, all blanks are white. They are painted at the last stage of production. By the way, on sale you can find artificial bricks without coloring. You can do it yourself.
- Polyurethane is a fairly popular material, has a low weight, is used for wall decoration in houses and apartments. Most of the bricks made of this material are white, but you can also find them painted.
- Styrofoam - even it is used to make bricks. It is used exclusively for interior decoration. The disadvantage of the material is that it is very fragile. But it is lightweight and can be mounted on walls made of any material.
Which material is best to use
If you decide to clad a wall inside the house, it is best to choose gypsum bricks. They are cheaper than clinker and porcelain stoneware, inferior to them only in terms of strength. But they are stronger than any polymers. You can even make gypsum tiles yourself - just mix PVA glue, gypsum and water, after whichpour the mass into a special form.
After drying, you can begin to mount the tiles on the wall. It is also worth noting that laying decorative gypsum bricks will not cause difficulties. It is enough to follow the simple rules, which we will discuss below.
How to count material
Before starting work, you need to carefully calculate the amount of material. To do this, you will need to measure the height and length of all the walls on which you plan to install decorative bricks. Multiply the length with the height to get the surface area. If there are several walls, then you need to add up all the areas. If there are window and door openings, it is necessary to subtract their area - this will significantly reduce costs due to the fact that all calculations will be carried out as accurately as possible. After you get the final area value, you need to add 10% in reserve. You also need to take into account that the material can be both flat and angular (this is placed in the corners).
Tools
In order to lay decorative gypsum bricks, you will need to stock up on the following set of tools:
- Roulette.
- With a ruler.
- Level.
- Pencil.
- Glue.
- Spatula.
You may also need a decorative brick saw. Glue can be different, it all depends on whether you are finishing inside or outside. Adhesives are either liquid ordry, pasty. It is also recommended to purchase crosses to make the same stitch everywhere.
Choosing glue
And now let's talk about how the decorative tiles are laid under the brick. More specifically, about the types of adhesives:
- Cement based tile adhesive. It is used when laying tiles. Can also be used to glue any type of cladding.
- Gypsum plaster - ideal for indoor work. The mixture has a white color, it is not visible under the artificial brick.
- Silicone sealant is an effective, if unusual, installation method. The advantage of the composition is that it turns out to stack the bricks as tightly as possible to the wall.
If you are looking for an adhesive for outdoor use, you need to choose a frost-resistant one. Otherwise, the mixture will begin to crumble and fall off along with the decorative brick. A prerequisite is to use only the prepared composition.
Brick laying options
It is not very difficult to make wall cladding with decorative bricks, the material is made in the form of a panel. Therefore, laying on the walls can be done as you like. Only the type of brick depends on what technology you need to choose. Please note that the spoon is the longest face of the brick, and the butt is the end part.
Laying spoon type - this is one row of tychkovy and 4 spoon. If ause the poke method, then all masonry will be made from the corresponding parts. The type of masonry is also different, but the most common ones can be distinguished:
- Brandenburg - made from two long and one short rows. The brick is glued in such a way that the bond side is two rows apart. Be sure to offset each row by about ½ brick.
- Gothic masonry is done using short and long rows of bricks alternately. Be sure to make an offset between rows of ½ bricks.
- Cross masonry is the most difficult, bricks are laid on the wall with different sides alternately. Similarly, as in the previous two cases, you need to make an offset of ½ bricks each row.
These are only the most common masonry options, in fact there are many more. There are both simple and more complex options. It is recommended that you familiarize yourself with the maximum number of masonry types in order to select the most suitable option.
Brick laying procedure
If you are faced with the installation of decorative or tile, then sticking a brick on the wall is not difficult. These procedures are generally very similar, they have no significant differences. First you need to draw one line on the wall on which the installation is carried out, it will be a guide. Be sure to draw this line using a level. All work must be done, focusing precisely on this line. Otherwise, it will visually seem that the masonry is uneven - the fact is thatthe bricks will float away.
Start laying decorative bricks on the wall with your own hands from the lowest point. It is recommended that you first lay the entire tile on the floor in order to assemble the scheme of all elements as accurately as possible. First, lay all even pieces, only at the end you can use pruning. Apply glue as thinly as possible. And you need to apply it to the wall and decorative bricks. It is most convenient to apply glue with a spatula with teeth, but it is much better to remove excess with a rubber one. All excess must be removed immediately. The problem is that after drying, it will be quite difficult to do this.
Basic mounting rules
The price of laying decorative bricks (when hiring specialists) is from 400 to 1000 rubles per square meter. Moreover, 400 rubles is the cost of rough laying, and 1000 rubles. – finishing.
But you can do without the help of specialists. By doing so, you can save a lot of money. It is enough to follow simple rules when performing installation:
- Insert crosses between the tiles to make the same seam on the entire wall. If it is not possible to purchase crosses (which is unlikely), you can use simple nails.
- All seams must be overwritten upon completion of work. For this purpose, you need to use gypsum or special grout. All work is done with a rubber spatula.
- In order to maintain the coating, it is necessary to apply a layer of woodvarnish. In this case, the material will not darken. This is usually done in hallways and corridors.
- The interior of the living room can be decorated using paint. It is very easy to apply on decorative brick. And the painted brick will look much better than without coating.
- It is allowed to lay bricks on the wallpaper. Agree, the room will look original, in which the lower part is lined with bricks, and the upper part is covered with wallpaper.
- Be sure to level all walls before starting work. To do this, you can both plaster the surface and mount drywall sheets on the walls. It is also allowed to level the walls with plywood sheets - this is a fairly strong, but lightweight material.
Conclusion
Please note that finishing and grouting should be done no earlier than one day after the completion of all work. This time should be enough for the adhesive to dry. Grouting can be done both with a spatula and syringes or from bags. As we mentioned earlier, all excess adhesive must be removed immediately. Once the glue has dried and grouting is done, you can paint the material or open it with varnish. This will give uniqueness to the masonry.
