Extreme How-To – September 2019

contemporary, less timeworn

look.

Here’s how you can create an

eye-catching thin brick accent

wall in your man cave.

MEASURE

Before purchasing your thin

brick product and materials, cal-

culate the square footage of the

wall where you want to install the

brick. Check the coverage chart

on your product packaging to see

how many square feet one box of

thin brick will cover. These charts

typically offer multiple grout size

options, giving you the opportunity

to choose how wide your grout

linesshould be. Additionally, some

brick manufacturers offer online

calculators (generalshale.com/cal-

culators/brick)to help you estimate

the cost of materials, with the

exception of grout, mortar and

any additional tools you may need

to purchase.

WALL PREPARATION

Make sure the wall is smooth

and clean, removing all dust and

debris to enable the adhesive to

properly bond. It’s important that

you maintain a consistent wall

level as much as possible by

sanding away unwanted glue or

residue ridges and tapping nails

flush with the surface of the wall.

Use a level and a chalk line to cre-

ate a temporary line across the

bottom of the wall. This will help

you keep the bricks straight and

level as you adhere them to the

wall. A straight piece of wood will

also serve as a temporary ledger.

CUTTING THIN BRICKS

You will need to cut bricks for

the left- and right-hand sides of

your wall, creating half pieces that

will begin your second row of

bricks. Completing this step prior

to installation will save you time

during the process so you can

avoid having to repeatedly stop to

cut more bricks.

INSTALLING THIN BRICKS

Begin the installation process

by applying a full or half piece of

thin brick in the bottom left-hand

corner of the wall. Spread the

mortar on the back of the brick

with a notched trowel and place it

on the wall, pressing slightly.

Continue upward with a half-cut

piece of thin brick (if you began

with a full-sized piece) using the

same application technique.

Create even rows with the thin

brick in a “half running bond” pat-

tern, offsetting the thin bricks so

that they overlap by half the width

of the brick. This design is the

most common layout for brick

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BRICK

UPA

MAN

CAVE

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