When decorating rooms for various purposes, you can use decorative brick. However, if you are full of enthusiasm and imagination, then you can perform such products yourself, because purchased options are not always able to satisfy the consumer with appearance and cost. With the help of this finish you can bring a unique charm to the interior. In the process, you can use different raw materials, sometimes gypsum is used for this, sometimes cement.
Form preparation
If you decide to make a decorative brick with your own hands, then you should start work with preparing the mold and some tools, as well as materials. The master should take care of the availability of:
- cardboard boxes;
- fine wire mesh;
- containers for mixing Portland cement;
- rubber kitchen gloves;
- water;
- utensils for dye;
- dye.
Mixture preparation
When you make decorative brick with your own hands, it is important to properly prepare the mixture. To do this, you need foam balls, white Portland cement and fine sand. For one serving, one part of cement and 3 parts of sand will suffice. Once all the ingredients have been prepared, you can begin to knead the mixture. To do this, foam balls are poured into the container, then Portland cement and sand are separately mixed. In small portions, water should be added. The mixture in the end should be no thicker than sour cream.
If you decide to make a decorative brick from foam with your own hands, then at the next stage the resulting mixture should be poured into the foam balls, after which the composition is well mixed and poured into molds. When the mixture begins to dry, it will be possible to give it the desired shape, having previously taken it out of the cells. It is important to consider that with an increase in drying time, it will be more difficult to give products a look appropriate to bricks. That is why it is important to try to keep within one day.
Dye application
Once the decorative brick is ready, you can proceed to the last step - applying the dye. A cement mortar is applied to the surface of the products, the layer thickness should be 1 mm. Portland cement, quartz sand and water are mixed for this. After the composition has dried, an acrylic dye can be applied to it. Before applying, dilute it so that a slightly tinted water is obtained. Application should be carried out in two to three layers. Then the brick should be left to dry completely.
When making decorative brick for interior decoration with your own hands, it should be protected from stains. For this, experts recommend the use of cement-based sealants. Application can be carried out by spraying, sometimes using a regular brush.
Recommendations for the production of gypsum decorative brick
To date, a huge number of technologies for the production of gypsum decorative bricks are known. Some masters add glue, lemon and lime to the composition. However, if you want to use the classic recipe, then you need to mix water and gypsum. For the manufacture of such a brick, the presence of forms will also be required. It is better if they are made of silicone. Polyurethane molds are more expensive, they are suitable for making bricks from gypsum and cement, because they are able to withstand alkalis.
In the process of manufacturing gypsum bricks, a tank is required, which should be made of plastic, because this material is easily washed. DIY plaster brick is made using a drill with a nozzle in the form of a mixer. The resulting solution is poured into the mold. At the stage of maturation of the mixture, it is important to eliminate drafts and frost. Gypsum should not be mixed for too long, because the material quickly sets. If you notice bubbles on the surface of the solution, then the form should be placed on a vibration table.
If cement is added to the gypsum composition, then you will achieve an increase in the strength of the products. However, in this case, the finish will lose its antiseptic property and may become moldy and fungal. Before you make a decorative brick with your own hands, you should familiarize yourself with certain rules. Among them, the gypsum solidification time, which is only 15 minutes, should be highlighted. If you do not have additional plasticizers available that would guarantee the strength of the material, you can replace them with citric acid. After the brick is taken out and further processed.
Drywall brickwork
Do-it-yourself decorative brick made of drywall is carried out today by home craftsmen quite often. To design a wall in this style, you should prepare:
- wallpaper glue;
- dry paint;
- drywall;
- sand;
- a brush.
To begin with, the sheet is drawn in the form of brickwork. All the details in the next step are carefully sawn with a jigsaw. Each element is covered with a thin layer of wallpaper glue. Sand is poured through a sieve onto the surface, the excess of which should be shaken. After the material must be allowed to dry.
Once the drywall sheet has dried, it can begin to be attached to the wall. In order to achieve contrasting solutions, sand can be painted in different colors. This will allow you to design a room in a modern style. In order for the drywall to be firmly fixed to the wall, use a mounting tape. After completion of work using mechanical fasteners, the tape can be disposed of.
Brick wall decoration with plaster
You can also apply decorative stucco under a brick with your own hands. To do this, prepare some tools and materials:
- acrylic primer;
- roller;
- color;
- a tray for paint;
- pencil;
- a wand;
- gypsum plaster;
- brush;
- putty knife;
- level;
- masking tape.
Work technology: marking and priming walls
Do-it-yourself decorative brick can not be made before laying. Sometimes plaster is used to decorate walls in this style. At the first stage, you should be markup. It will allow you to draw up a small section of the wall. Using a level and a pencil, it is necessary to draw a line on the wall that will indicate the transition. The external contour is pasted over with masking tape. The next step is to primer the walls. This will eliminate chips and cracks. It is necessary to apply a primer with a foam roller, and in hard-to-reach places and in the area of joints, you can work with a brush. This layer dries in about 4 hours.
Work with plaster
If you are thinking about how to make decorative brick with your own hands, then you can use one of the above methods. However, if there is no desire to apply the form, then you can use the application of plaster. Sometimes color is added to the mortar to make brickwork more realistic. It is not necessary to achieve absolute evenness, it is important to get the most natural surface.
It is necessary to start work from the extreme sections, which are pasted over with adhesive tape. The thickness of this layer should be a limit of 0.5 to 2 cm. For one approach, you should not try to apply plaster over a large area. If you are a beginner, you need to limit yourself to 0.5 m 2 . Before the plaster dries, you need to arm yourself with any objects like a thick knitting needle or stick. Using this tool, it is necessary to push strips in the formed layer that will imitate the gaps between the bricks. You can try to create a view from the chipped facade brick. You can act with a narrow spatula. To add texture, the masters advise using a dry hard brush, it is necessary to act on the masonry, which has not yet completely dried.
Finish finish
Do-it-yourself decorative brick can be created from plaster, which is applied to the wall. At the final stage, the masonry is rubbed with sandpaper. The wall can be painted with a roller in any shade. It is recommended to use acrylic-based paint for this. After drying, a semi-dry sponge dipped in a darker shade should be walked over the surface. Sometimes at this stage a semi-dry roller is used, which is dipped in the paint lighter. This will give the wall expressiveness.
Installation of decorative bricks: preparation of tools
DIY decorative brick laying can very well be done. For this, there is no need to prepare complex equipment. To carry out the work you need to stock up:
- construction tape measure;
- in pencil;
- hand saw;
- level;
- by brush;
- metal ruler;
- a brush;
- twine;
- putty knife.
If you have to wall the walls of an impressive area, you will need a circular saw and sandpaper to clean the sawn off pieces. Stitching seams can be performed with different types of glue.
Preparation for work
It is necessary to stick the brick on strong and solid bases, which should not shrink and deform. The surface of the wall and the back of the brick must be treated with a deep penetration primer. The horizontal surface needs to be marked out, which will allow the elements to perfectly fit together.
If the decoration will be located in the corners, appropriate elements will be needed, this will simplify the installation process. It is necessary to start work with them. In this case, the master will have to alternate short and long sides. If the installation is done without bridging, then the vertical seams should not be placed one above the other, they are usually offset by about 5 cm.
Brick laying
The adhesive solution must be applied to the surface with a spatula. The glue is also applied to the surface to be coated with a notched trowel. Hold the tool at an angle of 60 ° C to the surface. Decorative brick is neatly pressed against the wall. It should be moved in different directions so that the grip is better. The solution should not be squeezed out, since subsequently this may interfere with the laying of the next row.
Raised brick fireplace
Do-it-yourself decorative brick fireplace is made of only a few products. This usually takes 25 bricks. Instead of overlapping, you can use a steel strip on which the mantelpiece fits. It can be made from a solid 4 cm board. With such construction there is no need to make a foundation.
Brick is laid on cement mortar. In this case, additional decoration is required. Experts recommend taking the following dimensions as a basis: 0.9 x 0.25 m. In this case, we are talking about the parameters of the base. As for the furnace hole, it can have the following dimensions: 0.5 x 0.38 m. In this case, the walls can be laid in half a brick.