Brickwork fills absolutely any interior with luxury, presentability and sophistication. That is why many apartment owners seek to use this decor in creating the design of their own housing. However, due to various circumstances, not everyone can afford to use natural brick and stone. Given this fact, manufacturers began to produce artificial brick, which allowed to create an imitation of real masonry even in budget interiors.
Let's look at what varieties of this material can be found on the construction market, what are the features of each of them and what options are suitable for interior decoration.
Artificial brick: main varieties
Such finishing materials are made from a variety of raw materials, so each variety has its own characteristics. Some are made in the form of smooth and hard tiles, others are characterized by excellent flexibility, others are made in the form of a large wall panel, which covers most of the surface at once.
Artificial decorative brick for interior decoration is of the following types:
• flexible tile;
• gypsum products;
• cement tile;
• clinker brick;
• MDF and PVC panels;
• fiberglass and cement panels.
To understand the advantages and disadvantages of each option, we consider all the products in more detail.
Flexible brick imitation
Artificial brick in the form of flexible tiles is suitable for facing both internal and external surfaces. This innovative material, which appeared on the market not so long ago, has a number of positive features:
• possesses excellent decorative abilities;
• reliably protects walls from external factors;
• resistant to mechanical damage;
• characterized by good vapor permeability;
• available in a wide range of colors;
• not susceptible to colonization of bacteria and fungi;
• resistant to ultraviolet;
• quite easy to install.
Flexible tile is ideal for cladding uneven surfaces, as it easily bends around all the external and internal corners of rooms. Artificial brick (of this variety) can be used as a finishing material for wall cladding in any room.
It is ideal for decorating rounded columns, fireplaces and various interior items with complex geometry. Such cladding does not create additional load on the walls, due to which it is often used for finishing gypsum plasterboard structures.
The material is fixed to the surface using ordinary tile glue.
Plaster cladding brick
Artificial gypsum cladding brick is considered the most economical option for creating an imitation of a brick wall.
In the process of its manufacture, the cement-gypsum mortar is poured into special relief forms in which it is until completely solidified. After the bricks have finally hardened, they are carefully removed from the mold and dried.
The resulting product is quite beautiful, but fragile. However, it is quite suitable for facing internal surfaces. Another disadvantage of gypsum brick is its high hygroscopicity, which does not allow its use in rooms with a high level of humidity.
The light weight of the product makes its installation easy enough, but in order for the tile to stay on the surface for as long as possible, only gypsum-based glue should be used to fix it.
Cement cladding brick
Artificial facing brick made on the basis of cement is very popular today because it is characterized by a huge variety of colors, textures and reasonable cost. In addition, the material is quite resistant to sudden changes in temperature and can be used even in unheated rooms and rooms with high humidity.
Such a brick is made from a solution of Portland cement and sand. It is poured into silicone molds, where it freezes. Finished products are endowed with various shades and repeat the texture of natural stone.
Brick brick
Artificial decorative clay brick is used in the interior much less frequently than previous analogues, since it has a higher price tag in comparison with them. Excellent operational characteristics and resistance to external factors made clinker tiles more popular in the decoration of facades. However, when it comes to the decorative decoration of fireplaces and stoves, this imitation of brick is considered the best option.
An artificial stone (brick) is made of highly plastic clay without any impurities, dyes and plasticizers, which allows us to talk about the absolute environmental friendliness of the material. Raw materials are pressed and fired at high temperatures, which gives the stone unrivaled strength and durability. The resulting product is characterized by the following qualities:
• high degree of wear resistance;
• resistance to low temperatures;
• fire safety;
• resistance to moisture and chemical influences.
A variety of textures of clinker tiles allows you to use a similar finish in various styles of interior design. It can have an absolutely even, smooth, rough, glazed and untreated surface. The sizes and shapes of the elements are also very diverse, so this finish is perfectly combined with many finishing materials.
Bricklaying decorative panels
Artificial brick for interior decoration in the form of panels is not in little demand today.
This material can be made from a variety of raw materials, but most often there are options from polyvinyl chloride and wood-fiber boards (PVC and MDF). The panels attract the consumer with a large size, due to which the repair time is significantly reduced.
It is also important that the material is quite simple to work with. Due to its light weight, it is convenient to transport and mount on the wall. Panel trim is carried out using a jigsaw or a conventional construction knife.
The positive features of wall decorative panels include the fact that before their installation it is not necessary to level the surface. The product easily hides flaws, cracks, grooves and other defects of the base, and if they are mounted on a pre-equipped frame, you can hide pipes, wires and other communications behind them.
The color scheme of the panels is very diverse, while the imitation of bricks can have the most unusual and attractive textures.
With all the advantages of wall panels, they have one significant drawback - the inability to use on rounded and uneven surfaces.
Fiber-reinforced concrete brick imitation
This type of artificial brick is made of cement, in which fiber glass fibers are added. The last component increases the strength of the cement product several times. The composition of the tile includes exclusively natural components, which makes it safe for the environment.
Artificial brick for interior wall decoration with the addition of fiberglass reliably protects the walls from moisture, mechanical damage and radio waves. The material is great for decor of internal walls, but it is often used in the exterior decoration of buildings. Its only drawback is the high cost, so not every homeowner can afford such a decor.
Conclusion
Based on all the above information, we can conclude that modern manufacturers of finishing materials offer us a wide variety of products for decorating surfaces under brickwork. The quality of some options is at such a high level that even at close range it is difficult to distinguish the product from real brick or stone.
A wide variety of designs, reliefs, tile and panel sizes allows you to realize the most daring projects and choose the most suitable artificial brick for your interior. Photos of some surface finishes using stone imitation can be seen in this article, which will help you make an overall impression of each material.