So you have decided to inject some exposed brick work into the interior of your home.
This is a simple idea with simple answers…. but some people can be fooled into thinking that you have to get a demolition team in to do the work.
Let us look at this Idea!
If you are from Yorkshire then you will know this saying ‘bricks have been around since God was a lad`. Whilst no one can actually prove this they have been produced for thousands and thousands of years.
The very first wall remains can be seen in ancient India, China and Rome. Although as a nation we have been constructing our dwellings out of real clay bricks since the Romans came to our shores the modern trend for exposing it within interiors is a new thing. Exposed brick work didn’t catch on in the UK until the mid-twentieth century.
The start of exposed brick work!
Exposed brick work happened by accident to some extent. A practical solution to warehouse renovations in mid-century USA. Exposed brick work was cheaper than restoring plasterwork and woodwork.
Post WW2, the east cost of the USA saw a shortage of cheap housing, this lead to developers converting old industrial buildings into apartments and flat complexes. An idea that still continues today.
The exposed brickwork left in these buildings is still admired today, and is still the quoted style which is requested by designers looking for exposed brickwork.
Do I strip back my walls?
Many people see the images on Instagram and pintrest and start thinking about how they are going to strip the walls back to the bare brickwork. In theory this would be great, you reveal an amazing wall with instant character.
The sad reality is most old houses have extremely substandard inner walls and most new houses have breeze blocks making it impossible to recreate that look using what is there.
Exposed brick – Brick Slips
If you have a wall that you could tile with a standard tile, then you have a wall that can be tiled with real brick slips. FACT
Real clay brick slips are cut from reclaimed and handmade bricks and can be installed on most substrates providing they are structurally sound.
How can this be done with brick slips?
If you have decided you want this exposed look for an internal wall then you will first need to choose a brick.
The Olde Bayswater and Docklands Red Multi are firm favourites for this as the appearance and texture is already present.
When using a reclaimed or handmade brick slip we always recommend sorting through the brick slips. By doing this you can make sure that the colourings are random across your wall as there can be variance from box to box.
The great advantage
Brick slips are far easier to install than most people think and more and more of our customers are giving it a go themselves.
So if you’re thinking of decorating and feel like rolling up your sleeves and getting stuck in then we’re here to help.
Samples of all our slips are available to order and installation couldn’t be easier. The process is very similar to tiling using a rapid setting tile adhesive and brick slip spacers.
Once the adhesive has cured it can be pointed using a gun injected pointing mortar. The process is quick, easy and efficient and we sell everything you’ll need to complete the job. And for the budding DIY enthusiast the beauty of brick slips is that perfection is in the imperfections!
We offer a free detailed pdf installation guide and our friendly team of advisers is only a phone call away if you have any queries.
