DIY Faux Brick Wall with German Schmear

Written February 14, 2021, when I tried to start a WordPress blog, but failed because I'm old and it's too complicated.

My estranged (?), separated (?), I don't know what, husband, and I actually worked on this together.  I watched 1,000 YouTube videos and read another 1,000 posts on how to do this.  In the end, I took a little from here and a little from there.

The faux brick paneling was bought from Home Depot.  We cut the seams with a Ryobi jigsaw, used liquid nails and a Ryobi nail gun to attach the panels, and used joint compound mixed with a bit of water for the schmear.  It's a perfectly, imperfect technique.  I practiced a little, but decided to just jump in and let the wall take on a life of it's own.  I will warn that the joint compound dries much whiter than you think it will.  Use sparingly if you want to see more brick.

Once the wall was finished, I painted the other walls Sherwin Williams Perfect Greige.  Shelves and floors still to come.  

Before

Wall done and room coming together

Faux brick panel

Jigsaw cuts

First panel up.  Make sure to turn any ceiling fax off.  Blades will break off if you hit them with one of these panels!  You'll have to order a new one from the manufacturer of the fan that will take about a year to receive.

2nd panel up

3rd and 4th panels up.  Leaving the hard part for another day - 12 ft high in that corner

Finished panels - Black Hawk Kitty checking it out

Test schmear

Let's get the schmearing started!

First bit - getting a feel for it.  Make sure to use a plastic tool for the schmear.  Metal ones can damage the panels.

Moving along

Always saving the hard part for last

All done schmearing

After painting the other walls Sherwin Williams Perfect Greige