Types of decorative bricks for interior decoration

Finishing the internal surfaces of the walls of the house is practical, beautiful and individual. Different materials are used for these purposes, but the most popular today is decorative facing brick for interior decoration. The fashionable "trend" of style - the loft embodies all the diversity and possibilities of a piece product. And in order to choose the cladding, it’s good to know the technological features of the finish, the types and capabilities of the products.

Types and characteristics of the material

Do not confuse facing brick and facing stone. Despite many similar qualities, types for interior decoration have their own characteristics. Unlike stone, brick has a stable shape, although it is also varied in texture. In addition, the color schemes of brickwork will not be as variable as those of stone, but this adds its own charm to the finish. It is also good to remember that piece material has its own mass, which will definitely have to be taken into account when laying the foundation for construction.

At its core, decorative brick combines two qualities: the format and strength of an ordinary building product, and high quality indicators of artificial stone. The manufacture of decorative bricks for interior decoration is allowed from such raw materials as:

• Gypsum chips and powder;
• Ceramics;
• Porcelain stoneware;
• Acrylic;
• Synthetic substances.

As for the color resolution, as you can see in the photo, it can be:

1. White/red standard brick;
2. Shades of brown: from sandy to darker tones;
3. Red-brown;
4. White with a sandy tint;
5. Gray and all its midtones.

Interesting! Today, an aged decorative product is gaining popularity, especially appropriate in the interior of country mansions, large studio apartments.

gypsum brick

This is one of the most affordable finishing materials, made quite simply. Distinctive features of products:

• Practicality;
• Reliability;
• Durability;
• Variability of formats, performances;
• Resistance to corrosion;
• Resistance to temperature changes.

Important! Decorative gypsum brick is not a moisture resistant material. To minimize this factor, the surface of the piece product is covered with a special composition or a layer of protective varnish.

By textural features, it differs as follows:

1. Matte. It is characterized by the absence of gloss and treatment with a protective agent over the entire surface;
2. Glossy with even gloss and lacquer coating;
3. Ragged. Does not have a flat top;
4. Raised. It can be supplemented with an imitation of a pattern of natural stone;
5. convex/concave.

As for the size range, gypsum cladding for interior decoration has gradations of both ordinary bricks and the size of a standard double brick. Another advantage of the cladding is the price - it is extremely affordable for the buyer and several times lower than the ceramic piece product. In addition, the material can be made by hand. This will require:

1. Gypsum dough;
2. Forms for products (required size);
3. Form lubricant;
4. Hardener for gypsum;
5. Dye.

How to make a piece product:

• Prepare gypsum dough (it is sold in dry form, it must be diluted according to the instructions).
• Thoroughly mix the mass.
• Add the paint of the desired shade to the dough, mix again so that the dye dissolves evenly and there are no streaks left.

Advice! If, on the contrary, an interesting pattern is needed, the dough is laid out in the forms, a little dye is poured and mixed with a long stick - this will provide an incredible pattern for each element and make the lining individual.

• Transfer the mixture into molds, let stand for a while, about 18-20 hours until solidified.
• Using a soft hammer and tapping, remove the brick from the mold.

The cladding is ready and it is best to immediately cover the entire surface with varnish or water protection. So the bricks will last longer. Even with the most conservative estimates, the process of making bricks is much cheaper than buying a finished product. Another plus is that you can make unique collections, while the whole process will be extremely inexpensive and will not take much time.

Important! Do-it-yourself gypsum decorative brick for interior decoration can be made even without special purchased forms. The variability of formats will only add individuality to the lining. An additional advantage is the ease of installation and dismantling of elements.

Ceramic decorative brick

This type of finishing material has been used in the interior for a long time. Its properties are similar to conventional ceramic tiles:

• Strength, reliability;
• Practicality, long service life;
• Resistance to moisture, pollution;
• Non-susceptibility to deformation with temperature changes;
• Minimal impact of significant mechanical loads;
• Frost resistance.

The naturalness of the material also has a huge advantage of brick over all other types of products. Such a finishing brick is indicated for use in sanitary areas with increased requirements for environmental cleanliness of the cladding. According to its textured qualities, ceramics has a lot of surface options:

1. Matte;
2. glazed;
3. Embossed;
4. Convex / concave.

But torn ceramic bricks are not found.

Ceramic granite facing brick

The obvious and main advantage of the product is the highest strength. In the process of manufacturing, the blanks are fired many times, which gives the structure of the material high strength and practical characteristics - porcelain stoneware bricks are almost eternal, therefore, a loft finished with such material is more likely to become obsolete morally than to deteriorate externally. Clay, granite chips and a natural binding solution are used as raw materials for the products, so the coating is not only beautiful and durable, but also clean, which allows it to be used in kitchens, bathrooms and other rooms where special environmental friendliness is required. Among other advantages, ceramic finishing brick has such advantages as:

• Resistance to moisture, temperature changes;
• Contamination resistance - the surface of the cladding is easily cleaned of any dirt.

The variety of shapes and a wide range of shades allows you to choose the design in any room of the house, apartment.

The most important qualities of a piece product are the stability of shape and color for a long time, as well as a long service life - at least 40 years. Moreover, ceramics looks great not only on wall panels, but also on the floor, as it is the most practical and durable cladding material.

Installation of decorative facing bricks

To decorate your home beautifully, you do not have to spend a lot of time and money. A phased work plan, photos, video materials will help you cope with the process on your own in the shortest possible time, however, a lot depends on the design that the owner wants to reproduce. In any case, you need to start with a preliminary cleaning of the surface where the cladding will be mounted.

Advice! If the walls do not differ in evenness, it is possible to solve the problem with the help of wall or ceiling type drywall, however, the material should only be used for its intended purpose. GKL are mounted on a metal frame in the form of a thin crate using self-tapping screws. After laying the sheets, putty the joints, after drying, process with emery.

But often plasterboard lining is not the best option, for example, if the apartment is small - in the case of installing the crate, space is lost. You can level the wall panel with plaster. The method is very laborious, requires skill and patience. It also happens that with apparent evenness, the surface hides a lot of defects (for example, if the house is old). Tapping will allow you to check for hidden flaws: under impact, peeled or swollen plaster will crumble, all that remains is to repair these local gaps.

Advice! Instead of ordinary plaster, local delaminations are easily sealed with putty. The principle of applying layers is normal, but the drying process is much faster. After the mixture dries, the places are treated with emery.

After the wall leveling work is completed, the surface of the entire panel is primed, special attention should be paid to the boundaries of applying new plaster or putty.

Important! If the wall has a layer of paint, it is difficult to glue the decorative brick, you will either have to remove the paint or make several shallow pinholes in the wall (with a hammer), where the mortar will enter and provide better adhesion between the brick and the wall.

The video shows an alternative way to create an imitation of brickwork.

If the paint layer still managed to be removed, the entire surface is washed, dried very carefully and then primed.

Installation of decorative bricks will require the following components:

• Adhesive composition or cement mortar. Moreover, the glue must be chosen depending on the type of cladding used: ceramics, gypsum or something else.
• Level.
• Beacons in the form of crosses.
• Tile cutter.
• Ruler / tape measure.

Gluing begins with the fact that a solution is prepared from cement (from M400), sand and water. If gluing will be carried out by means of an adhesive composition, then it is prepared strictly according to the instructions. With a tile cutter, the elements are cut to the desired size.

Now like this:

1. The lower starting bar is determined.
2. The first row of calculations is carried out, which starts from the corner.
3. Any layout technology can be chosen, but it is better that each upper brick covers the two lower ones, that is, the middle of the upper element falls on the seam between the two lower ones.
4. Glue or cement mixture is spread on the surface of the wall and the back side of the material with a spatula.
5. Distance uniformity is ensured by cross beacons.
6. After the mixture has dried, the seams are treated with a decorative putty.

Advice! To avoid processing with decorative putty, you can immediately add a coloring pigment to the mixture. The method is good in that many of the coloring composition proposed by the manufacturers has a variety of components that add a mixture of plasticity, protection from moisture and increased adhesion properties. Thanks to such additives, decorative bricks, laid out, for example, on the walls of a bathroom, kitchen, will “sit” especially well and resist moisture and other influences.

The general principle of decorating wall panels with facing material is reminiscent of laying tiles. There is nothing complicated in the process, you can do it yourself. It remains only to think over the decor by looking at the photo, and choose the best option for arranging your own home.

Important! When choosing a material, it is necessary to pay attention not only to how much this or that type of cladding costs, but also to the material of manufacture and how long the cladding will “stand” without the slightest loss of aesthetics and quality of the elements.