In the days of the USSR, Soviet citizens enjoyed great popularity in wallpaper, stylized as a brick, on the background of which there was a vine or other climbing plants. Today, fashion for this kind of decor has been preserved, but decorative coatings made of modern polymeric materials have replaced paper coatings.
Some people prefer to trust the repair of their home to professional craftsmen, but those who are limited in financial resources tend to save as much as possible. Therefore, they are wondering about how to make a decorative brick wall in an apartment. This article will describe in detail about the existing varieties of modern finishing materials, the main features of working with them, as well as the existing options for interior design.
Varieties of materials and their features
Undoubtedly, natural types of finishes are very popular these days, but they are very rare because of the high cost. A great option in the decor is decorative brickwork. It is practical in care, easy to implement, durable, and most importantly does not require large financial costs. However, when designing interior design, it is very important to choose suitable and high-quality materials.
Today, there are the following varieties of decorative tiles:
- flexible;
- gypsum;
- cement;
- clinker.
Each type has certain advantages and disadvantages that must be considered when choosing. Let's dwell on each of them in more detail, so that you can choose the most suitable option for yourself.
Flexible
So what is she like? A decorative brick wall made of flexible tiles will be an excellent option for interior decoration. The main advantage of this material is its low weight, availability and ease of installation. For its manufacture, a special mixture is used, consisting of cement, sand, polyacrylate and dye. Many people and professional designers prefer flexible tiles because of the huge variety of colors and textures.
In addition, among the main advantages we can distinguish the following:
- good heat and sound insulation;
- perfectly keeps heat indoors;
- high strength and durability;
- easily bends and takes the desired shape;
- practicality.
Separately, it is worth mentioning the installation. For surface finishing you do not have to buy any adhesives and mixtures. The tile is simply heated with a construction hairdryer to a certain temperature and fixed on the wall. In addition, such decorative masonry with your own hands will look very natural and natural, so it will be almost impossible to distinguish it from a real brick wall with the naked eye.
Gypsum plaster
What is its feature? This type of decoration materials is environmentally friendly and safe for health, therefore it is also very often used when decorating rooms. As you might guess, the material is made of gypsum, and in order to make it easier to work with, plasticizers are added to it, giving it flexibility.
Among the main advantages are the following:
- light weight;
- ease of installation;
- good soundproof characteristics;
- affordable cost;
- durability.
As for the cons, there are few of them. The most important thing is that gypsum absorbs moisture well, therefore, it cannot be used for finishing work surfaces in rooms with high humidity, such as a bathroom and a bathroom. In addition, a decorative brick wall made of gypsum tile will have relatively low strength.
Cement
It is worth noting that today it is popular. Brick tile of this material is the best option in terms of durability and practicality. It has excellent operational characteristics, which allows it to be used for walls of absolutely any residential premises, regardless of humidity, ambient temperature and other factors. In addition, it is relatively inexpensive and provides a large selection of colors.
For the production of tiles, mineral chips, cement of the best grades, sand, binders, silicate materials and water are used. In the manufacturing process, modern technologies are used to produce briquettes of any size with high accuracy.
The main advantages of the material are:
- light weight;
- high strength;
- resistance to chemicals and burnout;
- a wide selection of colors and textured designs;
- affordable cost.
Such a decorative wall made of bricks will last more than one decade, so you will not have to regret the money spent.
Clinker
This material is the best for decorating, because in its composition and operational characteristics it is as close as possible to natural brick. The only difference is the manufacturing process. After giving the tile the desired shape, it is fired at high temperature until the mixture has completely hardened.
This allows you to endow the finishing material with the following:
- high strength;
- excellent hydro and thermal insulation characteristics.
In addition, clinker tiles can withstand very large frosts, which allows it to be used not only for interior decoration, but also for facing building facades.
Masonry panels
Today, decorative wall decoration for brick made of PVC, MDF and fiberglass concrete is very popular. These materials are very easy to install, have a special coating that gives them high strength, and are also practical to maintain, as they do not absorb dirt.
Compared with the types of tiles discussed above, panels have the following advantages:
- long term of operation;
- allow you to hide electrical wires and communications without breaking the walls;
- light weight and thickness;
- simplicity in work;
- excellent resistance to high humidity, as well as the formation of fungi and mold;
- large selection of colors and textures;
- No need to perform final painting after installation.
As for the disadvantages of PVC and MDF panels, it is possible to distinguish low resistance to mechanical stress. A decorative brick wall in an apartment made of these materials is very easily damaged even with not very strong impacts, so you need to be extremely careful during operation.
Fiberglass concrete is an innovative finishing material that was invented relatively recently, but in a short period of time it managed to gain immense popularity. It is made from quartz sand or dispersed silicon rock, Portland cement and fiberglass reinforcing. Due to the unique composition and production technology, fiberglass concrete has a high resistance to fire, frost resistance, sound insulation, strength and low weight.
What to look for when choosing?
Let's dwell on this in more detail. If you decide that the interior of your home must have a decorative brick wall, then you need to carefully approach the choice of materials. In order not to be mistaken, it is recommended that you first carefully read the technical characteristics of each of them. For example, for decorating a kitchen or bathroom, you should choose a tile that tolerates high temperatures and humidity well. Not only its longevity depends on this, but also practicality in leaving.
If you will be engaged in repair yourself without the involvement of qualified specialists, it is very important that it is easy to work with the material. In this regard, it is better to consider flexible tiles or panels. They require minimal labor and time costs, and the result is simply amazing.
Also really appreciate your financial capabilities. Some modern finishing materials have simply cosmic value, so not everyone can afford it. In the absence of a large amount of money, it is best to consider gypsum or concrete tiles. With its help, you will be able to originally design your interior in a modern or classic style with minimal financial costs.
Style solutions
Today, there are a wide variety of types of decorative masonry, so you can realize any design ideas for interior decoration of residential premises. At the same time, siding will not only not create a large load on the walls, but will also allow you to transform the room beyond recognition. We will not consider all the styles, but dwell on the most common.
Loft
What is its highlight? This is one of the modern decor options, which is characterized by brutality and at the same time sophistication. A loft-style brick wall will be a great decoration for your study, living room, dining area or bedroom. A key feature - one of the walls should contrast with the others. As for the choice of colors for the tiles, it all depends on the individual preferences of each person. Most often they stop at a light range, which contributes to a visual increase in the size of the room. Saturated colors such as brown, black and brick will also look great.
As for furniture, for the loft, modern furnishings made of metal, wood and glass in bright colors will be the best choice. To give the design more uniqueness will allow the wall of a brick of two colors. In addition, one of them can be done in one color, and the rest in another. At the same time, it is very important not to overdo it with furniture, since excessive cluttering of the room is not characteristic of modern styles that are based on minimalism. It is better to curtain the windows not with traditional curtains, but with vertical or horizontal blinds. As flooring, it is better to use natural wood, such as laminate, as this will add a little comfort to the room.
Country
In this style, a decorative brick wall in the kitchen will look best. Most often, brick inserts are created in the cooking or eating area, which fit especially well near arches and doorways. A distinctive feature of country is lightness, freedom and ease. Therefore, when finishing surfaces with tiles stylized as brick, it is very important not to overdo it so as not to violate the overall harmony.
If your home has an artificial or real fireplace, then a brick wall will add a certain twist to the interior. The rest of the surface will be appropriate to wallpaper with a non-intrusive print or textile. The floors must be wooden, and the furniture is slightly rough and massive.
Gothic
Previously, this style was very common in interior decoration, but in modern apartments and houses it is very difficult to meet. Most people do not like the gloomy tones inherent in everything Gothic. Tile under a brick will well complement black color and any dark shades. If you can correctly combine everything, then your apartment will shine with elegance, romanticism and a little severity. A large chandelier, preferably a crystal one, must necessarily act as a lighting device. If you decorate the bedroom in the Gothic style, then an integral part of the interior is a massive wooden bed with a canopy and snow-white bedding. The room should only be decorated with picturesque paintings or forged decorative elements.
Minimalism
This decor option is perhaps one of the most common today. This is due to the fact that the life of a modern person is simply overflowing with various electronic gadgets, accessories and other items, so everything in the house should be as simple and practical as possible. However, this does not mean that minimalism is boring. A decorative brick wall will make the room more interesting, charismatic and restrained.
If the main color is white, then it can be slightly diluted with unobtrusive colors, but as for the decoration of the walls, it is preferable to perform it in bright colors. It will contrast well with wooden floors and black furniture. If you decide to use textiles to decorate the room, then it should be rude. As in the case of the loft style, with minimalism, you need to completely abandon the fabric curtains in favor of the blinds.
A few words about the masonry
What you need to know about this? Brick walls are decorated with masonry, which can be different. This applies not only to the layout and dressing, but also the color scheme, shape and more. One of the simplest is direct decorative brickwork.
It can be of the following types:
- single row;
- multirow;
- Scottish hedge;
- English dressing;
- Old Russian;
- six-row;
- diagonal
- Bavarian
- herringbone;
- network.
Also, every year, lacy brickwork is gaining more and more popularity. It not only has a unique appearance and gives the interior a special zest, but also allows you to create small niches that can be used as original shelves. For example, you can place family photos, souvenirs or sports awards in them.
Features of wall decoration with decorative bricks
Let's dwell on this in more detail. If you decide to significantly redesign the interior of your home, then art bricklaying will be a great option to give the room sophistication. If you dwell on materials that do not require special building skills for installation, you can cope with everything on your own without the involvement of skilled workers.
First of all, you need to prepare the work surface. To do this, remove old finishing materials from the walls and level them. Next, the vertical structure is marked, after which it will be possible to proceed to gluing. If you work with a flexible tile, then you will not need any adhesive mixtures. It simply heats up to 50 degrees with a building hair dryer and presses against the wall as hard as possible. For gypsum and cement tiles, special glue will be needed, the amount of which is calculated according to the area of the room.
Laying the first row of bricks is carried out on a horizontal support beam, which is a wooden beam. A uniform layer of gypsum putty about one centimeter thick is applied to the back of the tile. Then it is pressed to the surface and left in this position until it dries completely. Excess mixture is carefully removed with a spatula. To make the masonry strong, a little free space is left between the bricks, which is filled with putty. After the first row is completed, you can start laying out the next ones with the displacement of the bricks half the width of the previous ones. To ensure that the masonry is perfectly smooth, it is recommended to use clamps.
When the decorative wall is completed, it is left for 24 hours, so that the adhesive mixture is completely dry, after which the seams are filled with gypsum putty. To do this, it is better to use a narrow construction tool so as not to stain the tiles. At the final stage of the work, a final revision is carried out, involving the processing of the finishing material with sandpaper and eliminating any visual defects. In addition, the tile will acquire a characteristic luster, tearing your eyes away from which will be impossible.