The brick slips are highly decorative elements which can, depending on their category, be placed inside or outside the home. Available in a rich palette of models, they are perfect for obtaining original effects while hiding an ugly wall for example. Let’s see on which types of support it is possible to apply facing plates in order todress up your walls in a very nice way. But to obtain an indisputable seal, it is necessary to respect the installation procedure. Those allergic to DIY or those who think they have two left hands have every interest in calling on a professional !
Facing bricks: characteristics
Easy to install, the facing strips are used to decorate a wall and obtain an original result that changes paint or wallpaper. The metamorphosis is total and obtained in just a few hours. These plates bring character, even a note of authenticity. They do not require major work and there is no need to modify the openings since their thickness is 2 cm on average. They can be placed on different supports.
indoorswe apply them for example on:
- The tiling,
- cellular concrete,
- the paneling,
- The plaster,
- the agglomerate,
- Cement.
Note that to install the facing plates on tilesthis involves an adhesive resin to be applied beforehand.
Outdoorsthey can be installed on the following materials:
- Wood,
- The brick,
- concrete,
- Cement,
- The concrete block.
How to choose your facing bricks?
The facing bricks are available in a wide range of models, which allows you to decorate your interior or exterior according to your tastes. It is of course necessary to choose them according to the environment for which they are intended, namely:
- For the interior (with the exception of wet rooms), the choice is vast since any type of facing platelet can be installed: plaster, natural stone, concrete, reconstituted stone, etc.
- For wet rooms (bathroom, shower room, toilet, kitchen), we choose natural stone or concrete and we absolutely forget the plaster facing plates.
- For the exterior, we opt for concrete or natural stone.
If in doubt, do not hesitate to ask a professional in a DIY store. But you can also contact a specialist of this type of very trendy wall covering.
Pay attention to possible drops!
When taking measurements, it is very important toadd 10% to the surface to be covered by the brick slips. This will make it possible not to run out of plates once the cuts have been made because they can generate some offcuts.
Materials needed to install brick slips
Before starting to dress your wall with the facing plates, you start by checking that you have all the necessary equipment, namely:
- A spirit level,
- A powder cord,
- A mason’s rule,
- A meter,
- A pencil,
- A scraper or grater,
- A notched spatula,
- Shims and a guide cleat,
- A special facing stone glue,
- A hole saw or a hole saw for the cuts to be made on the plates at the electrical outlets and switches for example.
- A handsaw to cut the plaster plates,
- A circular saw for cutting stone slabs.
- To make joints, it is necessary to have a pastry bag, a joint iron and a joint filler for facing plates.
Of course, you must have made arrangements in order to have all the facing plates that you have chosen at home.
Preparation of the brick slips
To obtain a final rendering of the most aesthetic and a beautiful harmony, it is necessary to mix brick slips before you start putting them on. The balance can only be obtained by mixing the chips of the different batches because the baths of colors can be different from one packet to another. Unpacking all its packages also makes it possible to check that no plate has any faults. We keep the imperfect ones for the areas that require cutting. This limits losses.
Unpacking everything before starting is also necessary to eliminate any imperfections that may be found on the back of the plates or facing stones. To do this, we use a scraper or a grater, and we process all of our stocks so that we don’t have to come back to them.
Finally, if they are intended for a piece of water, it is imperative to buy a water repellent treatment. The same is true for facing stones intended to be laid outdoors.
Preparatory stage of the support wall and the plates
Be careful, these facing plates cannot be asked on a support friable. They must absolutely rest on a solid and healthy wall. Similarly, any moisture problem must be resolved before the work. As for the ground, it must be flat because we start laying at the bottom of the wall. If the spirit level indicates that the floor is not quite flat, it will be necessary to leave a few millimeters between the floor and the bottom of the first row.
The wall must be dry and clean. If it is greasy, it must be washed and waited until there is no more trace of humidity. A painted wall must be sanded and if it is wallpapered, the wallpaper must be peeled off. Finally, a wall in raw plaster, that is to say neither painted nor wallpapered, must be striated on the surface in order to guarantee good adhesion of the plates.
Method of laying brick slips
You always have to do line by line.
- Dowel the guide cleat and the shims that will remain in place temporarily, starting from a corner and the base of the wall to be covered. Check its plumbness with the level. If you want to draw a line, use the powder chalk.
- With the notched spatula, glue the back of the first plate as well as the wall, put the plate in place and so that it adheres well, press it firmly for 10 to 12 seconds. Continue in the same way all along the row. For each plate, the spirit level is used in order to check that the horizontality is perfectly respected. If we are not careful, the final result will be completely missed.
- At the end of the line, it is very rare that it is not necessary to make a cut on the last plate. It must therefore be measured, trace the cutting line on the back and carry out this with the appropriate equipment, as explained in the list of necessary tools.
- Lay the second row, always checking the level, alternating the lengths of plates to obtain the most natural stone wall effect possible. But if you want to align the plates, it is quite possible. Simple matter of taste.
When the whole wall is covered, it is necessary take a break of 48 hours allowing the glue and therefore the wall to dry completely. After this period of time, you can finally put the electrical outlets and switches back in place and remove the shims and guide cleat.
If it is necessary make jointsthese are carried out after the drying period, with a piping bag filled with a specific filler. The coating, once applied, must be smoothed with a joint iron. Any dripping should be removed immediately with a damp sponge. Above all, do not let the coating overflows dry out. Once the joints are completed, all that remains is to clean the tools, the floor and admire the result of his efforts.