Open Face Brick

[Pink Rosé]

We have a large, square family room which has 3 open face brick walls which we would like to render to match the one exsisting rendered wall. What would be invovled to achieve this?

[Julie-Ann]

You have 3 options with face brick walls - you have to wonder what they were thinking in the 80's!

1. You can have a plasterer cover the walls with sheets of gyprock and skim over where the joins are.
This is relatively mess free but only works if your face brick walls are not clinker bricks (bricks that have bits of the brick protruding out). The other problem is unless you have a wide edge on your cornices the gyprock sheets will stick out further than the cornice. So then you would have to replace the cornices.

2. You have a plasterer wet plaster the face brick. This is a messy job but the best option and worth it. Face brick tends to absorb light and make a room duller and darker. The plaster will also update the house enormously.

With both these options make sure the plaster or gyprock is sealed with special sealer paint before you paint, or the paint will lift in time.

3. I have seen face brick painted. This seems to look better when a dark colour is used.
But beware, if you change your mind later and want to plaster after painting you will have to roughen up the surface. This requires cutting lines in the brick with an angle grinder - and then you will really know mess.

Good luck.