There seem to be veneers for everything these days. You can have porcelain veneers placed on your teeth to cover damaged teeth, or you can have manufactured wall veneers placed on the outside of your home.
Thin veneers for buildings can come in many styles including stone, tile, and brick. Thin brick veneers are extremely popular because they’re a cheaper alternative to brick construction. Brick is the second most popular exterior siding material in the U.S. but can be out of reach for some homebuyers.
If you’re looking to give your home a makeover, learn more about your brick veneer options here.
What is Thin Brick, Exactly?
Thin brick veneers are 1/2″ to 1″ bricks that can be installed on nearly any interior or exterior surface. Because they are thinner and weigh less, you don’t need to worry about structural elements of your home being able to bear the full weight of bricks.
Using brick veneers allows you to add brick exactly where you want it in your home at a fraction of the cost. For example, if you have a fireplace with no decorative elements around it, thin bricks are a great option to create the appearance of a full brick chimney and fireplace.
For the most part, brick veneers are made with the same materials as full-sized bricks like clay and shale. You can also find veneers made from fiberglass, cement, and other faux materials.
Designing Your Brick Walls
Thin brick is not only flexible in where it can be installed, but also what it looks like. Brick veneers come in a variety of colors, textures, and shapes, so you can create the exact look you want for your home.
When designing an interior brick veneer wall, you want to take the existing elements of the room like furniture and lighting into consideration. For example, does the room get a lot of sunlight or not? If it doesn’t get much light, you might want a lighter brick color to help make the room appear lighter.
You’ll also have to choose the grout. White grout automatically brightens a wall, while colored grout can look a bit more natural and traditional.
You will have to consider the same things if you’re adding brick to the exterior of your home. Consider the surrounding landscaping, how much you want your home to stick out, and your personal preferences. For example, a home that sits farther back from the road and is surrounded by trees would benefit from having a lighter brick color and white grout to make it stand out. This is a typical practice in painting homes.
Make Brick Your Next Project
Adding thin brick to your home might seem like a huge undertaking, but it isn’t. There’s less labor involved and doesn’t require any alteration to the structure of your home. Brick veneers are an affordable way to quickly spruce up your home or add an element you’ve always desired in your home.
Champion Brick is your Milwaukee area thin brick experts. If you have questions about brick veneer installation or want to see samples in person, stop by our showroom in New Berlin.