A brick backsplash within the kitchen is exclusive and attention-grabbing, and that is the very level.
Kitchen backsplashes are likely to run towards ceramic, glass, or stone tile or countertop materials extensions.
A brick backsplash, then again, grabs your consideration and conveys an air of timeless permanence.
It is also a challenge that is simpler to perform than it might seem, due to the easy-to-install skinny brick veneer.
What a Brick Backsplash Is
A brick backsplash is tough protection for the wall behind kitchen counter tops. It has each ornamental and purposefully makes use of.
As a decor, a brick backsplash creates a strong, traditional look. Functionally, a brick backsplash supplies onerous, thick protection to guard the wall from harm.
A brand new brick backsplash is often made out of a molded brick-like veneer masonry unit, not from precisely extruded brick.
In older houses, a brick backsplash within the kitchen made up of strong brick could also be authentic to the house, not an added characteristic.
Types of Materials to Use
| Veneer Bricks | Fake Brick Veneer Panels | |
| Material | Masonry | Excessive-density polyurethane |
| Face Size | 2 to 2 1/4 inches excessive by 8 inches lengthy | 27 inches excessive by 48 inches lengthy |
| Thickness | 1/4 inch | 5/8 to three/4 inch |
| Cost | $7 to $10 per sq. foot | $10 to $15 per sq. foot ($80 to $120 per panel) |
| Fire Tolerance | Fireproof | Hearth-rated however not fireproof or heatproof |
| Cleaning | Cleaning soap and water | Soap and water |
| Water | Water-resistant after sealing | Waterproof |
| Amazon | Buy Now | Buy Now |
Veneer Brick (Amazon)
Pros
- Fireproof (can be utilized behind stoves)
- Impression resistant
- Seems like real brick
- Exhausting and strong
Cons
- Have to be sealed
- Troublesome to wash
- Prone to chipping
- Requires mortar and grout
The greatest materials for making a brick backsplash are veneer or face brick, a sort of manufactured stone.
Veneer brick is enticing, cost-effective, skinny, and fireproof. It is meant just for ornament reasonably than for construction. It is available in quite a lot of colors and types: purple, grey, multi-colored, weathered, clean, and extra.
Veneer brick appears to be like like genuine brick as a result of its masonry product. Most veneer brick that’s out there to do-it-yourselfers will not be true brick. As a substitute, it is a kind of manufactured veneer stone made in molds and cured like concrete, not fired like a brick.
Manufactured veneer stone is made from Portland cement, aggregates, and iron oxides. Since it isn’t a through-body unit, the coloration lies on the floor. Extruded through-body skinny bricks may be troublesome for householders to search out.
Veneer brick is gentle sufficient that it might probably adhere to the backsplash wall without the necessity for decreased assistance. It’s utilized with thin-set mortar (the identical materials used for tile) or with glue.
Grout utilized in the joints between the bricks is solely for ornamental functions.
Faux Brick Veneer Panels (Amazon)
Pros
- Light-weight
- Easy to put in with glue
- Simple to wash
- Waterproof; do have to seal
Cons
- Simpler to break than brick veneer
- It Might doesn’t look genuine
- Not fireproof
- Obtainable solely in massive panels
Veneer brick panels, generally referred to as fake veneer or fake brick, may be an alternate brick backsplash. It is excellent for do-it-yourselfers who wish to shortly set up the backsplash, without coping with mortar or grout.
Product of polystyrene, these large-format panels comprise the impressions of many bricks (round 45 to 55) on a single panel.
As a polymer, veneer brick panels do provide the benefit of being waterproof, no sealing is required. They’re so lightweight that they connect to the wall with building glue.
Veneer panels may be simply crushed or chipped upon influence. Additionally, although many varieties of veneer panels are rated to ASTM E84 Class-A fireplace requirements, this doesn’t imply that the product is fireproof. It solely ensures that the panel has sure surface-burning traits.
What About Utilizing Actual Bricks?
Full-size clay or concrete brick, the kind used for constructing partitions or creating pathways, is mostly not a possibility for kitchen backsplashes.
Whereas full-size brick is affordable, it isn’t sensible for backsplashes resulting from its dimension and weight.
A full-size brick is around 4 inches by 8 inches by 2 inches thick. A full-size brick would eat up 4 inches of a 25-inch kitchen counter’s restricted depth. Additionally, as a result of the bricks would want to relax on the counter, their weight (about 5 kilos per sq. foot) can be an excessive amount for the counter to deal with.
Durability
As a tough floor, a brick veneer backsplash wears higher than painted drywall.
In comparison with different varieties of onerous surfaces, although, a brick backsplash made from molded veneer bricks may be much less sturdy since chips or scratches take away the highest shade and reveal the grey cement-like physique.
Most producers have touch-up paint for this objective. Extruded skinny bricks are not going to have this downside.
Size and Spacing
A brick backsplash can lengthen from the highest of the kitchen countertop to as excessive because of the ceiling. Or, relying on location, it might cease on the backside of the wall cupboards.
The brick veneer is sized to have the identical aspect dimensions as a precise brick: round 2 inches excessive by 8 inches lengthy. This kind of brick veneer is available in single items on the scale of 1 brick.
Since wall cupboards are likely to rise anyplace from 18 to 24 inches above countertop peak, fake brick panels are completely sized for that hole: often 26 to 27 inches excessive. An 8-foot stretch of countertop backsplash may then be coated by simply two fake brick panels.
Brick veneer or panels enhance the thickness of the wall by 1/4 to three/4 inch, so electrical packing containers will be prolonged outward.
Brick Backsplash Price
A brick backsplash will value about $250 to $350 for 16 sq. ft. Brick veneer contains the vast majority of that value: about $150 to $200 for 18 to twenty sq. ft.
One other $100 to $150 will cowl the thin-set mortar, grout, and specialty instruments that you could not have already got readily available.
Fake brick veneer panels value about 25 to 30 % greater than brick veneer. However, the additional value may be recouped as a result of a few different supplies or instruments that should be bought.
Maintenance and Cleansing
One of the many downsides of utilizing brick for a backsplash is that it’s troublesome to wash. As a result, brick is porous and probably can take in meal spills, so it has to be coated.
The joints between the bricks additionally make cleansing brick a problem. The joints, too, have to be sealed.
Sealing the Brick and Mortar
Several layers of clear water-based sealer are utilized on the whole floor of the brick backsplash. If the painted brick is your required look, the paint will itself act because of the sealer for the brick.
Equipment / Tools
- Cordless drill with bits and drivers
- Guide screwdriver
- A moist tile noticed, rail tile cutter, or hacksaw
- Grout bag
- Brick jointer
- Sq.-notch trowel
- Store vacuum
- Tape measure
- Clear rags (Amazon)
- Plastic sheeting
- Tape
- Paint brush
Materials
- 18 sq. ft of brick veneer
- Thinset mortar
- Grout
- 80-grit sandpaper
- Electrical field extenders
- Concrete sealer
- Caulk and caulking gun
Instructions: How to Set up a Brick Veneer Backsplash
- Measure Backsplash AreaMeasure the size of the countertop and the specified peak of the backsplash. Multiply the numbers, then add 10 % to account for wastage. So, an 8-foot run of countertop would require around 18 sq. ft of brick veneer for a 24-inch backsplash.
- Cowl CountertopsCover the counter tops with plastic sheeting. Tape the plastic in place.
- Take away FaceplatesAt the electrical service panel, flip off the circuit breaker to show off the electrical energy to the wall space. With the cordless drill or guide screwdriver, take away faceplates from gentle switches and retailers.
- Put together SubstrateIf the drywall is in a good situation, it may be evenly sanded by hand with 80-grit sandpaper to scuff it up. It will assist the thin-set mortar stick higher. Clear the wall with the store vacuum and a dry, clean rag.
- Apply Thinset MortarUse the flat aspect of the trowel to choose up and unfold thin-set mortar on the wall. Then swap to the square-notch aspect and comb the floor to depart traces of thin-set about 1/8-inch excessive.TipWork in 2-foot by 2-foot sections to forestall the thin-set from prematurely drying.
- Press Brick Veneer in PlaceBegin on the countertop and work upward. Depart a 1/8-inch hole between the underside of the brick and the counter to permit motion. Press the brick into the moist thin-set by gently wiggling it backward and forwards. Maintain it in place till it’s sticking, then transfer on to the following one. Depart a joint of about 1/4-inch or as desired between the bricks. Tipo yardstick or several pre-cut shims briefly laid flat on the countertop towards the wall, will create a fair hole between the primary row of brick and the countertop. Place bricks on prime of wooden items and press into thinset. Take away the wooden earlier than the thin-set begins to remedy.
- Reduce Brick VeneerAs you attain an obstruction or outlet, minimize the brick. Use a moist tile noticed to chop the brick. You may as well minimize brick veneer on a rail tile cutter or with a hacksaw.
- End Brick on the prime whenever you attain the underside of the wall cupboards or the ceiling and determine whether or not you’ll want to minimize bricks lengthwise or go away a spot. Usually, if the hole is bigger than half the peak of the brick, minimize filler bricks. Whether it is lower than half, you’ll be able to often go away a spot and it’ll not be extremely noticeable.
- Add GroutMix up the grout and fill the grout bag. Twist off the top. Squeeze grout into the joints. Easy the grout with the jointing instrument.
- Add CaulkWith the caulking gun, add caulk to the hole between the underside of the brick and the countertop.
- Seal SurfaceAfter the grout is cured, brush on a clear concrete sealer. Apply two to 3 coats till the brick floor is sealed.TipSprinkle a couple of drops of water throughout the face of the brick veneer. If the water beads up, it’s sealed sufficient. If the water soaks in, add extra coats of sealer.
- Add Electrical Field Extenders and PlatesAdd extenders to {the electrical} packing containers. Then reinstall the retailers and light-weight switches. End by reinstalling the faceplates.
