Faux Brick Siding Installation Guide - All You Should Know
Written by Milan Jara on 17th Mar 2022
Are you thinking of faux brick siding? Check out our faux brick siding installation guide for step-by-step instructions.
Real bricks are one of the best materials for the walls of a house because of the structural support they offer. However, when you want to add siding to an interior or exterior wall, go for lighter options, such as faux brick siding, fiber cement siding, and thin brick veneer.
Instead of faux brick siding, you can use options that resemble natural stone for stone siding, such as faux stone, stone veneer, and faux stone veneer. Rock siding is also excellent siding material that lasts a long time and gives the house a natural look.
Faux stone siding can have different names, like manufactured stone and manufactured stone veneer, depending on the manufacturer and composition of the product.
When siding your interior or exterior walls with brick siding, you can use real brick, faux brick, brick veneer/thin brick, or faux brick panels. This article explains how you can install brick siding using single-piece faux brick and faux brick wall panels.
Let's get to it!
Single-Piece Faux Brick Siding Installation Guide
Single-piece faux bricks can be time-consuming to install but don't always have to be a challenge once you know what you need and what to do.
Tools and Materials for Faux Brick Pieces Installation
You need the following tools and materials to ensure a smooth installation process for single-piece faux brick house siding:
- Level
- Tape measure
- Wet saw
- Table saw
- Trowel
- Mastic
- Matched color grout
- Faux brick pieces
- Grout bag
- Wood
Single-Piece Faux Brick Siding Installation Steps
The installation of single faux brick pieces is much like that of stone, stone veneer siding, brick veneer siding, or solid brick. It can be messy because of the grout, which replaces the mortar used to fit traditional brick.
However, you can make the process easier and less messy if you follow the steps below.
1. Clean the Wall
When putting up a faux brick accent wall, ensure the wall is clean. Remove any debris and wipe away dust or grease. If the wall has oil-based paint, you should sand it down.
2. Ensure the Base is Level
Before installing any faux brick, check the flatness and levelness of the base of the wall. If the floor is level, the base will also be level.
If the floor isn't level, lay a piece of flat wood on the floor against the wall base to act as the guide when you start installing the bricks.
3. Cut the Pieces that Need Cutting
You can make your work easier by using a table saw to cut the faux bricks that need cutting before starting installation so that you don't have to stop each time to cut a new brick.
Not all the bricks will need to be cut. To start, cut a few in half and use them to stagger out the edges and eliminate vertical seams.
4. Install the Cut Bricks
Start fixing the bricks from the bottom corner of the wall on the right side and work your way horizontally and then vertically on the wall.
As you install the bricks, you need to leave some space between them to apply the grout.
Use pieces of scrap wood to make equidistant spaces between the rows and from brick to brick, such that each grout joint has the same width, preferably 0.5".
To fix the bricks to the wall, use the trowel to apply mastic on the wall along the bottom corner. Fix a full brick against the mastic, followed by a half piece directly above it to stagger between full and half bricks. This will avoid making continuous vertical seams.
Use the level each time to make sure the first brick of each row is level.
After the first mastic application is fully covered, apply another layer directly above it for fixing the bricks in the same half brick/full brick alternating manner.
Keep checking the level for each row. Repeat the process until you reach the ceiling, skipping areas like the fireplace and windows or any other areas you do not want to cover.
5. Apply Grout and Do Final Touches
After affixing all the imitation bricks, leave them for a day or two to dry and cure before filling the gaps with grout. This will imitate the natural look of real brick better.
Use the grout bag to apply the grout through the spaces, making sure to level it out and wipe off the excess as you go. Leave the grout to dry.
Faux Brick Panels Siding Installation Guide
Unlike faux brick pieces, faux brick panels are easier to install because they come in pre-assembled blocks. Here's what you'll need and the steps to follow.
Tools and Materials for Faux Brick Panels Siding Installation
You need the following materials to install faux brick panels wall cladding:
- Construction adhesive
- Faux brick wall panels
- Sanded caulk
- Level
- Table saw/wet saw for cutting the brick panels
- Screws/screwdriver/nail gun
- Matched color acrylic paint or grout
- Tape measure
- Temporary mark pen (for marking where to cut)
- Soft paintbrush
- Putty knife
- Spackle (putty to fill cracks and holes in wood, drywall, or plaster)
- Caulking gun
Faux Brick Panels Siding Installation Steps
You can follow the steps below to install imitation brick panels siding.
1. Measure and Map Out the Installation Area
It is crucial to do this step before buying the brick wall panels as you must estimate the number of panels you'll need.
First, measure the installation area and map out the specific area you plan to cover. Take into account the fireplace and power outlets, since these will not be covered with the panels.
You can estimate the number of panels you need by dividing the square footage of the area you’re covering (total wall area minus area not to be covered) by the area of each wall panel. This will help you also estimate the total siding cost for the project.
2. Cut the Panels
You have to cut some of your panels to size to fit them in specific spots, such as the right, left, and top edges of the wall.
The best approach here is to line up each panel on the wall to see which ones need cutting. Use a wet saw or table saw, depending on what you have available.
When lining up and cutting the panels, make adjustments for places you shouldn't cover, such as the windows, fireplace, doors, and power outlets.
You must cut off the fingers on the right side to create a straight edge for the first panel. This is important since you'll follow a right-to-left installation process, starting with the corner pieces. You’ll need to cut the fingers off these pieces to form a smooth edge that will fit snugly in the corner.
Once you put up the first panel on the right, starting from the bottom of the wall, it will guide you on how to align the rows and columns for all the other panels so the installation is smooth and natural-looking.
After determining where each panel fits, you can now cut them to size, taking care to label the wall and the backside of each panel with the pen so you know where to place each panel.
3. Clean the Wall
Your faux panels won't stay in good condition for a long time if you do not install them on a clean wall. The wall should be free of debris, mold, grease, or dust and completely dry.
4. Attach the Panels
The markings on the panels and wall will make it easy to tell which faux panel goes where.
Start by attaching the first guide panel on the right side and fixing the others to the left. The guide panel should fit well against the vertical edge or corner and the bottom edge of the wall.
The level helps you check that each panel is level on the wall and with the ones next to it.
Attach each wall panel by applying enough construction adhesive on the application wall and then fitting the panel on top. To strengthen the panel's hold on the wall, add eight to ten screws or nails along the groove. Do not place them on the surface or you will damaging it.
After the first panel, repeat the process for all the other uncut and pre-cut panels. The trick is to always install in rows (horizontal first and then vertical) and complete each row before you go to the next. Avoid starting another row until the previous one is complete.
The level comes in handy to ensure that all the panels are level at the top.
5. Do the Final Touch-ups
Your wall siding won't look its best if you leave it without the finishing touches. Apply some sanded caulk along the borders of adjacent panels to hide the visible seams or divisions between them.
You can also use your fingers or the putty knife to apply the matched color grout on the tops of the nails or screws to hide them. Alternatively, you can hide the nails or screws by using a soft paintbrush to apply acrylic paint on them.
Enlist the Help of a Professional
Although installing faux brick siding is an easy project for most people, you can save yourself a lot of time and guesswork when you enlist the help of a house siding professional. Do not hesitate to call one if you feel overwhelmed.
