How to Add Fake Red Brick to the Outside of My House

Create the look of red brick with veneers.

If you're on the market to remodel the exterior of your home and you're interested in creating a traditional look, consider installing red brick veneer siding. Brick veneer offers the look of natural brick, yet is far easier to install than full-sized bricks. Similar to tile, brick veneer is thinner and more lightweight than the full-sized material that it replicates, making it easier to work with and install.

Things You'll Need

• Building paper
• Staple gun
• Utility knife
• Metal lath
• Hammer
• 1/2-inch nails
• Mortar
• Trowel
• Chalk line
• Stick
• Grout
• Grout bag
• Wire brush

Instructions

1. Cover the exterior of your home with building paper. Staple the edge of the building paper to the wall with a staple gun. Unroll the building paper in a horizontal fashion for about six to eight feet. Cut the paper with a utility knife. Secure the end of the paper to the wall with a staple gun. Repeat the process, working from one side of the wall to the other and then move upward, until the entire exterior wall is covered with building paper.

2. Install metal lath over the building paper. Hammer 1 1/2-inch nails into the lath every six inches, securing it to the surface of the house.

3. Apply a thin layer of mortar -- about 1/2 inch thick -- over the lath with a trowel. Rub the notched edge of the trowel over the mortar in a vertical fashion, creating a scratched surface for the veneers to adhere to. Allow the scratch coat to cure for 48 hours.

4. Snap a horizontal chalk line every six inches along the surface of the mortar.

5. Butter the back of the brick veneers with about 1/2 inch of mortar using a trowel.

6. Place the veneers on the wall under the chalk lines. Use a level to ensure the edges of the veneers are straight. Gently wiggle the veneers onto the wall to create a bond between the bricks, the mortar and the wall. Allow the veneers to dry for about 24 hours.

7. Apply the rest of the veneer between each of the rows using the same process as described in Step 6.

8. Rake over the joints between the veneers with a rounded stick to push the mortar in deeper and to remove excess material.

9. Fill a grout bag halfway with grout. Gently squeeze the bag, applying grout between the joint lines.

10. Remove excess grout from the surface of the bricks with a wire brush while it is still wet.

References

• The Mold Store: Do It Yourself, How-to Guide to Installing and Setting Brick Veneer to a Wall or Walls