Exposed Brick

After reading many older posts, I am aware that many on this forum don’t think brick should be exposed…but it looks so good! I would love to have at least some exposed brick in our house. Are there ways to safely do a section of a wall for aesthetics?

kcc414

in Brownstoner Renovation 9 years and 4 months ago

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Rosehouse | 9 years and 4 months ago

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I exposed two ceiling high brick fireplaces and it looks great. We had them grinded and polished to clean them up a bit, and then sealed with Thompsons sealer. It left them matte and not shiny. As others have mentioned, definitely seal them, or else they can create dust as the old mortar crumbles. I don’t remember what it cost, but it was trivial compared to the other renovations we were doing.

firstmediation | 9 years and 4 months ago

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It can look great but unless you seal the bricks, it can get very dirty and leave bits of old mortar and brick dust on your floor. I used a vacuum to clean my wall and then applied an environmentally friendly sealant with a roller to the clean bricks. I didn’t want shine and the product I found was perfect for the job. I think I bought it from some company in Florida, but it was many years ago. I never noticed noise through the exposed bricks, but it is harder to hang a picture…

catboot | 9 years and 4 months ago

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From a neighbor of a house that has exposed brick: We can hear everything. They removed the plaster and it made a humongous difference in the level of sound insulation. So there is that to consider.

dorkofwindsor | 9 years and 4 months ago

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there is a good chance you will be smelling your neighbors cooking if it is near their kitchen, which means by default that when they are sick their germs will inevitably be in your air (yummy). i hate that my neighbors have exposed brick. also, you will hear their arguments and kids or what not. the brick is just inadequate and it was not meant to be exposed. but, go for it if you must. someone else can always cover it up if they don’t like it when its their turn to make the house their own.

nalusurf | 9 years and 4 months ago

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I exposed an interior wall in the kitchen, no idea of cost as I did it myself. It is not difficult, but extremely time consuming (waaay more so than hanging and finishing sheet rock) which will likely make it pretty expensive to have done. Also VERY, VERY dusty even though I had an attachment on my grinder that kept the majority of the mortar dust going into the shop vac. Some things to keep in mind, if it is an old house it is likely a lime based mortar. I spent a lot of time researching mortar and found a great place that supplied it by the bag and I could match the color relatively close to the old mortar. It is best to match mortar types. As suggested above I bought a matte finish, exterior sealer and it looks great and keeps the mortar in tact and nothing crumbles (especially important in the kitchen). Good luck!

resident2 | 9 years and 4 months ago

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Be aware that if you are exposing the brick on an outside wall you will loose heat in the winter and will need more A/C in the summer. If you are exposing the brick on the party wall between your neighbors house and you, you will hear more of your neighbors movements etc. Besides that make sure that you know what look you are going for before hiring someone to do it, because there are many “looks”. The clean, perfect mate finish, the rough and shiny gloss look, etc etc. The costs to get which finish you want will vary greatly just like everything else in construction; craft and skill costs more.

sqhaexgkh | 9 years and 4 months ago

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We’re exposing a wall of brick in our townhouse (which will be cleaned and sealed by the contractor). Since its part of a large reno, I don’t know the exact price; however, I believe its in line with the cost to install new sheetrock/paint from conversations we had when discussing a price for the overall job.

carmenf | 9 years and 4 months ago

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No clue.

kcc414 | 9 years and 4 months ago

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Oh! That’s promising! Any idea of the cost?

carmenf | 9 years and 4 months ago

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If the bricks and mortar are in good shape there’s no issue of “safety” with exposing them. Depending on the age of your house, you may need to hire a mason to repair and re-point the bricks. There’s also some special matte coating that they can apply that helps to seal everything up without making it look like there’s anything added. I imagine the only risk is if your walls are not in good shape behind the drywall or plaster or whatever you’re removing.