Making a  brick wall

When I wanted to build a workshop set for a project I wanted the building to be made of brick.  I looked for a few options from doll house supply stores and online.   There are many great methods to achieve this effect.   I opted to create my walls using materials I hadreaily available.  I used MDF board for the walls and used 1"x 2" pine firring for the base supports.   Once the basic wall form was built I wrapped a twine string around the wall to create the mortor joints once I applied the wall compound. This would give me horizontal lines in a very easy way.  I was going for a cartoon look and in doing so did not care if the lines were perfectly spaced.  If spacing is of concern simply measure your line placement before hand along each side of your wall board.  The next step is to apply drywall patching compound over the entire wall.  I used a 5" putty knife to smooth the compound the string creates the depth of the bricks.

Once the drywall compound was applied and beginning to firm, I used a stylus tool to draw in the vertical lines.  Again I wasn't too worried about spacing but could have used guide lines at the top and bottom if this were the case.  Once the vertical lines were drawn in and the drywall compound was firm but not fully set, I removed the string guides.

Once the wall compound is fully hardened prime the wall and then paint.  I used white primer on the first 3 walls and gray on the 4th wall.  The gray is the best way to go as it will be the mortar color later.  I used a 1.5" chip brush to dry brush the brick colors.  Mixing the colors to give some depth to the brick.  The dry brushing technique will keep the gray in the mortar joints clean and makes for a nice looking brick. If you have any questions about this technique please feel free to e-mail me for more information/help. chris@cjandbuster.com