apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

Ya ain't got what ya ain't got.

Hopefully you'll get your exposed brick in a future home, but for now, go with paint colors that work for your current space.

don't get brick wallpaper, that's hideuos. If your landlord will allow it, get this: http://www.artobrick.com/AntikBrick.htm

Maybe you could cover the sheetrock with wood then adhere this, and then when you get ready to move, pull it all down?

Forget faux bricks, the result won't be the same. Try to make use of the real wall you have, or other features in the apartment that are worth enhancing. A real thing, even ordinary, is always better than a bad fake.

ive seen "brick paneling" before.. it was a 4'x8' "sheet", which was textured (molded) and i did not know it wasn't real brick until i touched it.

it might look a little too mcmansion, and not enough converted warehouse.. but its something to look for!

or.. a well executed giant poster of actual size brick.. aka photo wall paper.

I would get some actual old bricks at a salvage place and stack them in interesting formations on a sideboard or low bookshelf, then light them so they stand out.

When it comes to faux, just say no.

You said your apt is fabulous, so play up all the fabulous things you like about it instead. If it is the windows, play them up, if it's a little nook, make it more interesting with unique decor, etc.

Faux Brick is like a fake convertible top on your car or a toupee: Even if you've spent alot of money for it, you're not fooling anyone but yourself.

Put up some of that groovy peel-off wallpaper that was blogged last week instead.

The faux brick won't make you happy. It'll just annoy you with all the ways it falls short of what you'd envisioned.

I say make the best of what you have, and maybe you'll get your exposed brick in another home.

I second tessahessa's sentiments. Don't fake it, but if you like brick, do something new and interesting with real brick.

BRAINSTORM: Why not use a stage-set scrim painted to look like bricks? It's obviously not "real," so it wouldn't be tacky, and the theatrical quality would be just right for your theater district apartment. I bet an art or theater student could do it for you fairly inexpensively.

I recently painted my bedroom in a soft gray from benjamin moore called "sidewalk gray"-- it is significantly lighter than all the other grays that I had tested and has a wonderful blue quality to it. But if you get a lot of light-- go for the intense grays that you find on this very site!
http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/la/look-gray-bedrooms-043294

tacky tacky. I work in restoration architecture and I must say faux finishes are extremely hard to do well. I have only seen a couple instances where it was done well, and it was not with something with a distinct texture like brick.

Don't do the faux brick. Just move it higher up on the requirements list for your next place if it means that much to you.

As for grays, I almost used the Ralph Lauren paint color "Cinderblock" in my bedroom. Its not super pale, but its a gray with some depth. (I instead went with a more brownish tone with "Cobblestone".) I think the paint color family is called Urban Loft- there are a lot of nice grays in it.

I have ordered samples from fauxbrickpanels.com and they are molded from real walls. They are made of hard foam, and they do look like the real thing..and they have mineral dust in then that even catched light like mica dust. I am torn about the faux thing myself. especially the "feel", which whil hard to dicern, is not brick.

I was originally looking into them as a fix for another problem- mainly that I am having insulation injected into my walls which will leave holes that will need to be patched and repaired. I thought instead of new drywall, I could use these foam brick sheets.

I just saw some nice wall paper that looks like old weathered planks.... perhaps you could do something like that?

Faux bricks are pretty lame though. Unless you're going to install real stone veneer, don't bother with embossed wallpaper.

I agree with most of the other posters. Don't do the fake brick. Unless you're using the "thin brick" which is actually real brick and mortaring it to your walls, I'd steer clear of anything else. Like others have said, play up the other awesome features of your place and save the brick for your next place.

I did, however, like the alternative ideas of using real brick and stacking them on a shelf for a brick accent. The theatre scrim was also quite a creative solution.

I can see a very clean and simple LACK shelf from IKEA with some bricks stacked on it being pretty effective in material use and texture.

Good luck.

Just say naux to faux.

naux to faux! it's like cosmetic surgery - it's so much more attractive to work with what you've got.

ive always been a believer in sticking by "Truth in Material" unless its done in an overly campy way as to poke fun of exposed brick some how its will always look fake!

Snobs, much?

She knows, what she wants - the perfect space with a specific finish.

I don't have the techie know-how about this, but to me this is no diff from a basement that wants a window - and so gets a lightbox, or a small room that wants to go big, and so gets mirrors.

Can we get, any more precious? Do the fakest brick you can, if it's your vision for that space then it's the right thing, only envy and yucky superiority complex claimers can comment, and they're both bastards!

do a search for a brick veneer manufacturers. i remember seeing the installation on a diy television show a long while ago. it was real brick, but thinner. so the apperance was totally believable

http://www.diynetwork.com/diy/fc_brick/article/0,,DIY_13810_3824838,00.htm

Just don't do it.

I'm not really sure where all the "fake" hate comes from on this site. If it looks good it doesn't matter what its made of.

I say if you like it, pursue it like you would any other wall project: go small scale, see what you think, and then if you like it go all out :)

forget the bricks... why would anyone want to live in Times Square?

Don't do it. Why do you want it? I had exposed brick in my first apartment and, honestly, it wasn't that great. If I had it now, I'd paint it white.

That said, if you LOVE the look, I say go for it. Or wait for the next place - after all, that's one of the good things about renting. You can move whenever!

You cannot replicate the brick look for a wall. Just not possible period.

nordicfreak - it is convenient. Where you live?

tessahessa - suggested the best thing. Contrast the grey painted wall with some type of self made small brick structure. End table, etc.

i think its a bit tacky, but im all for individulity...So if you like it, go for it!! Besides, faux brick doesn't have to be meant as an attempt to pass for real brick-- it can be ironic and quirky!