How To: Make Your Brick Walls Like BDDW’s
We were at a friend’s the other night admiring their walls. They looked just like the soft, luscious white/brick walls at BDDW (see above). Our friends surprised us with the information that, in fact, they WERE just like BDDW’s. They had not only admired BDDW’s walls, they had also asked BDDW’s designer, Tyler Hays, to stop by and give them some tips.
We then had the opportunity to meet Tyler at the Arch Digest show a few weeks back and ask him about the recipe. He told us that he had seen it on the site, found it flattering but that it was COMPLETELY wrong, though not as complicated and not impossible to figure out as you might think.
He also said that people come into the shop all the time and ask about the walls (which sort of annoys him), but that he wouldn’t give us any more recipe tips than that. AND he also said that it does have problems as it can weep and trap moisture, which requires repairing occasionally. That’s the dope.
The recipe here is what we have gleaned from various sources. We think it is worth playing with and perfecting. In the end it provides a really clean, bright surface for your walls, while still showing off the mottled brick patterning underneath.
BDDW Wall Recipe Estimate
1 Plaster
1 Joint Compound
Mix these ingredients together until you have a smooth, thich white paste (proportions may vary). Apply with a cement trowel to your brick wall and create a thin coating over the bricks. Keep it smooth. When dry, sanding is required to wear down the plaster mix and create a super smooth surface. If you sand more you will get more brick shape, less and you’ll get a more uniform surface.
This surface can then be easily painted over in one or two coats to finish.
(Re-Edited from 2005-09-30 – mgr)