DIYbanter - View Single Post - decorating concrete blocks to make them look like bricks?

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wrote:
This would probably sounds too wacky for all the pro out there, but
surely there must be a way of turning concrete blocks into lookalike
bricks?!
I am about to rebuild an external wall (the back only) and I would like
to use blocks instead of bricks (for costs and timing reasons).
The main problem is a cosmetic one as I am dealing with a terrace house
and all the other houses use red bricks.

Here are some ideas:

1) I decided to do an experiment using a router to carve brick patterns
into a block. The final result looks fine (the bricks part should be
painted), but the router bit is badly worn out.

2) Now I am thinking of using an angle grinder to do most of the
carving and using the router where the grinder would be unpracticable
(mortar junctions).

3) Another idea would be to use stucco like material to 'build' bricks
on the face of blocks.

4) On a lesser impact, why not use a thick layer of texture paint?

5) Or maybe there are out there merchants selling decorative blocks
which looks like bricks?

Been there before?
Please let me know.

Alex

I saw in a yard once "facing bricks" proper red (clay?) broicks but
thinner , about 1/2 inch deep, which would be ideal (remember laughing
cos they were more expensive than real bricks, but not by much)

carving into concrete sounds a bit labour intensive, and prone to
"human" error.

but then again I think the same is true of brick laying