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

[email protected]

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

Youre never going to get blocks to look like bricks. Its easy enough to
cut straight lines with an angle grinder and make the wall look like a
wrongly bonded brick wall, and build with joints same thickness as
angle grinder blade, but youre then left with 2 problems.

1. texture
2 colour. Bricks are far from a uniform colour and youre not going to
be able to replicate them unless youre an artist with a whole lotta
time on your hands.

If you want brick, use brick. If you must use blocks to save £, you
could at least use decorative blocks. Making your own blocks opens a
wide range of decorative options up as well as saving some dough.

http://groups.google.com/group/uk.d-...454ce4283b9aa7

NT