Las Vegas Boudoir Studio - Creating a Loft Style Brick Wall With Paint

February 13, 2019  •  1 Comment

For as long as I can remember, I have been captivated by the loft style…old buildings with exposed brick walls, renovated for studios or living spaces. That being said, I’m also very fond of more space and the modern conveniences that a newer building has. I’ve been thinking for a while about how I could create something with the same feel in our modern space (without spending a bazillion dollars), and finally decided to go for it. After pitching the idea to my ever-supportive husband (who always seems to get roped into my projects) I set out for Lowe’s to gather my supplies.

The next step was taking down the metal prints that hang on that wall, and measuring for the horizontal stripes that would make the rows of bricks. I decided on 4 inches between rows of blue tape, and I’m pretty proud of my idea to tape the level to the yardstick so I could be sure that my pencil marks (which would turn into rows of tape) were straight and level.


Once all of the horizontal rows were taped, we measured 8 inches long for the length of the bricks, and added vertical pieces of tape. This taping process was fairly time-consuming, but is so important for the finished look.

The next step was adding the pre-mixed joint compound, to give the “bricks” varying textures and a more realistic look. It’s supposed to be messy and not uniform, so if you decide to try this, don’t worry about any particular pattern.

I let that dry overnight, and then started in on the painting. I used inexpensive 2 inch paintbrushes, and mixed the colors as I went along. I tried to vary the placement of a certain color, and then would add a little of another hue to create a slightly different variation. Once all of the bricks were painted, I went over it with a stipple brush and some of the paint mixtures from the tray to try to blend the bricks and give them some depth.

At this point we were excited to take down the miles and miles of blue tape (again, my husband was immensely helpful with this) and see how it looked. It really was coming together! In typical Tracy fashion, I just had to tinker a little more, so I went back over both the brick edges and the “grout lines” with a stipple brush and a tiny amount of cream + white paint, to give it more of an antiqued or distressed look.

Then it was time to once again hang the wall art…I couldn’t be happier with how it turned out! Now I have a little of that “loft style” right here, and I can’t wait to use it in a session.

Here is my supplies list, for anyone who might want to try it:

  • A variety of small “sample” paints (I used black, gray, a brownish/wine color, white, cream, nautical blue, and a rust tone. I also bought red, but really didn’t use much of that, preferring the wine to mix colors).Our floors are “cooler” so I chose to mix colors that complemented the rest of the space…you can customize this any way you’d like
  • (2 ) 2” paint brushes and something to mix your paints in
  • LOTS of blue painter’s tape, the narrowest you can find (mine was just under an inch)
  • A pencil
  • Tape measure/yardstick
  • Level
  • Stipple brushes
  • Plastic gloves
  • Plastic/drops to protect the floor
  • Pre-mixed joint or drywall compound and spreaders

This project was quite a bit of work (it took me about 3 days), but I’m not one to let that stop me, and seeing the finished product definitely makes it worth it!

 


Comments

Cheryl(non-registered)
Nice!!
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