Brick slips kitchen

[AF07]

Doing my kitchen and want to have real brick wall so will be using brick slips.

The only thing is with the adhesive they end up being up to 25-30mm thick.

I am concerned that my wall cabinets will look odd, like they are inset into the wall if that makes sense? Or am I worrying about nothing?

And any other alternatives to create a decent brick effect (aside from wallpaper!). I’ve looked at the 3D panels but hard to tell quality from the pics.

[craigjm]

You can get brick slips in various thickness. For the job you are doing you want the 15mm ones and they will be fine

[LocoBlade]

Take the end panels off and cut them down slightly so they sit over the brickwork? Either that or mount the wall units on some wood (ply etc) so they sit 20-30mm further out?

[thebraketester]

I dont think you'll notice 30mm.

[AF07]

Thanks for the suggestions, samples came and they are actually 15mm thick so with adhesive I’d guess 20mm which won’t be noticeable hopefully.

[bazza white]

You can get brick effect tiles which are only 5mm ish. Not as real but you can wipe these down if if using as a splashback. Much better than tile effect wallpaper.

[AF07]

Thanks, I ended up going for 15mm brick slips and no issues.

Question - due to the thickness added by the brick slips, the back boxes are now recessed by about 20mm.

My plan was to just use longer screws for the faceplate, but I completely failed to account for the fact it won’t sit flush on a brick wall.

Right now the only option I’ve come up with is caulk or silicone around the faceplate unless anyone has other suggestions?

[MrVert]

I used a compressible neoprene foam so it just looks like a small shadow gap behind the faceplate.

Allows some adjustability when fitting the plate and looks better than a caulk or mastic line.

You can buy sheets for £6 from Amazon.

[Simpo Two]

AF07 said:

Question - due to the thickness added by the brick slips, the back boxes are now recessed by about 20mm.

My plan was to just use longer screws for the faceplate, but I completely failed to account for the fact it won’t sit flush on a brick wall.

Right now the only option I’ve come up with is caulk or silicone around the faceplate unless anyone has other suggestions?

You could replace them with deeper back boxes - if you can winkle the old ones out.

[Gareth79]

AF07 said:

Thanks, I ended up going for 15mm brick slips and no issues.

Question - due to the thickness added by the brick slips, the back boxes are now recessed by about 20mm.

My plan was to just use longer screws for the faceplate, but I completely failed to account for the fact it won’t sit flush on a brick wall.

Right now the only option I’ve come up with is caulk or silicone around the faceplate unless anyone has other suggestions?

If you are going for the unfinished/rough look, surface mount with steel conduit?

[AF07]

I wouldn’t need the conduit as the cables are already buried, obviously the ends sticking out of the back boxes ready for the faceplate.

Deeper back boxes are an option, if I can get the existing ones out easily enough.

The neoprene sounds like a good option though!

[mrpbailey]

Spacers an option?
These are only 10mm, but I’m sure someone will make thicker ones, and in other colours:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B07F877N9P/ref=cm_sw_r...

[AF07]

I assume I’d have the same problem with the spacers as they wouldn’t sit flush either. I think I’ll try the foam first.

Next question, mixing the adhesive in small batches is getting frustrating and time consuming, I tried a bigger batch and it set way to quickly and had to throw it away.

You can get ready mixed stuff but it seems to mainly be for ceramic tiles so not sure if it will work for brick slips? I know it costs more then powder but if it works then I’m happy with the time/hassle saving.

[Vanden Saab]

AF07 said:

I assume I’d have the same problem with the spacers as they wouldn’t sit flush either. I think I’ll try the foam first.

Next question, mixing the adhesive in small batches is getting frustrating and time consuming, I tried a bigger batch and it set way to quickly and had to throw it away.

You can get ready mixed stuff but it seems to mainly be for ceramic tiles so not sure if it will work for brick slips? I know it costs more then powder but if it works then I’m happy with the time/hassle saving.

Just buy standard set adhesive rather than rapid set good for two or three hours in the bucket. Do not use ready mix...

[Aluminati]

mrpbailey said:

Spacers an option?
These are only 10mm, but I’m sure someone will make thicker ones, and in other colours:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B07F877N9P/ref=cm_sw_r...

Or glue 2 together

[AF07]

Vanden Saab said:

Just buy standard set adhesive rather than rapid set good for two or three hours in the bucket. Do not use ready mix...

Any specific reason not to use ready mix, and do you mean in general or just for brick slips?

[Vanden Saab]

In general, I stopped using it about 20 years ago. It dries by evaporation not by the chemical action of a cement based adhesive so using it on anything but the smallest ceramic tiles will result in it not drying properly in the middle of the tile. It is also not waterproof and will soften if it gets wet. It also has the tendency to dry too quickly if applied to very porous materials such as plasterboard or with brick slips which suck the moisture out of it.
I often do complete bathroom replacements which includes taking the old tiles off, if they were fixed with ready mixed adhesive they will generally fall off the wall with very little input from me...

[AF07]

Ah I see. To be honest I went ahead and used it as I’d already bought it, also because I couldn’t be bothered with the faff of mixing up cement adhesive every 30 mins.

I could definitely tell the bond isn’t as strong but once fully dry, it was still extremely secure. More then enough to hold small light brick slips.