Hi,
I want to build a large box (36x72x24) planter for my poolside and I wanted it to match the brick pattern on the deck. I considered buying brick veneer but that would be a special order and for such a small job too expensive. Then I recalled my neibour having the exterior of his house stuccoed and having a brick pattern scored into it. Any tips on doing this technique would be appreciated.
Thanks,
Mike
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Don't know about the stucco, but you can buy brick tiles, and thinset and grout them on there, and they look just like brick
Not sure where you are, but here the company is New England Brickmaster. They do what you are talking about. You can find them on the internet. They do a scratch coat and then a finish coat and I think they either trowel in the mortar joints, or cut them in with a saw.
"Oh, this is the worst-looking hat I ever saw. What, when you buy a hat like this I bet you get a free bowl of soup, huh? Oh, it looks good on you though."
I saw a real good example of that technique at Disneyland Main Street. Its held up great for over 50 year. The artisans would trowel a mortar color sutucco and then a brick red coat. With a straight edge and a chisel, they would scrap out the brick pattern. The finish of the bricks appear to be broomed. The local stucco factory does not list such a bright red color.
It's now done with various cement toppings and all kinds of colors and textures.
For his brick pattern, he would have to create a flat surface (like block), and top it with a troweled on sanded topping the color of his final mortar. After drying, he runs a high quality, plastic filmentatious tape in the brick pattern desired. The rolls, brushes, trowels another coat of topping that has been colored to match his brick. How he does it determines the depth of brick. Some then slightly smear a different color of topping in to vary the look and/or lightly flick silica sand of various colors on the surface. Let that set up a bit (not too long) and pull the tape template. Pull carefully and have an exacto type blade available to pick out any leftover strings in the mix.
I'm kinda thinking the earlier idea of brick tiles has more tolerance for a DIY'er.