I have a very ugly brick wall in my kitchen. The brick is the ugly red stuff traditionally used to line chimneys. We really don't want to drywall over it. It is the back side of our fire place and we are frightened of creating cracks if we start putting in masonary screws, etc. We are interested in a faux stucco or venetian plaster look. What is the best product to use that can be applied straight over this brick? And, is this a do-it-myself job or should I get a pro?

Pegasus in Nova Scotia

I think it's a job for an experienced mason who knows about stucco. Why mess with a faux stucco when you can have the real thing? There are many surface textures that can be achieved by using various tools and techniques.

The stucco process involves fastening wire lath to the brick, and applying two undercoats of stucco, and a finish coat. Controlling the mix and consistency of the stucco is a job for a pro. If those are not controlled, the longevity of the stucco will be compromised.

If you want an inexpensive yet attractive look then you can also paint the brick. All you need to do is go to your local paint store and buy a good quality block filler. You can have it tinted to the color you want to use in your kit. then buy a nice paint.A semi gloss, or satin or egg shell finish. It may take two coats of block filler then two coats of the paint. But it will be pretty. It can be an accent wall or part of the same color scheme of your kit. This is just a nice alternative to the brick . It will still have the pattern of brick but it will be solid and painted. The block filler fills in the porus gaps in the brick and mortor to give a solid surface for the paint to adhear to. Just another idea.

"The ugly red stuff used to line chimneys" suggests that you are looking at terra cotta, which is made from clay. If, in fact, that is the case, and you are looking at the terra cotta flue liner, then that suggests that the back of the chimney is missing, which is a real fire and/or carbon monoxide hazard. You need to acertain exactly what it is, in fact that you are looking at, which calls for a professional mason. If it is a terra cotta tile, such as saltillo, or quarry tile, then that suggests that the chimney is properly enclosed, and is simply faced with one of the foregoing, which, as suggested, can be painted to give it a different color, or, stripped, and replaced with drywall, or covered over with stucco, a different tile, marble, or granite, or faux stone veneer, assuming that it is otherwise well adhered, and free of soot, cooking grease, or other bond breaker.

The original poster specifically said brick, and may have simply been referring to common brick as opposed to face brick.

Thanks for all of the suggestions. I may not have described this brick as I should have. It is not the terra cotta flue liner. It is actual brick but the red stuff with the deep grooves. UGLY! And at some point, some of it was repointed with a different color motar. Anyway, we have decided to simply build a new wall in front of it and drywall. Means I lose 4" of room width from that wall, but so be it. There are worse things in life. Thanks again.

You don't have to lose 4 inches. You can install lath that is 3/4 thick and put your drywall on that.

Thanks. That's exactly what I will do.

Since you're going to build a wall, you can do any kind of decorative finish (Venetian Plaster, Lusterstone, Marmorino) that you want! You should choose one before drywalling, because the drywall texture has a dramatic effect on how those finishes look. It's not unusual for a decorative painter/faux finisher to have to re-texture a wall for a client who didn't consult before their drywall was installed which adds to time and, of course, expense.

We bought an older brick home. The brick was an ugle "orange" color. We thought we were stuck with the brick until we decided to "faux" paint our whole house and garage. We wanted the look of brick, just a different brick. We spray painted the base coat and using two other paint colors went over the base using small sponge pads. The look updated our house and garage at least 20 years and it was all done in two weekends.

beamergrl,
when you say ugly orange color do you mean "orange" or was it actually terra cotta? We have an old belgin brick home built in 1902, at some point someone put 2 additions on and left the brick exposed on the inside of the house. This brick is like a terra cotta color and very porrus with alot of broke and chipped bricks. I really don't have the money to reside the home and the inside had been gutted and redone at some point but not the brick. I would like to cover the brick with something since it does drop alot of brick dust all over. Would the process that you applied on the outside of your home be something that could be done on an inside wall?

Thanks for all the great advice. We have decided to just drywall and paint. We have chosen a black counter and slate floor so need to keep the wall light and plain.
Thanks again.
K