Drywall over brick

16 years ago

Hello. I need some suggestions on a two part project. I have one wall in my dining room that is partially brick (it is the backside of a fireplace) and the rest is drywall. The wall is about 2/3 brick, with a doorway in the drywall portion. I would like to cover the brick part with drywall. I've read that most people suggest using furring strips, but this would not work for me as it would create quite a difference in thickness of the wall. In other words, the drywall over brick would stick out much further than the rest of the wall. Given the placement of the doorway (about 8 inches from the brick), this would look quite bad.

I was thinking of using construction adhesive on 1/4" drywall (that is the thickness space I have) and then reinforce that with a few masonry screws to hold the sheets up while the adhesive dries. Would this work well? Any suggestions on adhesive? There are no dampness concerns on this wall.

The second part is that I would like to, if possible, install wainscoting all around this room. How would I go about attaching the wainscoting on the wall that covers the brick?

Featured Answer

sierraeast

16 years ago

You might consider using cement board rather than gypsum wall board. 1/2" over the brick using tapcon masonry screws carefully driven and similar to drywall, sinking the head of the screw. You can mesh tape the seams and finish similar to drywall with the final coat being a skim coat after you get the seam areas decently flat. Trying to go the 1/4" drywall route with screws will be frustrating as there isn't enough substance or ridgidity to keep the screws from being driven all the way through. Cement board is a little more work establishing a smooth finish, but is doable.

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Comments (9)

sombreuil_mongrel
16 years ago
Sounds like a job for plaster. Use structolite, then use durabond to skim and feather it over the drywall. The seam between the drywall and plaster (if a flat seam) should be 6" wide mesh tape bedded in durabond. You get to learn a new trade.
There are lots of discussions on "Old Houses" that you can bring up in the search mode that will give you all the particulars. The Trunk Room thread is one I'd recommend.
Casey
sombreuil_mongrel
16 years ago
Use a grinder and remove the mortar from brick courses every 12-16 inches (about every five courses of brick is more than adequate), and cut a strip of wood to drive into this seam. If loose, use construction adhesive. If you take my plastering hint, hold the wood out exactly level with the plane of the drywall. Then you use the topmost wood strip as your plastering screed (guide).
If you had more thickness to work with, it would be better to mount backer strips with concrete screws, but they don't work unless you have space for 3/4" furring strips.
Casey
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userbob
Original Author
16 years ago
Hmm, I appreciate the suggestions, but they both seem to be quite a bit of work to just cover about 12 feet of wall. I don't trust myself with plaster!
userbob
Original Author
16 years ago
So, no one thinks proper construction adhesive will be strong enough to hold the 1/4" sheets up? The screws were only to hold the sheets in place while the adhesive dries. I've even read of people using joint compound as the adhesive behind the sheets!
macv
16 years ago
In most building codes, the required clearance between the back face of a masonry fireplace and combustible materials is 4 inches. That air space cannot be filled except to provide code required fire blocking.
userbob
Original Author
16 years ago
In my county, the code does state the 4" space gap, but if the walls of the fireplace are 12" or more thick, you can put combustibles directly on the brick. This will be on the backside, so there is no concerns about it being a certain distance from the fireplace opening.
woodbutcher_ca
16 years ago
Hi,
I at one time I hung about 1500 sheets of Vinyl clad 5/8 sheet rock on block walls. I used adhesive about a quart per panel. Worked OK. I shimmed the panels up to the ceiling untill th adhesive dried. I can't remember the brand of adhesive but it wasn't a special type. Locktite makes a good adhesive, I'd give that a try.
Good Luck Woodbutcher
brickeyee
16 years ago
I would plaster right onto the brick.