How We DIY'd Our Thin Brick Floors (Tools and Materials List)
(updated July 9, 2024)
When we were planning stages of our new build home, there was one thing I decided was a must have: thin brick floors. We knew it was going to be expensive, so we planned to DIY the project from the get-go. I have shared several videos on social media (TikTok, Instagram, YouTube) sharing how we installed them as well as everything else that goes with having interior brick floors…
Watch the video below to see the process of installing thin brick floors and then keep reading for answers to our most frequently asked questions.
Here are answers to your most frequently asked questions about the thin brick we used in our home!
What thin brick and grout did you use on your floors?
That’s one of the most common questions we get. Here’s the scoop…
We originally found the bricks at Home Depot, but at the time they didn’t have enough stock for our project, so we bought the bricks directly from the manufacturer, Old Mill Brick. We went with their patented Brickwebb sheets to save some time rather than laying individual bricks. Here are links to everything we used to install the floor.
Old Mill thin bricks - Castle Gate (They have many color options. Castle Gate is out of stock)
Grout - White sanded (Because of the wide grout lines, you need to use Sanded grout)
Grout Bag (If you’re floating the grout, you won’t need this bag)
Tuck Pointer (We used a flat one instead of a curved pointer)
Level (to make sure you’re keeping it as level as possible while laying the brick)
Did you seal your thin brick floor?
Yes! We used a standard brick sealer. I didn’t want the color of the brick to change so I went with a clear sealer. When you apply it, it’s like water and then dries completely. I do want to try another sealer that has a slight matte finish to it. (Once I try that, I will update this post.)
How do you keep your thin brick floors clean?
For the most part I just vacuum them. The laundry room is easy to keep clean because it’s not a high traffic area. It’s a room on its own and pretty much just used by John and me. The mudroom is a different story. It’s right off our garage so it gets daily foot traffic. Having the garage helps and I keep a rug out there to wipe feet before we enter. With two boys (no pets) it still gets dirty. Again, for the most part I just vacuum the floor. I have tried a couple different methods to keep the white grout clean. 1. Warm water + tide and a brush and 2. steamer. Both worked just fine, the steamer was quicker way to get the grout clean.
If you are at all worried about keeping them pristine, don’t go with white grout. The white looks brighter in pictures than it does in real life. When you install the bricks, the brick dust (from cutting them) will slightly change the color of the grout. You can’t tell unless you’re looking for it. It doesn’t bother me, it’s a rustic floor with an old time feel so ultra-bright white was never the goal.
If you’re concerned about the white grout then maybe go with gray or another color. Keep in mind the grout color will change the over all look. I really like the contrast of the white grout with the red/brown brick. You’re best bet would be to search for product photos and compare the different grout colors!
The other concern I get from people when I post about our brick floors is that they can’t be mopped because they are porous. Yes, brick is porous, but it also dries. It’s extremely durable which is why it has been used on exteriors for so long! You have to be careful with mopping wood floors, too. It’s no different with brick.
What does thin brick floor feel like on your feet?
Our floors are not as rough as you might think. We are sock wearers, so we don’t walk barefoot that often. It does not snag our socks and in the 2+ years that we’ve lived with thin brick floors we have never stubbed our toes. Now, the reason for that may be because of how we grouted the floor. We made the grout almost flush with the surface of the brick.
What I love about the brick is how well it holds heat. We get lots of natural light in our house. The laundry room floor feels so warm when the sun has been shining on them. Sometimes I will go in there to warm my feet up.
How did you transition from your other flooring to the brick?
The floors that butt up against our brick are hardwood and because of that the two floors are pretty much flush. We have 3/4 inch hardwood floors butting up to the 1/2 inch thin brick and under the brick is 1/4 inch cement board. If you add those two together, you get 3/4 inch which matches the hardwood flooring. The only reason the brick floors are slightly higher than the wood floors is because there is mortar between the brick and cement board. In order to get a smooth transition between the floorings, we slopped the grout line up towards the brick; again, it’s very minimal but that’s what we did. VIDEO
How much did your thin brick floor cost?
Let me preface with, this was not cheap. We knew that going into it, so we saved as much as we could during the build by DIYing as much as we could. We painted all the walls and trim in the house, stained and finished our interior doors, etc saving thousands of dollars along the way.
Keep in mind, we purchased the brick in 2020 before it was trending, and materials costs raised. At that time, their Brickwebb sheets in the herringbone pattern were around $12 per square foot. We calculated flooring for both our mudroom (approximately 16’ft x 7.5' ft) and laundry room (approximately 16.5 ft x 7.5 ft.) and ended up spending $3,000 on the brick (not including the materials listed and linked earlier in this post).
If you’re like us and determined to have brick floors, Old Mill Brick makes it easy to figure out how much material you need for your project with their product calculator (shown below)
Old Mill Brick Product Calculator
All you have to do is fill in the length and width of the room to figure out how many square feet/ boxes you need. They also recommend ordering an additional 10% for contingency. We did do that, and we are glad we did because some of the bricks came broken. You have to remember that is it is thin brick; it would be impossible for every brick to remain intact during the transportation process. We ended up having enough left over to also brick our fireplace as well. I love the brick so much that I was happy to have left over for more projects.
Pro Tip: If you’re looking to save a little on cost, you might consider buying boxes of individual bricks. If you’re looking to save some time, then go for the Brickwebb sheets.
We hope comprehensive blog is helpful. Laying a brick floor is a big job, but the end result is totally worth it! If you have any questions, leave them below…
Happy Brick Laying,