Getting a front porch makeover, no matter how you choose to do so, makes monumental impact to your curb appeal and overall appearance to your whole front exterior. Your front porch is the eyes of your home and what guests and passer-bys first look at when they see your house.
And my front porch was not something I was proud of. The basic concrete slab didn’t exude any character or curb appeal that I desired.
Tired, dingy concrete that had some cracks, some vines growing up through (nice…), and a grey shade that lacked all interest. It could be left alone and be “fine,” but I’ve always dreamed of more for this space.
I have wanted to do something about this front porch since we painted our exterior in 2020 and it was due time to get it done.
Old Mill Building Products has created a brilliant, inventive thin brick product that I knew was exactly what I wanted to enhance my porch. They’ve taken REAL BRICKS and shaved them down to roughly 1/2″ thick and secured them to a plastic mesh backing that allows you to lay bricks in a perfect layout. No need to worry about spacing the bricks perfectly. It’s already done for you! And me being me, if I’m going to add character, I’m going to amp it as much as possible. No straight bricks for me. I wanted a gorgeous herringbone pattern. Typically, this would be a difficult task; however, the bricks are perfectly secured to a strong mesh backing in a herringbone pattern that allows you to lay even an intricate pattern such as herringbone with ease.
My vision for this front porch is to have the soft red brick contrasted against the white and black of our exterior, all softened by a beautiful wood door to welcome you in. First up, the brick porch!
**Use code KEMPER10 at checkout at Old Mill Building Product checkout for 10% off your order!!**
Materials Needed
Full cost breakdown and amount needed for my porch listed at the end of this tutorial!
ZEP Driveway and Concrete Degreaser
Old Mill Building Products Thin Brick in Midtown – Herringbone, Singles and Corners
Old Mill Building Products Adhesive Mortar
Eco Advance Concrete/Masonry Sealer
Additional Tools Needed:
These are pieces that I had on hand as a DIYer that you may need to purchase in addition to the materials listed above.
Drill – I love this impact driver!
The Process
Laying Bricks
You can watch the process on Instagram here…
As well as on my Highlight titled “Brick Porch” on my Instagram Profile.
To prepare your surface, you’ll need to thoroughly clean the surface first. I swept away dust and debris first and then used a degreaser on my porch to get off any residue leftover from previous flower pots and baskets.
*I used this degreaser on the front porch to clean it prior, as well as to clear grout haze after grouting*
Allow to dry completely as mortar will not adhere to a wet surface and will cause many problems as it cures.
I chose to dry fit my porch first to ensure I loved the pattern and layout first before securing anything. This is extremely helpful to visualize exactly what you want and adapt easily. This is not something you want to change your mind on once you get going.
I chose to do corner pieces with the long side laying on the top of the porch while the shorter sides hang on the front and sides. Then I did a row of singles along the back of the porch, along the house, to match the same look and create a border around the entire porch. Then I placed my herringbone pieces to fill in the top.
Once I was pleased with the look, I mixed my adhesive mortar from Old Mill in a 5-gallon bucket with a mixing paddle with my drill. You want the mixture to be thick as peanut butter. Keep adding water and mortar to achieve the exact consistency.
I started with the corner pieces along and front and sides. Since my porch isn’t entirely level and there are tiny dips in the concrete, I chose to scoop mortar directly onto the corner pieces to allow for me to add more in some areas to bump the bricks up more, forward more, etc. The largest goal is to keep your entire front porch level throughout this entire process. To space my bricks consistent through the whole porch, I used a 5/8″ dowel rod as my spacer because that is how far apart the bricks are spaced on the herringbone webbing.
When laying my corner pieces, I placed them down on the porch, spaced it using my dowel rod, and then ensured it was level at every angle.
Once I had the front and sides complete, I moved to the single pieces along the front edge of the house. For this part, I put mortar directly on the porch instead of on the bricks. Using your trowel, scoop mortar and begin smoothing it onto your surface in small sections. Then I placed a single, straight brick down on top, spaced it using my dowel rod, and checked for levelness.
When laying my herringbone tiles, I smoothed mortar directly on my porch using my trowel, placed my herringbone webbing down on top and gently pushed the bricks down so the mortar came through the webbing onto the base of the bricks. Continue to check for levelness. When you move onto your next piece of herringbone webbing, it lays perfectly next to the previous one. Just ensure you’ve spaced them properly away and it matches the remainder of the brick spacing.
To see the process, check out this Instagram Reel.
More than likely, you’ll need to cut smaller pieces to fill in the gaps or cut away pieces to fit into your space. Since these are thin bricks, you are able to use a wet saw or a tile grinder to cut the bricks. Although saws can be extremely intimidating and scary, a wet saw is one of the least dangerous because it doesn’t CUT, but more so GRINDS away the pieces.
To cut away some of the bricks on the webbing, carefully pull them off the mesh surface and cut away whatever mesh you are not needing to use with scissors. I marked my bricks using a Sharpie marker where they needed to be cut, used my triangle to make a straight line and then cut it with my wet saw. I added a small amount of mortar to the back of the small pieces and then placed them in their proper location.
Do not walk on the front porch for at least 48 hours after your last brick was placed even if it appears to be cured. The very last thing you want is for any bricks to lose their level after you spent so much time in this process!
To brick the front and sides, I chose to do a horizontal lay with the single, straight bricks. I had to start directly under the corner pieces and work my way down because the bricks weren’t going to be a perfect fit and I’d need to cut away some of the height of the bottom row.
To help the bricks from sliding down the sides with gravity, I created a ledger board to create a straight, flat surface to hold the bricks in place. I held up the ledger board with extra brick pieces stacked on top of one another.
I allowed each row to completely cure before taking everything away below and move on to the row below. This was by far the most tedious portion of this project! But at this point, I was so close to being done, I saw such great progress after each row that I didn’t get frustrated. I was almost done!
The very bottom row of the front of my porch needed my bricks to not only be cut horizontally, but they also needed to be cut at different sizes because the front sidewalk has a small angle change for water runoff. I placed the dowel rod at the base of the front to create a consistent spacing at the bottom and then used the same approach with a Sharpie marker to determine the line needed to be cut.
Grouting
After the mortar has completely cured, clean the surface once more with a blower or a broom to rid all debris or dirt.
I used MAPEI grout in the color Pewter for this project. Mix with water according to package directions in a 5-gallon bucket until the grout is completely saturated and the consistency of cake icing.
There are two types of methods to grout bricks: Piping bag or Float method. The piping bag method is where you fill a large piping bag (think a massive version of an icing piping bag!) and fill in the cracks in between each brick in small sections. Before it dries, go back through with a Brick Concave Jointer tool to smooth it into each space and wipe away the excess.
Because my bricks have an old world look and feel to them with the imperfections, I wanted to really show that off with my grout. I chose to do the Float Method to fill in some of those dips and dents in the bricks and give it a really great Charleston-esque appearance. I scooped the grout onto my grout float and rubbed it into the spaces and across the top, wiping away the excess on top of the bricks with my float.
After doing a small section, I then filled a separate bucket with clean water and dipped a tile sponge in the water, rung it out until just damp, and began gently wiping away all excess grout off the bricks. It’s a process of wiping away from the top of the bricks, dipping the sponge back in the water, ringing it out, and doing it over again. Continue this process until the grout is only in between the bricks and off the top.
Once you work your way across, you will see a grout haze appear at the top of the bricks. You can clean this with a clean, damp sponge, a microfiber towel, or at the end when the grout is fully dry using a chemical cleaner like the ZEP degreaser listed.
Allow grout to fully cure according to package directions.
After a full 48 hours, I used Eco Advance Concrete/Masonry Sealer to seal the entire front porch. The sealer will keep water and snow from penetrating into the bricks and grout and potentially buckling them. Eco Advance Concrete/Masonry Sealer is already the perfect concentration so simply add to a garden sprayer, spray a light coat over the entire surface of your porch, and dab away any excess that pools with a towel. I chose to do a second coat within 30 minutes to give a strong seal.
Now if water gets on my porch, it beads up on top and I can just use a blower to blow it right off!
My front porch has dramatically transformed by using Old Mill’s gorgeous thin bricks. I have a beautiful front porch that exudes character, charm, and beauty. A stunning makeover that I’m so very proud of! And although it took time, nothing in this process was difficult. It’s a step-by-step process that doesn’t require massive amounts of DIY experience. Can you tile? Then you can lay these bricks!
The projects are endless with these thin bricks. Interior or exterior, you can transform a bland space with the beautiful charm of bricks. For inspiration, check out Old Mill’s website or their Instagram page to see the sheer variety of ideas! So, how about you? Do you have a space that you would love to liven up with this beautiful product??
**Use code KEMPER10 at checkout at Old Mill Building Product checkout for 10% off your order!!**
Cost Breakdown and Materials Needed
My porch measures 8.5′ x 4′ x 1′, meaning it is roughly 50 square feet, including all sides and front needed to be covered by the thin brick. Depending on your size, shape, etc., the prices will change.
ZEP Driveway and Concrete Degreaser – $14.98
Old Mill Building Products Thin Brick in Midtown
Herringbone – 3 boxes – $456.75
Singles – 2 boxes – $189
Corners – 3 boxes – $283.50
Old Mill Building Products Adhesive Mortar – 2 needed – $98.68
Spacers or Dowel Rod – 5/8″ Dowel Rod used – $3.07
MAPEI grout – I used shade Pewter – 3 bags – $59.94
Eco Advance Concrete/Masonry Sealer – $20.33
TOTAL COST: $1,126.25
Per Square Foot: $22.53
TIME REQUIRED:
I say this many times when I am doing a DIY project, my time table is always during nap times and evenings, so if you are able to devote more time, you are going to get this done MUCH faster than I am right now. From dry lay to decorating, this project took me 3 weeks to complete.
Additional Tools Needed:
These are pieces that I had on hand as a DIYer that you may need to purchase in addition to the materials listed above. As you budget, be sure to include these costs, as well!
Drill – I love this impact driver!
I plan to continue brick down the sidewalk and to run it along the edges of my driveway; however, that project is for another day. For now, I don’t mind the look of the brick front porch against the sidewalk as is.
Follow along here at growingupkemper.com, on Instagram @growingupkemper, Pinterest @growingupkemper, and on LTK for all the attainable DIY, tips, tricks, and inspiration!
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[…] I completed my thin brick front porch with Old Mill Brick (see the full tutorial and all the photos HERE), I would sit and stare at my porch for much longer than was probably socially acceptable. I loved […]