From the waste of drywall and the remains of putty – decorative brick

Ever wondered what to do with putty and drywall scraps left over from a renovation project? You can turn these materials into something lovely and useful rather than throwing them away. Making decorative brick out of leftover drywall putty and waste is one inventive and environmentally responsible solution. By doing this, you can lessen waste while still enhancing the décor of your house with a special, individual touch.

With a few simple tools and supplies, it’s surprisingly easy to turn these materials into decorative bricks. The procedure is dismantling the drywall into smaller pieces, combining it with putty, and shaping the resulting mixture into brick-like forms. These bricks can be used for many decorative projects, like accent walls, fireplace surrounds, and even garden edging, once they have dried and been painted.

This method of repurposing leftover building materials is a fantastic illustration of upcycling, the process of transforming waste into new, higher-quality, or more valuable products. This not only benefits the environment by lowering the quantity of waste dumped in landfills, but it also offers you an affordable option to improve your living area with personalized décor.

Making decorative bricks out of putty and leftover drywall is a sustainable and satisfying project for anyone who enjoys do-it-yourself work or is simply looking for something new to take on. It’s a useful method to create something lovely and long-lasting for your house out of materials that would otherwise go to waste.

The advantage of drywall bricks

It must be realized that what we are discussing is a layer of putty on top of finishing materials, the thickness of which matches the thickness of the drywall sheets. This is just an amazing decor that serves an aesthetic purpose—it is by no means a supporting design.

There are various benefits to using putty and drywall to create decorative bricks.

• It is light, and therefore is easy to lay;
• It looks spectacular and has aesthetic attractiveness;
• in competent manufacture, it completely repeats the type of natural brickwork;
• has a long service life, because it does not lose its qualities during operation;
• unassuming in the masonry, and therefore for installation you can use liquid nails and similar compositions.

The process of creating ornamental bricks requires some time. You can cook a sizable batch in one day on average (about 7-8 hours). It will take a few days for the artistic design to fully dry (if you choose to paint and give artificial bricks their natural colors and textures). You can then move straight on to the ornamental masonry after that.

It should be noted that the resulting homemade brick can only be used indoors, and that rooms with a moderate humidity level are the best places to install it. Yes, you can use moisture-resistant drywall sheets as a base, but because special finishing materials have a higher resistance to atmospheric factors, it is still preferable to use them when decorating a house or apartment’s facade.

Necessary materials and tools

The ability to create ornamental brick at home with readily available materials is a benefit. A crucial component: drywall sheets. Appropriate standard materials utilized in the construction of multi-level ceilings and niches. It is advised to use moisture-resistant sheets when using artificial brick to decorate the kitchen or bathroom.

Putty needs to be textured. This will assist in emulating the pores, tiny cracks, and scuffs that naturally occur in real brick. If regular putty is still around the house, it can also be used to make fake bricks; alternative techniques can be used for art design.

Other supplies needed for the task include:

• varnish – it is recommended to use transparent or matte, which will help to consolidate the result and preserve the appearance of artificial bricks;
• Construction mixtures – we are talking about compositions designed for laying sheets of drywall;
• sand – useful when decorating the surface of artificial brick;
• paint – water -based, and stock up in advance by a few kings to give a brick a natural shade;
• primer – you need a mixture of deep penetration, since it will help to enhance the adhesion of the surface;
• PVA glue – used in additional decoration.

A construction knife for cutting, a profile with metric divisions or hydraulic levels, a putty spatula, a brush and painting roller, and a container for kneading solutions make up the standard toolkit.

The work will be made much easier if there is a drill with a mixer nozzle. You will require a peeling shirt in order to stylize the surface.

Preparation and marking of workpieces

Once you’ve gathered all the necessary equipment and supplies, you can get to work. Using drywall sheets, you must first mark the marking. In the end, the cells must match the actual size of the decorative brick, which is typically:

• height – about 60 mm;
• length – approximately 250 mm;
• The thickness varies in the range of 9.5-12.5 mm.

The drywall sheets must then have a primer applied to both sides. The last marking is applied (you can use a simple pencil) after the paint has completely dried.

The drywall should be precisely cut by marking after it has been placed on a level surface and pressed with your hands. The knife needs to be held taut and at a 45-degree angle. Once you’ve made two to three deep cuts, you can break off the desired piece and move on to the next. Rectangular blanks for decorative brick in the future will be obtained as a result.

An inventive and environmentally beneficial way to deal with construction waste is to turn leftover drywall and putty into decorative bricks. These materials can be recycled into fashionable and useful bricks that improve both exterior and interior design, rather than being thrown away. This method not only lessens the impact on the environment but also provides builders and homeowners seeking for affordable alternatives with distinctive aesthetics. Waste can be converted into useful resources, which will encourage innovation and sustainability in the building sector.

Making bricks

The following order is reduced for further work:

• a putty mixture of sand in the right amount is kneaded (try to calculate its volume, taking into account the number of blanks obtained in order to avoid overrun for the solution);
• The resulting mixture is applied to the blanks with a spatula (it is recommended to work quickly, until the mixture began to harden);
• Using a sponge, brush, polyethylene film or any other improvised means, it is necessary to give the surface of putty the desired texture, repeating the form of real brick.

After that, the obtained fragments are polished after being properly dried in a room with a moderate humidity level. This enables you to remove any necessary brick from the surface of a brick that was made at home.

If you apply a little creativity, bricks can have amazing chips and organic fractures. You can use a knife, other tools, or a brush with metal bristles to accomplish this. Sandpaper can be used to smooth out the sloppy edges.

Once this step is finished and you have superior artificial decorative brick blanks, you can move on to the last phase, which is artistic design. Applying the first layer to the brick surface requires diluting a small amount of paint and adding a brown, burgundy, or orange knife to it. It is advised to apply another layer, but in a different shade, after it has dried. The artificial brick will appear more natural the more varied the surface color is. A varnish layer is applied following painting.

Reusing construction waste and leftover putty to create decorative bricks is a creative and environmentally friendly way to reuse building materials. By using this method, less waste is dumped in landfills and a useful product for garden and home décor is produced. Utilizing materials that would otherwise be thrown away, we support the development of a greener building sector.

Both professional builders and do-it-yourselfers can benefit from the simple and affordable process. A workable method for making personalized decorative bricks is to combine the leftover drywall and putty with water and a binding agent, then shape the mixture into brick shapes. After that, you can use these bricks to improve the visual appeal of different areas by giving walls, walkways, and garden borders a special, individual touch.

Additionally, this approach promotes the circular economy’s tenets of resource reuse and waste minimization. Repurposing materials helps us save natural resources and lessen our carbon footprint by lowering the demand for new raw materials. The ornamental bricks created from leftover drywall and putty are proof of the inventive recycling possibilities in contemporary architecture and construction.

In conclusion, making ornamental bricks out of leftover putty and drywall is a clever, sustainable, and workable solution. It exemplifies how creative thinking can transform common waste into lovely and useful additions to our homes. Adopting such practices can encourage more environmentally friendly approaches in the construction industry and make a significant contribution to sustainable development.

Video on the topic

Decorative brick from putty the easiest way.

Tiles for brick from drywall waste / how to make a decorative brick

Decorative gypsum tiles of waste / tiles under a brick from drywall residues

Nobody saw this yet! Upon learning this is a secret, you will never throw out the trimming of the profile!

A way to make a cheap analogue of decorative tiles for drywall bricks, with your own hands

The finishes carefully hide this! Hypsum Carto

Marvelous! But these bricks are made using a laminate substrate