How to turn an interior brick wall into a smooth, painted white wall?

Question

Hi,

I’m looking for advice on how to finish an interior brick wall so that it becomes a smooth, clean white wall like a standard plastered interior wall.

The brick surface is uneven and quite rough, and I’m unsure which method is most suitable.

I’m considering a few options:

• Installing plasterboard over the brick wall

• Applying render or a skim coat

• Using joint compound to smooth the surface

I’d love to know which approach is recommended for achieving a flat, paint-ready finish, and what materials or steps I should follow.

Any guidance would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

Nailbag · Answer

Hi @fsj117

You could render over the bricks, though I would recommend a professional to get the smoothest finish possible. But it will never be as smooth as plasterboard which, you can definitely fix sheets directly to brickwork using a specialised masonry adhesive. I have done this on several projects as pictured below in one bedroom example. With each project I assisted my plasterer who had the expertise to ensure the sheets went on perfectly plumb. The next important part was  setting up even supports to provide equal pressure of the sheets against the wall while the adhesive cured over a 24hr period. With each wall, they came out perfectly aligned as if fixed to timber framing.

Ensure you get your sparkie involved prior for any lighting switches  and power outlets. Routing cables is fairly easy if double brick by means of using yellow tongue to pull cables within the cavity and popping them out through broken half bricks. Otherwise you can chase the cable in channels through the surface of the internal brickwork which is then simply covered by the plasterboard sheets. Thats are far more involved job that also creates substantial dust so, good dust extraction and PPE is required.

Skirts and arcs were glued in my case to the plasterboard which again I used heavy props like bricks and timber blocks pressed against the walls until the liquid nails cured.

Nailbag

MitchellMc · Answer

Thanks @fsj117 .

Unfortunately, direct-sticking the plasterboard to the brickwork isn't an option. CSR Gyprock requires plasterboard sheets in this type of application to be fixed to a suitable framing system, such as timber battens or metal furring channels, rather than being adhered directly to the masonry.

The battens or furring channels also give you the opportunity to establish a perfectly flat plane before installing the plasterboard, which will help achieve the smooth finish you're after.

Mitchell

fsj117 · Answer

Thanks Mitchell and Jacob,

Can I direct stick plasterboard to brickwork?