10 - German Smear

Prior to installing the pellet stove, we watched HDTV and got the idea to lay out thin brick and do a German Smear. The brick also protects the house from a possible mishap with the pellet stove fire.  This was a fun project that my wife and I tag teamed. I did all of the brick cutting in the back yard, and she laid most of the brick down. 

1. We mortared each brick using Mapei mortar mix.  I had to cut the bricks to size and surround the pellet stove.  

2. We used a combination of grey adhesive grout and alabaster adhesive grout from Lowe's, not Home Depot, as the smear agent. After which I sealed the wall with grout sealant.  Note: It must be "adhesive" grout, which sticks better on the surface than plain grout. 

3. Like the attic flooring, I found someone online, on Craigslist, selling the thin-cut brick that was just short of enough for this project.  I didn't pay a lot but I can't recall exactly how much. 

4. Flooring stores also sell thin-cut brick, we needed to buy an additional box that closely matched the brick we had from Craigslist and were able to hide the difference with the German Smear. You'll never find it!