GUEST BLOGGER: Amanda Heck from Midcounty Journal | How to Cover an Existing Chimney with Brick Tiles

Amanda Heck installed our Castle Gate thin brick over a preexisting brick chimney in her kitchen. Read part of her install process here or go to her website, Midcountry Journal, to read the full story of how she installed her new brick.

Recovering a Chimney

I was so excited to finally be able to see the chimney that was hidden by the old kitchen cabinetry…until I actually did see it lol! We have 3 chimneys in the farmhouse. I’ve exposed the other 2 upstairs and was SO hoping this chimney would look like them!

But alas it was not the same. It must have been a later addition because the brick is much newer and was also coated or painted at some point. So I started to consider my options here, which were pretty limited. I could have painted it or tried to do some sort of treatment like a German smear. But I wanted BRICK! I had been envisioning this gorgeous old charming chimney as a focal point in the kitchen since we moved in, and I’m pretty stubborn lol!

Brick Tile Plan

I decided to simply use the existing brick as a template of sorts. Of course the spacing didn’t work out perfectly, but I figured it out as I went along. I used tile spacers to make sure he bricks stayed in place. The other 2 chimneys in our house have wide mortar gaps, which I like. So I turned my tile spacers on their side to create a bigger space for mortar. It was roughly a half an inch gap.

Selecting Bricks

After completing the first side of the chimney and getting the hang of it I wanted to be a bit more selective when choosing bricks for the front. Each box has a beautiful variety of bricks some a darker brown, some with more whitewash, some that looked more orange etc.

Because I had extra and wanted to mimic our other 2 chimneys I chose more or the orange toned and whitewashed for the front and other side. You can see below how I laid them out and organized them into piles based on their color.

Adding Mortar

The next day I mixed the mortar with water in a bucket using an attachment on the screw driver. Then I filled my mortar bag about halfway full. Using the mortar bag was like icing a cake. You just squeeze it along in the gaps. I overfilled them a bit.

The mortar dries fairly quickly so every 10-15 minutes I would stop and using my finger with a glove on I pushed the mortar in so that it completely filled the gaps. You can also purchase a tool specifically for this, but my finger worked well!

How to Cover an Existing Chimney with Brick Tile

Honestly, the chimney turned out even better than I was expecting! It looks SO much like the other 2 I don’t think anyone would know unless we told them! It definitely added the old character I was craving!

The brick tile was also such an easy product to work with! I see a ton of applications for it! You could use it for backsplash or a focal wall. It would be easy to create a faux fireplace or chimney as a focal point to add interest and warmth to any room! And I definitely think we’ll be revisiting Old Mill Brick when it’s time for our mudroom floors!

CHECK OUT AMANDA'S BLOG!!

Amanda Heck, owner of Midcounty Journal does so much. She creates such amazing content and working with her on this project was a blast! She did an excellent job. Go visit her blog, Midcounty Journal. Or go to her incredible instagram at, Midcounty Instagram.