Installing Brick Slips

Ensure you know where the tiles need to start in order to not end up with thin cuts or large mortar joints at either the top or ends and that any corner tiles fit nicely. You should also lay out all of the tools needed so everything is handy. Open all boxes of the tiles and ensure they are mixed together for an even spread of colour variations.

Score and Prime the wall to prepare it for the installation, making sure that there is maximum adhesion for the adhesive and tile.

Starting at the bottom- in the centre, or at the external corners if you need them, use an adhesive trowel to spread a cm on the wall, and apply it to each tile before pressing firmly on the wall with slight movement to make it stick nicely, and insert the required amount of spacers in between (it may be 1 for contemporary brick slips or up to 3 for reclaimed brick slips where there is a rustic tile). Make sure that all the tiles are curving or have their creases upwards (smiling bricks, not frowning), they are made by pushing them down into a mould, so the creases or slight misshaping in that way comes from this process.

You may wish to use a spirit level as you proceed just to check that more tumbled brick tiles are still reasonably level. Some people even use a strip of wood rather than spacers to ensure a completely straight mortar line.

3. Cut the tiles

When you reach the end of a row, you will more than likely need to cut the tile to finish that row, you'll also need to cut to tile around sockets and switches.

Continue to tile upwards as previously, with a section of adhesive applied at a time, you can tile all the full tiles first and cut the edges at the end.

Once you've tiled the full surface, use a stiff brush to make sure there's no adhesive left on your tiles.


Now you can clear away most of your items, with only the pointing mortar to apply. The adhesive needs to dry however so it's advisable to leave it for 24 hours.

Using the mortar gun or piping bag, apply into the gaps- you may want to bear in mind what joint profile you want (see our mortar guide for more information) as to how much you want to apply.

To finish the profile, use a pointing trowel and smooth out the joints as you want them from the mortar application.

Using a stiff brush, clean any excess mortar from the brickwork before it dries, and then you can clean up the room. Do not wipe the wall in any way as you may well end up smearing mortar across the bricks. The only way to clean that off is with brick acid.

You don't necessarily need to wait for everything to dry, but you don't want to risk moving any mortar before it's set to refit. You could well need longer screws to refix the plates back, accounting for the thickness of the tiles.

*If desired
Depending on where your brick slips are, you may want to apply a brick slip sealant to protect them from moisture and potentially food splashes. Make sure the installation is bone dry, then simply paint on the brick sealant. It will take some time to get back to the original colour.

If you're hanging art, a shelf, a television, or anything else on your wall- you'll need a masonry drill bit to go through the slips. Make sure you use screws and raw plugs that are at least 35mm long to make sure they go through the bricks and substrate.