Deutsch-up your brick
You may have found yourself drawn to the enchanting appeal of a brick fireplace with a wash of rustic white mortar that allows glimpses of the underlying brick to peek through. This eye-catching look, known as German smear—or schmear, if you want to get technical—is different from limewash and traces its origins back to Northern Germany.
If you're looking to recreate this charming and romantic look, German smear offers a simple DIY project that can be applied to your fireplace or any other brick walls in just one weekend. Below is a step-by-step guide on how to achieve the German smear effect in your home.
Unless you want mortar on your hardwood floors, walls, and other areas that aren’t your brick fireplace, you’ll need to tape off the area. Make sure to remove any trim around the brick, and tape plastic sheeting or brown paper around the edges of your fireplace or wall.
It’s imperative that you also clean the brick itself. If there is any oil or dirt on the brick, it can soak through the mortar and stain it, resulting in an unpleasant gray or brown finish rather than the white you’re after.
To clean the brick, vacuum the entire surface. Next, using a clean sponge and a 50/50 solution of water and dish soap, wipe the area down, paying special attention to any cracks and crevices. Repeat the process until you’re able to wipe the brick down without leaving any residue on the sponge. To ensure a bright, white finish, seal the brick using a sponge roller and brick sealant. Let dry overnight.
Before moving on, grab some old clothes, rubber gloves, work boots, and goggles—this project is about to get messy.
You’ll most likely want to use pre-mixed mortar, as dry mortar is difficult to work with and can crumble if not mixed in a very precise way. Fill a piping bag with the mortar—it can be a mortar bag, a cake piping bag, or even a zip-top freezer bag with a small corner cut off. If using either the cake bag or the freezer bag, make sure the other end is tied shut (a rubber band works well here) so you don’t leak mortar from the wrong end.
If you do want to mix your own mortar, here are some guidelines:
70% mortar to 30% water will create a peanut butter-like consistency
More water will thin the mortar
Less water will create a thicker mortar, which can give more texture.
Keep your mortar in a five-gallon bucket while you work.
Dampening the bricks will prolong the mortar’s dry time, buying you more minutes to perfect your technique and get the finish you want. If you’re working outside, you can simply spray the bricks with a garden hose. If you’re inside, wipe a wet stucco sponge over the area.
Working on the bottom corner first—you should start with an inconspicuous area while you get the hang of things—pipe a bead of mortar into a grout line. Continue with the adjacent grout lines, but only work one small area at a time (no larger than four feet by four feet)—the mortar starts to dry after about 25 minutes, and you’ll need to spread it with a putty knife.
Hold your putty knife so the blade is at a 45-degree angle and wipe (or smear!) the mortar across the bricks next to the grout lines where you placed the mortar. Smear in multiple directions for a more organic look, and feel free to be a bit haphazard. The goal of German smear is to have a slightly uneven look, so you’ll want to cover some bricks entirely and thickly and leave some others with gaps and missing spots. If you need extra mortar for a particular area, just pipe some more onto the brick or the joint and continue. Every few minutes, take a step back to admire your handiwork and check and see if you want the mortar heavier in some places. You can also dial back the thickness by wiping areas with a damp sponge.
The mortar will need to dry overnight. It fixes very well to brick, so your German smear is permanent (unless you bring in some heavy chemicals) and only requires water or a mixture of water and vinegar to keep clean.
To hire a local exterior painter to German smear your entire home, expect to pay between $1,500 and $3,000; for smaller areas, such as a fireplace, you’ll spend $1.50 to $2.50 per square foot. That said, if you’re only working on one wall or a fireplace, German smear is a fun, easy DIY project that even those new to home repairs and improvements can tackle. The cost of materials is low—usually less than $50—significant savings from what you’d spend on professional labor.
In certain cases, such as when dealing with surfaces like concrete rather than brick, grout can be used instead of mortar. Grout tends to be more convenient to work with on non-masonry surfaces. However, many experts suggest using mortar whenever possible, as it provides stronger adherence to the bricks and results in a more textured appearance.
You don’t need to seal German smear; the mortar is already acting as a sealant for the bricks. You can seal the mortar, though, if you wish to further protect the area from stains, moisture, and dirt or make it easier to clean and maintain. Note that a sealant will make the mortar appear more glossy.
German smear is a very easy DIY project with a big payoff—the look of your fireplace or brick wall will be transformed when you are done. It’s also very adaptable as you can change the look to be more or less heavy, with more regular or irregular strokes—whatever you like. Finally, the mortar works as a protectant for your brick, helping to seal it from moisture, stains, and other elements.
