Our Exposed Brick Wall Kitchen Project

Here's the journey of our exposed brick wall from discovery, disasters to delightful. When we first viewed Lyndale House the kitchen was serviceable, it functioned, but arguably needed a little TLC. We loved the open plan layout and we loved the original built in wooden cabinet and drawers. The first thing we did when we officially moved in was to strip the dated kitchen linoleum flooring.

Hidden treasure

Much to our surprise, hidden under the linoleum flooring were remnants of a tiled hearth, we removed the tiles from the wall and saw what appeared to be a bricked up archway.

Like the moment the Archeologist started digging up the car park and found the left leg bone of Richard III, our excitement and curiosity was ignited.

Unearthing the original brick arch

Despite our best efforts chipping away and making a tiny hole, we realised, we were not equipped to deal with this on our own, so we called in the troops. Dan and Jon from Dan Macdonald Home Improvements came round one cold October afternoon and began chipping away at the wall. We didn't know what we would find, but hoped that our suspicions that an old fashioned arch could be there were true.

As afternoon turned to evening, the kitchen was removed and the soot covered every surface. We carried rubble, old cabinets, worktops, debris of all kinds out to the skip. By around 8.45pm, it was cold as the water was disconnected, it was dark, it was very dirty and we all had faces like Victorian chimney sweeps. But to our joy and amazement, amidst the soot there stood an exposed brick wall with a beautiful brick arch. Result.

It was at around 9pm that we realised that there was an issue with the old worn out stop tap in the kitchen and that the water couldn't be switched back on! The decision was made that we'd have to manage without water or heat until first thing, when we could get the missing piece required to get the water back on.

Luckily we had power, so we were able to boil the kettle and fill a basin and wash our face and arms. We wrapped up warm and ordered a takeaway.

Dodgy electrics

The day after the rip out, Dan returned first thing in the morning and reconnected the water. We showered and attempted to clean up a bit, sweeping the soot away, tidying up the piles of bricks that we had unearthed and trying to rationalise the carnage. In the house there are lots of electrical issues, including old plug sockets located in the skirting boards. Needless to say, these are not up to modern standards. During the clean up we noticed one of the old plug sockets in the skirting starting to smoke. Zach turned the power off and we called the fire brigade.

The emergency services advised that we stand outside and to our shock four fire engines arrived. The fire men advised that we call an emergency electrician, so we did. They also left us with a list to give the electrician. It was a scary situation and one to act as a warning to anyone doing home renovations.

Always get electrics checked and always get fire alarms fitted.

Sandblasting the exposed brick wall

Once we had cleaned up and the dust had settled, we decided that the best solution for the exposed brick wall was to get it sandblasted. We booked Mobile Blast to come out and get the wall sorted. We had been warned about how dusty the sandblasting could be, so we did our best to cover everything in plastic sheets.

Safe to say that nothing could've prepared us for how dusty it would be. The sandblasting van parked outside and the pump was put through the kitchen window. The whole process took a matter of hours and the level of brick dust was phenomenal. The room above the kitchen and all the way up into the loft was covered in fine brick particles. Tiny glass particles are fired at 500mph at the wall, this process removes the top layer and as you can see, it really does bring out the natural colour of the bricks.

Repointing the brick wall

Once the sandblasting was done, Dan returned and repointed and repaired the exposed brick wall. Zach then mixed a solution of PVA Glue and water and painted the exposed brick wall to seal it.

Final thoughts

It's fair to say that we didn't anticipate the voyage that the simple act of stripping the linoleum floor would take us on. Luckily we managed to get it done and added a range cooker, just in time for Christmas dinner. The kitchen is very much work in progress, but we are very happy with how the exposed brick wall turned out and feel like it is a great feature and shows the age and character of the property.