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Brick and fireplaces belong together, but most faux brick panels are plastic or foam. The best faux brick wall panels for fireplace surround projects use clay thin brick set in thinset on cement board near the firebox, with lightweight panels kept outside the clearances listed in your fireplace manual.
PVC and foam brick panels are combustible and can soften, warp or burn near heat. Check the clearances in your fireplace or insert manual and local code before anything goes on the surround.
Quick Answer: The Best Faux Brick Wall Panels for Fireplace Surround
- Best for Working Surrounds: Red/Brown Thin Brick Wall Tiles, Clay Manufactured Faux Brick Veneers (60 pcs, 8.5 sq ft)
- Best Black Clay Brick: Old Town Black Faux Brick Wall Tiles, Clay Manufactured Thin Brick Veneers (100 pcs)
- Best Thinset: Custom Building Products VersaBond Fortified Thin-Set Mortar, Gray, 50 lb (MTSG50)
- Best Mortar-Look Joint Filler: Sashco Mor-Flexx Mortar & Stucco Repair, Gray (10.5 oz, 3 Pack)
- Best Natural Stone Alternative: Harbor Gray Split Face Quartzite Panel (30 pcs, 30 sq ft)
- Best for Upper Breast Only: Dundee Deco PG7064 Vintage Brown Faux Brick PVC 3D Wall Panel, 3.3 x 1.6 ft (Pack of 10)
Clay thin brick veneers are the best faux brick option for a working fireplace surround; old town black clay thin brick is the best dramatic look, and Dundee Deco’s large PVC sheets are only for the upper chimney breast where the manual allows combustible materials.
Best Faux Brick Wall Panels for Fireplace Surround Comparison Table
| Product | Best For | Type | Key Feature | Buy |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Red/Brown Thin Brick Wall Tiles, Clay Manufactured Faux Brick Veneers (60 pcs, 8.5 sq ft) | Best for Working Surrounds | Clay thin brick veneer | Real-texture Red/brown thin brick pieces | Check Price |
| Old Town Black Faux Brick Wall Tiles, Clay Manufactured Thin Brick Veneers (100 pcs) | Best Black Clay Brick | Clay thin brick veneer | Real-texture Old town black thin brick pieces | Check Price |
| Custom Building Products VersaBond Fortified Thin-Set Mortar, Gray, 50 lb (MTSG50) | Best Thinset | Polymer-fortified thinset mortar | Bonds natural stone panels to cement board | Check Price |
| Sashco Mor-Flexx Mortar & Stucco Repair, Gray (10.5 oz, 3 Pack) | Best Mortar-Look Joint Filler | Textured mortar-look sealant | Sandy matte finish mimics mortar | Check Price |
| Harbor Gray Split Face Quartzite Panel (30 pcs, 30 sq ft) | Best Natural Stone Alternative | Natural quartzite ledger panel | Natural split face quartzite | Check Price |
| Dundee Deco PG7064 Vintage Brown Faux Brick PVC 3D Wall Panel, 3.3 x 1.6 ft (Pack of 10) | Best for Upper Breast Only | Large rigid PVC faux brick panel | Big 3.3 x 1.6 ft sheets, about 5.3 sq ft each | Check Price |
The 6 Best Brick Options for Fireplace Surrounds
Our picks for the best faux brick wall panels for fireplace surround projects, split by heat zone.
Red/Brown Thin Brick Wall Tiles, Clay Manufactured Faux Brick Veneers (60 pcs, 8.5 sq ft)
1Clay-based thin brick veneers that give the most real brick look of any lightweight option.
👍 Pros & Cons
Pros
- Individual bricks look real
- Real joints you can grout or leave open
- Flexible layout
Cons
- Slower install, brick by brick
- Check material before using near heat
📄 Detailed Review
- Material: Clay manufactured (per listing)
- Color: Red/brown
- Coverage: 8.5 sq ft (60 pcs)
- Install: Thin brick adhesive or mortar
- Use: Walls, backsplashes, fireplaces (per listing)
Set a level line and use spacers for even joints.
Use the adhesive or mortar the maker recommends.
Old Town Black Faux Brick Wall Tiles, Clay Manufactured Thin Brick Veneers (100 pcs)
2Clay-made black thin brick veneers for a dramatic, real-brick feature wall.
👍 Pros & Cons
Pros
- Individual bricks look real
- Real joints you can grout or leave open
- Flexible layout
Cons
- Slower install, brick by brick
- Check material before using near heat
📄 Detailed Review
- Material: Clay manufactured (per listing)
- Color: Old town black
- Coverage: About 14 sq ft (100 pcs)
- Install: Thin brick adhesive or mortar
- Use: Interior walls, fireplaces (per listing)
Set a level line and use spacers for even joints.
Use the adhesive or mortar the maker recommends.
Custom Building Products VersaBond Fortified Thin-Set Mortar, Gray, 50 lb (MTSG50)
3A fortified thin-set mortar for setting natural stone ledger panels on cement board.
👍 Pros & Cons
Pros
- Strong bond for stone
- Common, easy to find
- Gray suits stone
Cons
- Heavy bag; needs mixing
📄 Detailed Review
- Type: Fortified thin-set mortar
- Color: Gray
- Size: 50 lb
- Use: Stone and tile on cement board
- Mix: Water
Back-butter heavy stone for full coverage.
Mix only what you can use in 30 minutes or so.
Sashco Mor-Flexx Mortar & Stucco Repair, Gray (10.5 oz, 3 Pack)
4Sashco Mor-Flexx is our top caulk for faux brick seams because its sandy, matte texture looks like mortar instead of a shiny caulk line.
👍 Pros & Cons
Pros
- Sandy texture blends into faux mortar lines
- Flexible, will not crack like real mortar
- No mixing, applies from a standard gun
- All-weather durability
Cons
- Limited colors
- Texture is harder to tool perfectly smooth
- Not for wide structural gaps
📄 Detailed Review
- Type: Textured flexible mortar repair sealant
- Finish: Sandy, matte, mortar-like
- Elongation: Up to 250%
- Pack: 3 x 10.5 oz cartridges
Sashco describes it as mortar in a tube: a textured, flexible sealant with up to 250% elongation that goes straight from the cartridge into joints, with no mixing bucket or trowel.
On faux brick panels, run it along vertical and horizontal seams that cross mortar lines, then dab with a damp brush to match the surrounding texture.
Harbor Gray Split Face Quartzite Panel (30 pcs, 30 sq ft)
5Natural split face quartzite ledger panels for real stone walls, fireplace surrounds and stove walls.
👍 Pros & Cons
Pros
- Real stone, noncombustible
- Natural color variation
- Deep split-face texture
Cons
- Heavy; not a DIY peel-and-stick
- Needs wet saw
📄 Detailed Review
- Material: Natural quartzite
- Coverage: 30 sq ft (30 pieces)
- Look: Split face, harbor gray
- Install: Thinset on cement board
- Use: Walls, fireplace surrounds
Natural stone itself does not burn, but clearances still come from the stove manual.
Set on cement board with polymer-modified thinset.
Dundee Deco PG7064 Vintage Brown Faux Brick PVC 3D Wall Panel, 3.3 x 1.6 ft (Pack of 10)
6Dundee Deco’s vintage brown PVC panel covers about 5 square feet per sheet, so a feature wall goes up with few seams.
👍 Pros & Cons
Pros
- Large sheets mean fewer seams
- Rigid PVC resists dents better than foam
- Wipes clean
Cons
- Seams need careful matching
- Needs a flat wall
📄 Detailed Review
- Material: PVC
- Panel size: 3.3 x 1.6 ft (103 x 50 cm)
- Coverage: About 5.3 sq ft each
- Look: Vintage brown brick
- Install: Adhesive
Large sheets are fastest on wide, flat walls.
Use a PVC-rated adhesive plus a few screws in mortar lines.
Check Dundee Deco Vintage Brown Brick PVC (Large) Price on Amazon
How We Chose the Best Faux Brick Wall Panels for Fireplace Surround
To choose the best faux brick wall panels for fireplace surround, we compared whether each product is clay or masonry, how it attaches to cement board, how real it looks on a focal wall and where on the fireplace wall it can safely go.
Keep combustibles clear of the firebox, following the EPA Burn Wise program.
Product details in this guide come from manufacturer specifications and patterns in verified owner feedback; we do not claim hands-on testing we have not done. Read more on our How We Test page.
Buying Guide: Best Faux Brick Wall Panels for Fireplace Surround Projects
Use these tips to choose the best faux brick wall panels for fireplace surround projects.
Read the fireplace manual
Clearances to combustibles come from the manual and local code.
Plastic panels are combustible
Keep PVC and foam outside the required clearances.
Clay thin brick near heat
Set clay thin brick on cement board with thinset.
Check the brick material
Choose listings that say clay; some thin bricks are other materials.
Mantels have clearances too
A wood mantel must meet the manual.
Decorative fireplaces are easier
No flame means lightweight panels are fine.
Fireplace Brick Ideas
Safe and classic.
- Clay brick surround, painted white.
- Black brick with a wood mantel.
- Whitewashed brick hearth wall.
- Brick to the ceiling.
Questions about the best faux brick wall panels for fireplace surround projects:
Frequently Asked Questions
What are the best faux brick wall panels for fireplace surround projects?
The best option is clay thin brick set in thinset on cement board, with plastic panels only outside the fireplace’s clearances.
Can foam brick panels go around a fireplace?
Not within required clearances; foam is combustible.
Are faux brick panels fireproof?
PVC and foam are not.
What goes behind thin brick on a fireplace?
Cement board, then thinset.
Can I use faux brick on an electric fireplace?
Often, if you follow the unit’s manual.
Final Verdict
Our final pick for the best faux brick wall panels for fireplace surround is the Clay Thin Brick Veneers (Red/Brown). Choose the Old Town Black Clay Thin Brick (100) if you want a dramatic black brick, or the VersaBond Fortified Thin-Set (Gray) for the upper chimney breast where the manual allows.
Related Guides
More fireplace and brick guides:
- Best Faux Brick on Amazon
- Best Peel and Stick Brick Wallpaper for Fireplace
- Best Faux Stone Wall Panels for Fireplace
- Best Brick Sealer for Fireplace
- Best Peel and Stick Stone Panels for Fireplace
Product details are based on manufacturer specifications at the time of writing. Prices and availability change often, so check Amazon for the latest price.
