2022 Cost of Brick Veneer | Pricing Per Square Foot

Nick Durante
by Nick Durante

It is difficult to choose the right siding for your home because it is such a costly and semi-permanent decision. Construction, material, labor, and installation costs all come into play when you choose to side for exterior walls. Brick veneer is the perfect middle ground between standard sidings like vinyl and elegant options like solid brick, but what does it cost?

To have brick veneer, or brick veneer siding, installed by a professional you can expect to pay between $9,000 and $25,000. It costs an average of $5 to $15 a square foot for materials, while the installation can cost an additional $30 per square foot, or more. Thin brick veneer is one of the most expensive options, costing between $8 and $18 per square foot. Whereas, fake brick veneer will only run you $4 to $10 per square foot.

It may seem expensive, but brick veneer costs less than the $10,000-$40,000 that solid brick can cost. Follow along as we explore all of the cost factors that affect how much your brick veneer installation will cost.

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What Is Brick Veneer?

Brick veneer is a type of siding that many homeowners use as an alternative to brick. Builders place one layer of bricks over a traditional frame instead of two or more layers of solid brick. That means that the brick veneer still contains brick and looks like a brick wall, but it uses fewer materials.

You still get some of the insulating properties of the brick, but with a wooden frame underneath it. Brick veneer is a more cost-effective alternative to solid brick walls, and it is hard to tell the difference. It is one of the many types of siding that can save you money and maintain an attractive look.

How Much Does Brick Veneer Cost?

Brick veneer can cost between $9,000 and $25,000 due to materials, installation, and labor costs. It can take up to 10 hours for professionals to install brick veneer siding on your home. Labor rates vary between professionals, and the size of your house affects the working time and cost.

Choose brick veneer to save thousands compared to the $10,000-$40,000 that solid brick walls can cost you. Many cost factors determine how much you spend on brick veneer, and that includes:

  • Materials
  • Equipment
  • Labor
  • Siding removal (if necessary)

Not all homeowners need to remove siding to install brick veneer, especially if it’s under construction. Let’s take a look at all of the factors that you need to consider to budget for your brick veneer installation.

Brick Siding

Brick siding, or brick veneer, is cheaper per square foot than classic solid brick, and that’s why many homeowners choose it. Most homeowners spend between $5 and $15 per square foot in materials for brick veneer siding. High-end brick veneer options like face brick siding can cost you as much as $15 or more per square foot.

However, standard solid brick siding can cost up to $30 or more per square foot to install in exterior walls. Material costs vary based on whether you get a face brick veneer, thin veneer, or a fake brick veneer.

Face Brick

Face brick veneer is a veneer that has one external layer of brick that is 1” thick or less. This is the best option if you want a brick veneer that looks the most similar to traditional solid brick walls. It is also the priciest option, and you can expect to pay between $14 and $25 per square foot to install face brick siding.

It is still cheaper than solid brick because professionals attach the face layer to polyurethane panels. This makes them great for insulation, and the layer of face brick also helps to fireproof your home. Face brick siding is also the most expensive option when it comes to brick veneer, and you can spend between $9,000 and $17,000 or more.

Prices vary based on how large your house is, but face brick is closer to solid brick prices than thin brick veneer. It is worth the cost for the durability it provides, as face brick can last for 100 years or longer on many houses.

Fake Brick Siding

Fake brick siding is the cheapest form of brick veneer because it doesn’t contain actual brick. Homeowners generally pay between $4 and $10 per square foot for fake brick siding. Fake brick siding comes with panels that you attach to frames with adhesive and caulk to secure them in place.

It doesn’t hold up to scrutiny as much as face brick veneer or thin brick siding, but fake brick siding does look like brick. However, fake brick siding can’t insulate or fireproof your home as well as the brick veneer with real brick.

Installation fees include the fake brick veneer, adhesives, Thinset, labor, and possibly removing old siding. Prepare to spend another $800-$3,000 to remove old siding before you can install a fake brick veneer.

Thin Brick Veneer

Thin brick veneer costs $8-$18 per square foot to buy materials and install if you hire professionals. This is what most homeowners picture when they think of brick veneer, and thin brick veneer is common. Most thin brick veneer siding measures no more than ½” thick, but it can go up to 1”.

Installation is somewhat easy and helps keeps the labor costs and hours down to save you money. Thin brick veneer comes in strips that the professionals install directly over a frame made of wood or polyurethane. Your bill typically includes the costs of materials like caulk, Thinset, and construction adhesive.

Thin break veneer is similar to face brick veneer because it does feature actual brick on the outside. However, the thin break veneer contains much less actual brick which makes it lighter and less insulating. It still appears similar to solid brick and has strong fireproofing properties, just not as much as a solid brick.

Cost To Install Brick Veneer

Installation costs include materials like caulk, adhesive, and Thinset, but labor is the biggest cost. You should consider the materials mentioned above, such as face brick or thin brick veneer because that determines how much you’ll spend when you install brick veneer.

MaterialsAverage Cost
Caulk$5-$15
Construction Adhesive$5-$12
Thinset$5-$45
Labor$400-$1,000+
Siding Removal$800-$2,800
Dumping Trash$50-$200

Labor

Labor is a huge factor in any home improvement work that you get done. You can expect to pay between $400 and $1,000 or more on labor alone when you install a brick veneer. Many contractors include labor in the total cost as a fixed price to make it easier to understand.

The high labor cost comes from the fact that professionals spend at least 10 hours installing brick veneers. It can take less time for some small houses, but big houses can take as long as 12-14 hours total. Labor costs soar if you have to remove your existing siding before you install a brick veneer.

It can take 5-10 hours or more to remove and dump old siding, and that adds hundreds of dollars in labor. The ideal scenario is that you need to add a brick veneer to your exterior walls before you complete construction. Labor rates for installing brick veneer are fair but check with multiple contractors for labor quotes.

Cost To Remove Siding

You may need to remove your siding before you can install a new brick veneer on your exterior walls. This is only necessary if you have a finished home with existing siding that you want to remove. This comes with additional costs that you wouldn’t have if you were currently building your home.

The average homeowner spends between $800 and $2,800 to remove their old siding to replace it. Many professionals charge between $0.30 and $0.80 per square foot to remove siding, and they add material and dumping costs. You can spend up to $300 depending on how much old siding and materials they need to dump.

It can cost as much as $3,000 to remove your siding if you have a large house with a lot of ground to cover. Try to get a reduced rate and hire the same people to remove the siding that is going to add the new siding. That way, you can try to knock off a few hundred dollars to put towards your new brick veneer siding.

Materials

It takes many materials to install brick veneer siding on exterior walls beside the brick veneer itself. You don’t pay directly for materials such as tools, but professionals do charge you for what they need to buy. This typically includes Thinset, caulk, a dumpster or dumpster rental, and construction adhesive.

Things like construction adhesive and Thinset are widely available, but it takes at least a full tube for each job. Simple materials like these only generally add $60-$80 total to the job, but it varies based on how much they need. The biggest material cost is for the brick veneer itself, and that depends on what you’re looking for.

Many professional contractors include the cost of materials with the cost of labor. This makes it easier to understand and keep track of, so your cost per square foot often entails all of these factors.

Brick Veneer vs. Solid Brick Cost

Undeniably, brick houses are timeless. Made out of shale and clay, bricks can give a home a cohesive look that can pair well with nearly any exterior style. Not only is solid brick attractive as a building material, it also has a long lifespan. Unlike brick veneer, solid bricks provide structural support for a home. So, if you remove the bricks, your house will have structural problems.

Homes made of solid brick are usually built with two layers of brick or concrete blocks, and then an exterior layer of brick. When it comes to building materials, solid brick is obviously more expensive than brick veneer. For materials alone, you’re looking at spending between $6 and $15 per square foot. Installation must be done by a professional mason. So, for both materials and labor, solid brick costs $14 to $30.

The masonry work required contributes to the higher cost for solid brick siding. However, your home will benefit from increased strength, longevity, and a timeless look.

How Can You Tell the Difference Between Solid Brick and Brick Veneer?

The easiest way to tell if your home has brick veneer or solid masonry construction is to take a look at the brick pattern. A brick veneer wall is a single wall, whereas a structural brick wall is two brick walls constructed side-by-side. To attach these two individual walls, masons install header rows. A header row is a layer of bricks that is installed perpendicular to the wall, which bridges the gap between the walls and makes the brick part of both walls.

Header bricks are rotated 90 degrees, installed with the short end facing outwards. If you know what you’re looking for, this shift in the pattern is very apparent. While the specific pattern may vary, you typically see a header row roughly every six rows, or so.

Stone Veneer Siding

Stone veneer siding is the same concept as brick veneer but it’s a cheap alternative to stone walls. It costs and an average of $6-$11 per square foot to install stone veneer siding, but it varies based on labor and materials. Homeowners spend between $9,000 and $18,000 to install stone veneer siding for their exterior walls.

The Stone veneer is made of one layer of thin stone on the outside that helps insulate your home. It is also more durable than traditional siding and can withstand impact quite well. Some stone veneer contains no stone and instead has a synthetic stone façade.

Synthetic stone veneer isn’t as durable as standard stone veneer, and it doesn’t insulate your home well. Either way, stone veneer siding is lightweight, visually appealing, and affordable to install compared to regular stone. Your final price depends on whether you choose stone, stone veneer, or fake stone siding for your exterior walls.

Stone

Stone walls are exorbitantly expensive to install, and they cost between $30 and $50 per square foot. It is the most expensive option for exterior walls, and stone walls cost $55,000-$70,000 or more to install. That limits who can choose stone for their walls, but it is such a desirable aesthetic that carries many benefits.

Authentic stone can naturally insulate your house better than any other material, but it comes at a cost. Stone is heavy and difficult to install which adds a lot of money in labor and material costs. Traditional stone walls include two thick layers of stone, and that requires plenty of stone to build up.

Stone walls are sensitive to the weather and moisture in the air, and they don’t always hold up well. Time, weathering, and humidity can crack the surface of exterior stone walls and it’s easy to notice. That alone makes veneer and fake stone siding a great alternative to authentic stone.

Veneer

Your average professional contractor will charge you $6-$11 per square foot to install stone veneer siding. A stone veneer generally comes in panels that contractors install over a frame and secure with adhesive. That makes it fairly easy for professionals to install stone veneers which can keep labor costs to a minimum.

It takes up to 10 hours or more to install stone veneer if they already removed the old siding. A Stone veneer is better at retaining heat than a real stone in many cases, and that makes a veneer desirable. Many professionals install stone veneers over fiber cement, wood frames, or polyurethane panels for support. That also helps keep the construction costs low and helps insulate your house well.

Fake Stone Siding

Fake stone siding is similar to fake brick siding in that it can save hundreds or thousands of dollars. You can expect to pay between $4 and $9 per square foot to install the fake stone siding. Professionals install fake stone siding in strips and panels, and it is quite lightweight.

Fake stone siding is not great for insulation, and it doesn’t look as authentic as natural stone. However, it is the cheapest stone or brick siding option besides fake brick siding, and it does look good. Choose fake stone siding if you want the desirable appearance of stone without the excessive installation cost.

MaterialAverage Cost
Stone$30-$50 Per Square Foot
Stone Veneer$6-$11 Per Square Foot
Fake Stone Siding$4-$9 Per Square Foot

Can Brick Veneer Be Repaired?

Yes, you can repair brick veneer when it succumbs to damage from water erosion and impact damage. Water damage is the most common problem with brick veneer exterior walls as moisture wears brick down. You must repair the brick veneer if there is visible damage so that water doesn’t leak into the frame underneath the brick.

You can hire someone to fix your brick veneer and spend $100-$400 or more depending on the severity of the damage. Otherwise, you can prepare a mixture of mortar and apply it to the damaged parts of the brick veneer with a trowel. Simply wet the mortar for the next days after you apply it, and it will reinforce your brick veneer.


Related Questions

Does brick veneer require weep holes?

Yes, you need to put weep holes in your brick veneer walls so that water doesn’t get trapped behind the wall. Otherwise, you run the risk of trapping water which can cause water damage and mold that can spread throughout the house. You need to make sure that your brick veneer wall has to weep holes in the mortar joints so that moisture has an escape route.


Should brick veneer be sealed?

Yes, you should always seal the brick veneer whether you install it indoors or outdoors. Professionals seal brick veneer walls with Thinset, caulk, and various construction adhesives. Seal your brick veneer wall to help protect it from erosion and other forms of moisture damage.


Does brick veneer add value?

Brick veneer siding does not add value in the way that solid brick walls add up to 8% value to a home. You can still possibly add more value with brick veneer than with vinyl siding, but it is not as sought after by buyers. However, it does help sell your home in the sense that brick veneer is visually appealing, and many prospective buyers enjoy the aesthetic.

Do You Need Concrete, Brick, or Stone Pros?

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Summing It Up

Brick veneer installation costs between $9,000 and $25,000 depending on what kind of veneer you choose. Face brick veneer and thin brick veneer are the most expensive options, but you can save money with a fake brick veneer. You may spend between $800 and $3,000 more if you have to remove old siding before you install a brick veneer.

Brick veneer installation takes 10 hours, and you may pay between $400 and $1,000 on labor depending on the rate. Expect to pay $100-$400 for any repairs that you need to make with damaged brick veneer walls. Brick veneer is an affordable, durable, visually appealing alternative to solid brick exterior walls.

Nick Durante
Nick Durante

Nick Durante is a professional writer with a primary focus on home improvement. When he is not writing about home improvement or taking on projects around the house, he likes to read and create art. He is always looking towards the newest trends in home improvement.

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