Well, I did a trial with a few tiles and then covered them with polyurethane. The trial didn't necessarily go entirely to plan but I was able to establish that PU will be too soft. Epoxy is likely to yellow even indoors, so that leaves me with the following solution: 1. make the tiles thicker (not a big deal) use tile selection and a thicker tile bed to enable a relatively flat surface to be made 3. seal it with a thin polyurethane to protect from mess Thanks for the contributions.

Hmmm, I agree it is important to take into consideration what is on the other side of the brick. It looks as if there is no insulation in that wall, unless as was suggested, it was an entry door at some point. You may want to consult an expert to find out if the brick needs to be sealed, made waterproof, etc BEFORE you drywall over it, although it looks perfectly dry. I like your idea of dry walling it over and creating shelves/TV unit. BTW, I like your timber flooring. What kind is it?

Finished product! Glad I switched the rug the other direction, and the round table kind of plays off the circle window. Truly thankful for all your help! This was fun and I am so happy with the end result. :)

Diluted Hydrochloric Acid is used by brick layers to clean excess mortar off bricks. You can buy it at hardware stores. I love your bricks. It’s hard to tell from the pictures if much cleaning needs to be done. You don’t want to erode old mortar. I’d consider giving them a wash with soapy water and if you’re happy with the look nothing else needs to be done. Your chosen sealing product may also have preparation suggestions.