Facing brick. Types and properties. Differences and features
Decorative brick is a classic finishing material for walls and fences and is used to improve them. Its distinctive qualities are a richer color, regular shape, smoothness, or vice versa, an outwardly attractive relief, often imitating stone.
Contents of the article:
- How is facing brick different from masonry or ordinary brick?
- Scope of application
- Types of bricks by material and production method
- Types of bricks by filling
- Brick sizes
- Brick texture
How is facing brick different from masonry or ordinary brick?
Despite their external similarity, masonry and facing bricks are completely different materials, and each of them has its own unique purpose. In their own way, both options are interchangeable.
Ordinary is intended for laying load-bearing walls, partitions, fences. This is material for rough work. Often it has slight deviations in geometry, differences in color, and other defects. However, they do not in any way affect the load-bearing capacity of the material. Such brick red guard costs less. Its whole peculiarity is that the masonry made with its help needs additional finishing. This may be cladding with other materials or simply plaster.
The claddings are ideally distinguished by their correct shape and high decorative quality. For this reason, it is used for laying walls in front of the entrance. Its surfaces do not require modification, with the exception of joining. In fact, it can be used as a regular one, but this is not economically feasible.
Usually both types of bricks are used together. The main width of the wall is laid out in an ordinary way, and the surface is laid with half a brick along the front. Thus, the wall turns out beautiful, and less money is spent on construction.
Scope of application
Decorative bricks create the masonry of the facade:
- Facade walls.
- Fencing.
- Stolbov.
- Support for awning.
- Outdoor oven, barbecue.
- Azumaya.
- Arches.
Can be used as a separate material for simultaneous construction or as a façade material. They are faced with aerated concrete, sun-dried bricks, masonry bricks, cinder blocks, etc. Often poles and fences are installed only on them.
Types of bricks by material and production method
There are many types of decorative bricks on the construction market, all of them can be divided into four types:
- Ceramics.
- Clinker.
- Hyper-pressed.
- Silicate.
Ceramics
This decorative brick is one of the most common. It is obtained using almost the same technology as brickwork. The manufacturing process involves mixing certain types of clay and water to form bricks. After drying, they are fired. The oven temperature is in the range of 900-1100°C. As a result, when pressed, a red ringing block appears.
It is this material that usually comes to mind when it comes to decorative brick. In most cases, they are made hollow, which allows them to be lightweight. The lighter the surface material, the less the load on the foundation. This is important in cases where decorative masonry is used to elevate old existing walls. Concrete is then poured onto the foundation to expand it. At the same time, the load-bearing capacity of such structures is small, so they are not designed for heavy weights. Hollow bricks can be used to construct such foundations.
Clinker
This is a premium brick. It costs more than classic ceramics. Similar technologies are used in their production, the only difference is in the raw materials and firing temperature. Dyes can also be added to the raw materials used to make bricks. A special type of clay is used, in addition, after applying the relief to the front side of the block, the blanks are stored in an oven at a temperature of 1200°C.
Such decorative bricks are very expensive and look beautiful, but are usually not used for cladding entire facades. Clinkers are often dark in color and have an unfavorable appearance. They are ideal for plinths, gables, corners and framing window and door openings.
Clinker brick has a denser structure. As a result, they absorb less moisture. As a result, their service life is often an order of magnitude longer. It also has its drawbacks. The relief shape of the front surface allows dust to accumulate. If the façade is located near a dusty dirt road, hosing down may be necessary.
Hyper-pressed
This is a modern material, and its production does not involve firing technology at all. It is obtained from a mixture of cement, sand, limestone and shell rock or stone fragments, which may be included in the composition. The semi-dry mixture is poured into a mold and then pressed under pressure of many tons. In just a few seconds, the parts are compressed, and the gaps between them practically disappear. Then the workpiece is carefully removed from the press and left to stand. The cement in the composition works by making the bricks stronger than concrete.
This is a fairly durable, but heavy facing material. Cement is always made with the addition of dyes of all shades, as they give an initially unsightly gray color. Its quality can vary greatly. In fact, electric, pneumatic and manual presses are used to produce such materials. The latter can be quite expensive, so they are purchased for use in “garages”. Bricks pressed on such machines have a lower density and therefore break more easily than products from larger industries with complex equipment. When purchasing hyper-pressed decorative bricks, it is recommended to avoid lucrative offers from unknown manufacturers.
Hyperpressed bricks are smooth or have a relief on the front surface. The pressing capabilities allow you to create whatever you like.
Silicate
This type of decorative brick is also produced by pressing. Only in this case sand, lime and dye are used as raw materials. It can be white or any other color. This is a fairly heavy type of brick. According to most people, he is not the most attractive in appearance. However, you can lay out very beautiful facades, especially if you create individual decorative elements using clinker bricks.
Types of bricks by filling
Decorative bricks can be divided into two types depending on their content. It occurs in:
- Full-bodied.
- Hollow.
Solid bricks have a void ratio of less than 13%. This makes them very responsive. Lack of solid bricks in large masses. It also has high thermal conductivity. From there, cold air passes through and heat is lost. From a practical point of view, it is recommended to be used where load-bearing capacity is critical. For example, it can be used in the construction of columns and pillars.
Hollow ones have many technical through holes. Their volume ranges from 13-48%. This accordingly reduces their weight. Voids inside bricks reduce their thermal conductivity. In most cases, this material is used. The more voids there are in the bricks, the warmer they are, but also the lower their load-bearing capacity. Samples with a fill factor of only 52% are characterized by increased fragility. When transporting and storing them, special care must be taken.
The so-called Lego bricks can also be classified as hollow. It has two large through holes and a special protrusion. This allows them to be stacked like construction sets using a minimum of stone mortar. In addition, such material is easier to work with. With its help, even people far from being a mason can lay a wall evenly.
Brick sizes
Bricks come in three main sizes:
- Single.
- One and a half.
- Euro.
The standard size of singles is 250 x 120 x 65 mm. They are used most often because they are perfectly compatible with regular ones. In addition, the masonry is standard and classic and looks familiar to everyone.
1. 5 Body height is slightly higher than usual. The dimensions of the bricks are 250 x 120 x 88 mm, the use of which allows you to quickly adjust the walls to the desired height when laying fewer rows. This masonry looks slightly different, but is not very noticeable. Often such bricks are used in the construction of fences, columns and pillars.
Euro-bars, which appeared relatively recently, are in particular demand. Its size is 250 x 85 x 65 mm. In fact, they differ from standard ones only in width. At the same time, their masonry and ordinary bricks look exactly the same. If we are talking about cladding finished facades, then such materials can be used. They are lightweight and inexpensive, but visually their use results in a perfect fit for the task.
Brick texture
Facing brick can have different types of front surface:
- Smooth.
- With embossing.
- Texture.
The front side can imitate traces of ruptures, tears, roughness, scratches and cracks. The facades can be made to look like stone and can be glazed. As for color, the bricks are painted over the entire surface and only on the visible half sides.
For complex masonry, patterned decorative bricks are made, designed for specific conditions. These include internal and external corners framing openings and niches.
