2019-07-01 Homebuilding & Renovating

Design & Materials BUYER’sgUiDE

ABovE, toP:the

homeownersofthis

housechosetopaint

thebrickfaçade,which

brightensthehouse’s

exteriorappearance.

ABovE:hgMatthews

hasrevivedthe

traditionaltechnique

ofwoodfiringbricksso

thattheyareglazed,as

seenonthishouse,laid

ina Flemishbond.

Right:thisgrand

housefeatures65mm

Antiqueorange

clampbricksfrom

FurnessBricklaidin

a stretcherbond.the

clampbrickrange

canbeweathered

toproduceanaged

appearancethat

almostmatches

bricksusedin

originalbuildings.

sand,cementandlimethroughout.

“Theperceptionofmortar

colourcanbevariedbychanging

thejointprofile,”saysSean

Wilkins.Profilescanberecessed

(bestusedwithfrost-resistant

bricksasthisprofileisn’tas

weatherresistantasothers);

struckorweathered(introduces

lightandshadetobrickwork,

goodstrengthandweather

resistance);curved(good

strength)andflush.

Whatarethecosts?

Thecheapestfacingbricks

arewire-cutandarebetween

£250/1,000and£400/1,000,

whiledistinctivehandmadebricks

areupwardsof£600/1,000.

Tocalculatehowmanyyou

need,thestandardmethodis to

workoutthesizeofthefacing

wallsinsquaremetresand

multiplyby 60 (thestandard

numberofbrickspermetre

squareofstretcherbond

brickwork).Onlinecalculators

likewww.brickability.co.ukcan

helpyouworkouthowmany

you’llneedforyourproject.

Colour choice

There are many colour variations

— from white to cream, yellow

through to orangey reds, browns

and blue tones, there’s a spectrum

for traditional and contemporary

designs. “The colours of bricks

are determined by the position

of the brick in the kiln and the

firing temperatures they reach,”

explains Jim Matthews, partner

at HG Matthews. Colour is also

down to the type of clay and the

surface sanding or staining that

occurs as well. Because colour

variation will inevitably happen,

it’s a good idea to mix bricks from

different packs before they’re laid.

Choosing mortar

“The mortar joint surface area

varies from 18% for stretcher

bond to 22% for header bond,”

says Sean Wilkins, Technical

Manager from The Brick

Development Association, so

you’ll want to make sure the

mortar doesn’t dominate or clash

with the brick and is in-keeping

with the overall design. Make

sure the mortar is appropriate

forthebrickyouchoosetouse,

too.Hydrauliclimemortar,for

exampleis a goodchoicewhen

workingwithhandmadebricks.

“Themortarallowsfornatural

movement,offersanimproved

aestheticwitha texturedfinishand

is availablein regionallymatched

colours,”saysJasonHughes.“It

is alsobreathable,allowingany

moisturewithinthebrickworkto

escapenaturally,reducingtherisk

offrostdamageandbrickfaces

‘blowing’whichcanbea problem

withcement-basedmortars.”

Whatevermortaryouendup

usingkeepit consistentthroughout

thejobtoavoidunsightlybanding.

Onceyou’vedecidedona mortar

mix,sticktoit, usingthesame

homebuilding.co.uk 81

MEtRicvsiMPERiAl sizEs

Pre-1965 houses were built

using imperial-sized bricks,

whichtypicallymeasured

9in(w)x 4.5in(d)x 3in(h).

nowmetricsizebricks

areused.they’re slightly

smaller at 215mm (w) x

102.5mm (d) x 65mm (h).

image:

Simon maxwell (top)

Useful contacts

BDA http://www.brick.org.uk

Ibstock http://www.ibstockplc.co.uk

MBH plc http://www.mbhplc.co.uk

Furness Brick

http://www.furnessbrick.co.uk

Wienerberger

http://www.wienerberger.co.uk

LRBM http://www.lrbm.com

Bulmer Brick and Tile

http://www.bulmerbrickandtile.co.uk

Imperial Bricks

http://www.imperialbricks.co.uk

HG Matthews

http://www.hgmatthews.com

York Handmade

http://www.yorkhandmade.co.uk