Facing brick is a building element intended for decorating various facades of buildings and facing the exterior of buildings. Various architectural forms, large and small, can also be built from this material. Suitable for construction/cladding of buildings with different heights.
The characteristics and functions of facing bricks are very extensive and are due to several areas:
– material for decoration, which has a wide range of colors, various texture solutions, a choice of shapes, sizes and configurations. With a proper approach to the choice of material, a building made of facing bricks can have a unique and unique look.
– Facing brick also performs protective functions against environmental factors, mechanical damage.
The following properties of facing bricks are considered:
- Sufficient level of strength characteristics. Strength is understood as the ability of the material to withstand the load, in this case it is 250 kilograms per 1 square centimeter, which means the strength grade M – 250. The strength parameter shows how resistant the material in the finished masonry is to destruction, whether it can withstand the load of the upper rows and parts of the building in its area of responsibility.
- Low moisture absorption. This parameter of a brick shows how resistant the building in which this material is used will be to environmental influences. How much the wall will absorb moisture from the environment without affecting the structure. The lower this indicator, the better the resistance to external influences in conditions of high humidity. Typically, this figure ranges from 4-15%, depending on the type of brick products, the method of manufacture.
- Frost resistance is also one of the important characteristics of bricks. With constant exposure to the external environment, especially in the cold season, the frost resistance indicator is very important. This parameter is marked with the English letter F; its index means how many cycles of freezing and thawing the material will withstand. As a rule, facing bricks have a range of values from F 50 to 250 units.
- Color fastness is not a small indicator. This indicator is one of the determinants of product quality. The color of brick products should not change much under the influence of external natural influences.
Several types of bricks are considered and they are determined by the following parameters:
- The material from which this brick is made, clay, limestone, sand, lime, slag and other components.
- Filling is a parameter that shows a hollow or solid brick, how many voids are in the brick body. A hollow brick is easy to determine, the body of a brick contains voids, they can be of different shapes. The voidness of a brick is allowed up to 30% of the brick surface. Such a brick has a smaller mass, it is lighter, but at the same time, the higher the voidness, the lower its strength can be. Of the advantages, this is low thermal conductivity and, as a result, the best heat-saving functions. A solid brick, on the contrary, does not have voids and contains increased strength, but it has lower heat-saving parameters.
Brick is also divided into manufacturing methods and materials from which it is made.
Hyper-pressed bricks are made using high pressure (pressed), without subsequent firing, but with the use of thermal and moisture treatment in steaming chambers for the final hardening of products. The material for the manufacture of pressed bricks, as a rule, is limestone or shell rock, or a combination of both limestone – shell rock. The brick made of such material and in such a way has the high durability of products, low moisture absorption.
Ceramic brick is made from various clays and their mixtures with the addition of all kinds of additives. The method of manufacturing ceramic bricks is based on the method of molding finished products from a moistened clay mixture with their subsequent firing in furnaces at high temperature.
Clinker brick is a material that belongs to a variety of ceramic products. But there are several differences. For the production of clinker bricks, special clays are used. The firing temperature is much higher than in the manufacture of conventional ceramic bricks, it can average 1300 degrees Celsius. With this manufacturing method, the sintering of the mixture is much better, which improves the quality of finished products and reduces the reject rate in production.
Some recommendations when choosing a facing brick:
– Carefully inspect the front surface for defects, bumps, cracks and other prominent flaws.
– Buy bricks immediately in the right quantity to match the shade and shape of the batch of goods. It is recommended even to take a little in reserve. In any case, there will be a small amount of marriage (allowed by guests), a fight during transportation, the material is necessary for trimming. Brick for facing the facade of your building can and should have the following data: the necessary strength, maximum durability, ease of use (laying), reliable protection of your home and resistance to environmental influences.
Good luck with your construction!