Facing decorative brick: masonry and types. Facing brick – masonry, types, sizes and work with it

Finishing and protecting the facade of the house - this is the main function of the facing brick. Many perceive it only as architectural, artistic and decoration material. However, in addition to this, it is a good tool to protect the supporting structures of the house from the effects of external adverse factors.

To facing brick  (it is also called “facial”) performed an important functional role in the house, a conscious choice of material and careful attitude to its installation are necessary. Often you can find some condescension: they say this is just a cladding, not a load-bearing wall. But precisely for this reason, in this case, special requirements are imposed on the laying of bricks - after all, you cannot expose the results of hack work. And with proper construction, the facing layer of brick also improves the thermal characteristics of the cottage.

Mandatory qualities

For a front brick, unlike ordinary (ordinary), it is characterized, first of all, by a very high-quality external surface with a wide range of colors. In addition to the usual "brick" shades, paints can be from white to black. The coating may have a decorative pattern or be glazed.

But the main difference between facing bricks and ordinary bricks is perfect geometry, smooth ends and even corners. The front side of any type of front brick should not contain chips or other defects, and the deviation of geometric parameters is allowed no more than 4.4 mm in length, 3.3 mm in width and 2.3 mm in thickness. All sides of the material must be strictly perpendicular.

At the same time, this material retains the main advantages of brick itself. Facing shell for a long time will be able to isolate the cottage from mechanical influences and the influence of various natural factors. You just need to choose a quality brick that meets a number of requirements.

So, the strength value should be at least 25 MPa, then the brick will withstand mechanical shocks and the pressure of the upper rows. In addition, good frost resistance is important, the material must endure, without collapsing, at least 50 freezing and thawing cycles. Low water absorption (less than 6%) will allow the brick not to absorb moisture and prevent its penetration into the building. It is also desirable that the thermal conductivity of the material is in the range from 0.35 to 0.7 W / m2 x ° C. Useful and good color fastness. Then the brick will not fade for a long time under the influence of direct sunlight. But you can’t measure this characteristic numerically, you have to trust the manufacturer’s statements or pay attention to consumer reviews.

Views and Versions

In addition to differences in color and texture, facing bricks have other characteristic features that affect the quality and long masonry eternity. So, they produce simple and clinker types of ceramic facing bricks. The first is a traditional solution. The relatively low cost combined with good durability and excellent heat and humidity characteristics explain the high popularity of this particular variety. True, the water absorption of a simple front brick is quite high due to the large number of branched communicating pores. On the one hand, it’s good - the walls breathe. But, on the other hand, in winter this entails the risk of the damaging effects of freezing water. Therefore, such a lining must be covered with a water repellent (colorless impregnation intended to create a water-repellent vapor-permeable layer). Clinker facing brick is more expensive, but differs in greater durability, monolithic structure and a long term of maintenance-free operation. The water absorption of this material is significantly lower, but special attention should be paid to the heat technology of the walls, since the clinker is characterized by a relatively high thermal conductivity.

Nevertheless, by the sum of the parameters, it is precisely this type of facing brick that can be recommended primarily if there is financial ability. Both types of bricks are made from high-quality clay with additives. Form manually or automatically, dried and then fired. For clinker use a special type of clay and perform firing until complete baking.

In addition, ceramic cladding bricks can be solid, but most often they have through holes. The second option is better in terms of thermal insulation characteristics, although you should not choose a material with very large voids. This will lead to an overrun of the masonry mortar, which will fall into them.

Another type of front brick is hyper-pressed. It is produced from a painted cement-sand mixture with the addition of limestone (), slag, expanded clay or stone chips.

The porous and plastic material has an ideal shape with a geometric deviation of no more than about 5 mm. The price of such a brick is relatively low, but its consumer characteristics are lower. So, over time, hyper-pressed bricks may form microcracks on the front surfaces. As a rule, at first they are practically not noticeable, but under the influence of moisture, especially in winter, they gradually increase. Low vapor permeability and high thermal conductivity make it necessary to pay special attention to ensuring a normal heat and humidity regime in the house. It is also useful to know that such a brick does not gain brand strength immediately, and its "age" when buying should be at least 15-20 days from the date of molding.

Finally, there is a silicate facing brick, consisting of sand, lime and a small proportion of additives. Sufficiently stable and reliable, it also has a relatively low price, as well as good soundproofing qualities. For this reason, it is often used inside a brick house to create strong partitions. At the same time, its heat-insulating qualities and frost resistance are not very high, and the weight is relatively large, so it is hardly worth using this type of brick for facing.

  Standard sizes of ordinary brick

The standard of sizes for facing bricks, as well as for ordinary, are the usual parameters 250 x 120 x 65 mm. Such products are called single or shaped. Narrow brick - 250x60x65 mm. This is a standard accepted in the USA, therefore we call such products “American”.

Thickened brick

• 250x120x88,
• 250x107x65,
• 230x107x65,
• 250x100 × 65
• 230x100 × 65 mm.

There are also products measuring 240x115x71 mm.

Selection and delivery of bricks

The offer of facing bricks is extensive and varied. Only domestic manufacturers more than 5 dozen (well-known and large).

When deciding on a choice, it is necessary to take into account the geographical remoteness of the construction point from the place of brick production or the dealer warehouse, otherwise the delivery of the purchased material to the object may require a significant increase in costs. For the same reason, it is advisable to purchase a batch of bricks for the whole house at once. When delivered to a distance of 30-50 km, usually the delivery is included in the purchase price and is not additionally paid. True, this applies only to large parties. One or two blocks will have to pick up on their own or pay for their delivery.

By the way, the purchase of a large number of bricks will immediately give an opportunity not only to save a little, but also to purchase material with the guarantee of the same color. In addition, in the factory packaging, the bricks are arranged in the most rational way, which prevents them from shifting and reduces the likelihood of chips.

Blocks from the factory are branded and are accompanied by a sheet with full information about the material. Before shipment, make sure that the packaging is not damaged, that there are no signs of structural defects or moisture. At the construction site, it is necessary to clear the place for the entrance of the truck from the garbage in advance, if possible, level it.

Laying a facing brick in principle is very similar to working with ordinary material. However, there are some features. They are connected, first of all, with the fact that special requirements are imposed on the appearance of the final wall.

So, first you should lay out each row “dry”, without a solution.

This will allow you to sort bricks with non-standard sizes for subsequent stacking it in a separate row or to determine the place of cutting bricks, where necessary. For cutting, you must use a grinder with a special circle on the stone. In no case should you beat the pieces with a hammer.

However, the less brick you have to cut, the better. And before final laying, it is advisable to moisten simple bricks, otherwise they will take moisture from the solution and the masonry will not be very strong. Clinker brick, by virtue of its qualities, absorbs water to a much lesser extent, so it is not necessary to wet it, and the solution should be used more rigid, with a low water content.

For a bunch of face bricks, a mortar mixture of one part of Portland cement, three parts of sifted sand and water is used. The consumption of materials will be approximately one kg of cement and about, kg kg of sand per one brick. To give the mortar seam the desired shade, pigments are added to the mixture or colored cements are used. In addition, in construction supermarkets you can buy ready-made dry mixes of various colors. The solution is best prepared in small quantities so that it does not lose properties.

The "bed" from the mortar mixture is laid out so that it does not reach the edge of the surface by about 10 mm. To do this, you can use a stencil template that will help to lay the mixture in a narrow and even layer, due to which there is no need for trimming the solution with a trowel and picking up the mixture that has fallen to the ground. To make vertical joints, you can put a brick on a smooth surface on the butt side and use the same template to apply the mixture. The solution should be solid enough so that the block placed on it does not “float”.

It is not recommended to move the brick after it grabs a little. The spray of the solution must be immediately removed from the front surface before hardening, otherwise there is a danger of damage to the material. Every couple of hours, as well as at the end of the day, the finished wall must be gently wiped with a cloth. By the way, you should not rush - even experienced professionals put no more than 200 pieces of brick per day. The main thing in the facing wall is not speed, but beauty and quality. For the same reason, it is better not to use half bricks in the facade masonry.

The convex front mortar suture after embroidery should not protrude more than 2 mm. This will allow the rains to freely flush dust and dirt from the facade wall. The thickness of the vertical masonry seam should be 10 mm, horizontal - up to 12 mm. And so that the wall breathes better, every fourth vertical seam in the bottom row is not filled with mortar.

To give reliability to the brickwork, various dressing systems are used. The simplest is chain, or single-row. But to give expressiveness to the outer wall, various types of multi-row decorative masonry are used, for example, cross, Gothic, Brandenburg, etc. At the same time, special attention should be paid to dressing in the corners of the masonry. It is recommended to alternately lay bricks in the size of three quarters of either the butt or the spoon side for a more reliable ligation of vertical joints.

But the halves should not be used. Finally, in order for the corners, as well as the columns of the house, not only to be strong, but also to look attractive, you can use a figured facing brick with cut or rounded corners.

Photo 1: Bricklaying - types of joints

Material bundle

Facing brick is used, first of all, in combination with ordinary, as well as with.

In this case, the cladding plays, first of all, a decorative function, since any ceramic is a rather warm material. Perform the facade layer in two ways.

The first is a single masonry device with ligation of facing and ordinary bricks. The second is the laying of a separate face layer at a distance from the supporting wall. For adhesion in the seams in this case, immediately lay the wire, corners or anchors with a diameter of 4-6 mm from galvanized or stainless steel.

On 1 m 2 of masonry there should be about four to six mounting points, and above the door and window openings - two to three times more. You can also use a reinforcing steel mesh of wire with a diameter of 4 mm with cells from 60 x 60 to 80 x 80 mm. It is fixed with anchors, which are previously laid in the horizontal seams of the wall. An insulation (foam, basalt or glass wool) is fixed between the layers on the load-bearing wall, while leaving a gap of 20-30 mm from the insulating material to the inner side of the facing layer. It is necessary for ventilation of the structure.

The second option is preferable, since it will allow you to get a warmer wall at almost the same material consumption as the first. In addition, in the first case, there will be a large number of bonded bricks in the outer layer, which does not affect the decorative design in the best way. By the way, it is laying with a separation gap and a layer of insulation in the middle that is recommended for facing a load-bearing wall of silicate brick, whose thermal insulation quality is worse than that of ceramic.

Unlike ceramics, for large blocks of foam and aerated concrete, as well as shell rock, cladding is important not only from a decorative, but also from a technological point of view. The walls of such blocks need protection from the damaging effects of the external environment. The installation technology is similar in this case: an air gap of at least 30 mm and fastening the insulation on a large-block layer.

As ties, you can use spiral or simple stainless nails from a length of 120 mm, which are driven into blocks in pairs at an angle of 45 ° to each other. Also for the bundle, galvanized perforated strips with a thickness of 1.5-2 mm are used, which are nailed to the horizontal surfaces of the blocks.

Cladding brick will also be useful when building a cottage using the technology of fixed formwork. In this case, the outer layer is made of it, and the inner one is made of polystyrene foam and other panels, and the space between them is filled with lightweight concrete with reinforcing additives (crushed stone, reinforcement).

The practice of cladding with facing bricks is very common in European countries. Thus, you can save on the construction of a cottage box, but in the end get a house that looks like a brick. The cladding here performs a decorative function, but allows you to additionally insulate the cottage. To do this, a gap of 20-50 mm is left between the frame and the brickwork. Connections are made using galvanized metal anchors, which are fastened every three to four rows of bricks vertically and 0.5-1 m horizontally.

Finally, a wooden house can also be “lined” with brick. There are no technological considerations for this - they usually do this if they want to live in a "brick" cottage, but with internal walls made of natural materials. Moreover, unlike in previous cases, when it is desirable to perform facing simultaneously with the construction of load-bearing walls, masonry can only be started after shrinkage of wooden structures. In the gap on the wooden wall, a layer of a vapor-permeable membrane should be strengthened, which will let water bunks exit from the inside of the house, but form a barrier to condensation and moisture entering through the brick from the outside. Usually, additional insulation for a wooden house is not necessary, but if during construction the boards or logs of insufficient thickness were mistakenly chosen, then between the wooden wall and the vapor-permeable membrane it is necessary to strengthen the insulation layer.

For any construction of the load-bearing wall, if there is a gap between it and the facing layer, decorative grilles with a step of 2-3 m, performing a ventilation function, are laid in the second or third rows from the bottom and top during laying of the front wall. Instead, you can simply leave part of the vertical seams in these rows without mortar.

  Brick cladding or plastering?

For the finish of a brick wall, you can choose one of two options: laying a layer of facing brick or applying decorative plaster. Each of them has its advantages and disadvantages. So, plastering work will cost about 2 times cheaper than bricklaying. But the plaster requires periodic repair, cleaning and restoration of the coating. For a long time, a brick wall does not require attention at all. At the same time, the plaster can be applied later, a year or two after the construction, thus distributing the funds wisely. The brick facade in most cases should be carried out immediately, with additional costs for the construction of a reinforced foundation.

Transportation, warehousing and storage of facing bricks occupy an important place in the construction of a residential building. Both the quality of the product and the moral satisfaction of the buyer from their purchase depend on the correctness of these actions.

What should be considered when delivering brick from the manufacturer to the construction site?

1) Often, the final delivery point is located in places with poor road surface, when transporting material to such points for fastening packages, it is necessary to use special coupling belts that will prevent destruction of the packaging and damage to the goods.

2) Unloading must be carried out with special load-gripping devices (soft slings or a rigid frame). It is not recommended to use slings made of steel ropes, as they can damage the packaging and the product itself.

3) Particular attention must be paid to storage. If the storage is carried out in more than one tier, then between the rows it is necessary to use wooden gaskets with a thickness of at least 25 mm in an amount of at least 3 pieces per pallet. It is also important to prevent moisture and snow from entering during storage.

The results of the article:

• It is important to provide brick cladding even at the stage of laying the foundation, since the width of the base should allow the simultaneous support of two layers.
• Facade brick cladding over aesthetics outperforms all other options
• Facing bricks are often used for interior decoration.
• Corners - one of the most difficult places in the masonry, you must carefully monitor the geometry
• The evenness of the facing layer ensures the use of special crosses in the seams.
• Factory brick packaging after delivery of the material to the object must be intact
• The facade should be uniform in color with straight seams.
• Cracks in the cladding - a sign of poor quality material or improper installation
• For aerated concrete walls, brick cladding also plays the role of additional thermal insulation
• The thickness of the horizontal seam in masonry should be no more than 12 mm

Do you know that…

There are special cross-pads used to make masonry walls. They help to easily form the same thickness of all mortar joints. Gaskets are inserted between adjacent bricks, adjusting the distance between them. Before joining the external seams of the masonry, the walls of the gasket are removed, like crosses used for laying floor tiles or wall cladding - very convenient!

Ventilation boxes in the cladding layer of a three-layer wall provide air circulation in its ventilated air gap. Air enters and exits through them. Inclined rib-rails placed inside the boxes do not allow rain water to penetrate into them and block the path of insects. Ventilation boxes are installed in the upper and lower rows of the masonry of the facade cladding with a step of 1 m (through 4 bricks).

  Ceramic brick or stone evolution

For thousands of years, durable reliable and literally eternal buildings have been erected from ceramic bricks. Brick walls heat up for a long time and cool slowly, keeping the house cool in the summer and warm in the winter. The vapor-permeable brick participates in air exchange (“breathes”) and partially regulates the humidity of the air in the rooms. The brick buildings have a wonderful, healthy atmosphere. In recent decades, ceramic products have acquired another important advantage. The use of large-format blocks can significantly accelerate the pace of construction. In addition, such products have other advantages that distinguish them from ordinary brick.

Classification of types of bricks

By definition, a brick is an artificial stone or, more precisely, a piece product designed for masonry. Moreover, it is a universal building module that allows you to perform various structural and architectural tasks.

The dimensions of the brick depend on the origin and destination of the material. But if we talk about domestic products, then in our country, the division of piece products for masonry, depending on their size, is accepted.

According to GOST 530-2007, a brick can be standard (normal format, NF, with geometric parameters 250 x 120 x 65 mm), thickened one and a half (250 x 120 x 88 mm - 1.4 NF) and a modular single (288 x 138 x 65 - 1.3 NF). For "foreign guests" in the state standard the format is "Euro": 250 x 85 x 65 mm (0.7 NF), but it is not suitable for all foreign "stuff".

All that is larger - ceramic stones or, as is commonly called in everyday life - blocks. And here the differences concern not only the size, but also the structure of the material. Say, stones of the 2.1 NF format (250 x 120 x 140 mm) are closer to solid clay bricks. By the way, such products are better known as double bricks. But large-format stones from 4.5 NF and more are produced using advanced technology.

They have a complex cellular structure. Of particular interest are ceramic giants - blocks measuring 510 x 250 x 219 mm (14.3 NF). One such product replaces 14 ordinary bricks. He laid four "pebbles" - and immediately advanced two meters! But progress does not end there. In terms of energy conservation, large blocks are real treasures. In terms of thermal insulation, they compete with such "warm" materials as foam concrete and aerated concrete blocks.

When laying ceramic stones, the solution flows into voids and thereby creates bridges of cold. To prevent this from happening, before applying the solution, the rows of masonry are covered with a polymer mesh.

Stubborn facts

Solid clay brick is a strong, reliable and durable material, but in terms of thermal insulation it does not reach the current regulatory requirements. Here it is necessary to clarify. In accordance with modern building rules and regulations, the thermal resistance of a homogeneous enclosing structure, defined as the ratio of the thermal conductivity of a wall material to a wall thickness of 8 meters, must be not less than the required heat transfer resistance. The ability to retain heat and resist cold depends on the climatic conditions of the area (temperature of the coldest five-day period and other parameters).

For the Moscow region, heat transfer resistance is in the range of 3.1-3.2 m ° C / W (the temperature of the coldest five-day period is -26 ° C, of \u200b\u200bthe coldest day -32 ° C). Ordinary brick with a density of 1700-1800 kg / m 2 has a thermal conductivity coefficient of 0.6-0.7 W / m ° C).

Conditionally hollow (density 1400-1600 kg / m3, thermal conductivity coefficient 0.35-0.5 W / m ° С) bricks do not save the situation either. The heat-insulating ability of such products is not high enough to ensure heat conservation under reasonable conditions.

Heat keepers

Porous products, that is, effective block stones (density less than 1100 kg / m3, thermal conductivity coefficient 0.18-0.25 W / m ° C), are another matter. High thermal performance of this class of products is achieved due to closed air pores, as well as the special structure of the material with voids in the form of honeycombs. The labyrinths of winding partitions create serious obstacles to the "runaway" heat.

Walls with a thickness of 510 mm, that is, in one block, meet modern energy-saving concepts. It is enough to plaster the house outside with a special “warm” mortar. But usually the owners go further and mount a wet-type facade insulation system. Thermal insulation boards are attached to the walls, on which several layers of a special adhesive mineral composition are applied. This elastic and “tenacious” plaster is reinforced with a reinforcing polymer mesh. Plastered facades are decorated according to the design. As a result, the walls perfectly retain heat. The cost of heating the house is minimal. If you take care of installing modern energy-saving windows and installing a modern heating system, then only the dissipated heat energy of the earth and the sun (tandem heat pump plus solar collector) will be enough to maintain a favorable temperature and humidity regime in the house.

In a single context

Many homeowners believe that if you build a brick house, let it look like that. In this case, the walls are faced with facing bricks. Such material can be silky smooth or, on the contrary, textured with a relief in artistic performance. Exclusive products are “dressed” in glaze (colored glassy shell), engobe (special grade clay) or a two-layer “shirt”.

Brick “antique” is distinguished with special charm - handmade, with lovely crests and bumps. Clinker brick belongs to an elite brick cladding. It is able to withstand the most severe tests: extreme weather conditions, exposure to acids, alkalis and salts, high pressure and intense wear. Clinker is available in a wide range of colors. To create facade compositions, they not only use various dressing systems (Gothic, Dutch, Cross, etc.), but also vary the color of grouting, put bricks at an angle or on an edge (patterned and embossed masonry), arrange cornices, pilasters, etc. Shaped brick, which is also called curly or shaped, is intended for external decoration and masonry of complex shape.

Pleasant occupation

The construction of large-format ceramic blocks has its own characteristics. As already mentioned, the use of such products greatly simplifies and speeds up masonry work. Blocks are laid with ligation of joints, without any complicated weaving of stitch and spoon rows, as is done with massive laying of standard bricks. Walls are growing by leaps and bounds. However, the construction of sections of complex shape often requires non-standard elements. Then the stones are sawn, usually by angle grinders (“grinders”). However, on well-organized construction sites they use special stationary saws with diamond blades. Hand tools are also used.

Thinner the better

Strength, reliability and durability of brick and block walls largely depend on the quality of the masonry mortar. Usually in the construction of such buildings use a cement-sand-sand mixture. It is important that during the preparation of the solution, the formulation is precisely observed, that is, cement, sand and water are mixed in a certain proportion. All components must comply with regulatory requirements. The best option is the use of ready-made dry mixes. In this case, you only need to add clean water in the amount indicated on the package. The composition of masonry mixtures includes high-quality cement, selective (fractional) sand and various active additives that increase frost resistance, plasticity of the mortar, as well as improving its technological properties (profitability, workability, etc.).

The surface of the blocks is uneven and rough. On the one hand, this enhances the adhesion of the block walls and plaster. But on the other hand, the roughness does not allow the use of mineral glue instead of cement-sand mortar and thereby reduce (from 12-15 mm to 3 mm) the thickness of the joints, which are heat-conducting inclusions that reduce the thermal insulation ability of a block wall. To minimize this negative factor, special warm masonry mixtures are used.

Weighty foundation

• Brick houses are often reproached with heaviness. Say, they need a massive foundation, which requires too much cost.
• In fact, the dimensions and type of support structure depend on several factors, and primarily on the hydrogeological situation of the site.
• In addition, many owners seek to maximize the use of the built-up area and equip full-fledged basement floors or basements in stone houses.
• In this case, the investment in the underground part of the cottage can reach one third, and sometimes half of the total estimated cost of the building.
• At the same time, it is permissible to erect finely buried strip or slab foundations under the houses from ceramic blocks, as well as supports on bored piles, united by a reinforced concrete monolithic grillage.

Brick facade decoration - is it worth it or not?

ohms are built from a variety of materials. Some of them, due to their characteristics, need insulation and weather protection. The best material for facade cladding are front and clinker bricks. Usually they are used as part of the so-called three-layer wall - a building envelope consisting of a supporting wall, insulation and facing layer. The insulation is fixed with dowels to the bearing walls and protected from the outside with a self-supporting wall made of facing bricks. This solution provides the necessary parameters for heat saving the external walls and, at the same time, allows you to use the aesthetic appeal of brickwork for home decoration.

When choosing a front brick, they are guided by the appearance of the products. The brick should have an even color, smooth, without chips and face defects, as well as geometrically regular shapes.

Front brick

For facing the facades, not a simple one is used, but a special front brick, characterized by increased performance and decorativeness. For its production, only high-quality clays and special firing modes are used at a temperature of 1000 ° C, due to which the material acquires high strength and stable color. Front brick withstands at least 25 cycles of freezing and thawing (frost resistance grade not lower than F-25), poorly absorbs water. Distinctive features of the material are clear geometric shapes and a beautiful, perfectly smooth or textured surface.

Brick brick

The most perfect variety of facing bricks are products made of special refractory clinker clays and calcined at a temperature of 1300 C until complete sintering. Clinker bricks are three to four times stronger than ordinary face bricks. It is characterized by low porosity, extremely low permeability and unusual frost resistance. Walls made of this material practically do not absorb dust and dirt, no efflorescence appears on their surfaces. Such high qualities are not cheap, but the investments justify themselves, since the facade trimmed with clinker does not need to be updated periodically. But it should be borne in mind that the material requires special masonry skills and the use of special masonry mortars based on ready-made dry mixes.

By structure, the front and clinker bricks are divided into solid and hollow. The latter is lighter than a full-bodied brick and has less load on the foundation, while increasing the thermal insulation properties of the wall.

Decorative effects

An exceptional decorative effect can be achieved by combining brick of different colors on one facade. Typically, window and door openings, elements of the division of the facade - cornices, friezes, decorative belts, etc. are distinguished in a contrasting color. For small details, a brick of bright color is used, and for large surfaces - material of less saturated shades. Since different batches of bricks of the same color may vary slightly in shade, when performing masonry, products from several pallets are taken. This technique provides uniform color on a large surface with a slight melange effect. A more pronounced effect will be obtained by mixing on the facade of bricks flowers of similar tone. The facade is given extra expressiveness with the help of relief masonry: pushing individual bricks out of the plane of the wall or setting it at an angle to it.

House cladding

When building a new house, the facing wall is performed simultaneously with the carrier. To connect them together, every 4-5 rows, anchors made of stainless or galvanized steel with a diameter of 4-6 mm or steel strips are laid in the bearing wall. At least 4-5 anchors should fall on 1 mg, and do more on the perimeter of window and door openings of fasteners - 3 per 1 run. m. Thanks to such constructive connections, the bearing and facing wall work as a whole.

When decorating an old house, anchors are attached to the finished outer wall of the lady. After the first and last but one row, horizontal seams are reinforced. Please note: when cladding bricked houses, do not put more than 5 rows per day. Since this material does not absorb moisture from the masonry mortar well, the setting time of the latter increases compared with the laying of ordinary ceramic bricks.

Important points

A front brick facade needs an appropriate foundation. The decision about the cladding must be taken at the design stage in order to foresee a large foundation width. For facing the old house, the width of the foundation will need to be increased - without support, no more than a third of the brick can be weighed, that is, about 4 cm. Before work, it is important to check the verticality of the bearing walls, because they could acquire deviations due to uneven settlement of the building. To avoid cracking of the facade due to significant temperature fluctuations during the year, expansion joints of 2 cm wide are made in masonry. Usually they are filled with some elastic sealing material, for example, rubber sealant.

Neat seam

After the masonry of the facing layer is completed, jointing is performed. Using a special trowel, the masonry mortar is removed from the seams to a depth of 15-20 mm (sometimes distance strips with a width of about 15 mm are pre-laid in the seams in order not to pick out the mortar later). Then the seams are filled with grout, the so-called fugue. Adding pigments to the grout allows you to get additional decorative effects - light seams on a dark facade or, on the contrary, dark on a light one. Joint suturing can be performed at the same time as wall laying. In this case, the seams must be formed before setting the mortar. Most importantly, the seam should not be recessed more than 2 mm relative to the front so that rainwater can drain down the wall.

Caution, efflorescence!

In principle, with proper laying of the front brick and following the rules prescribed by the manufacturers, efflorescence - a white coating on the surface of the masonry - should not appear. But if the ratio of water to cement is violated in the masonry mortar or cement with a high content of water-soluble salts is used, then, as a result of atmospheric influences, the salt solutions will be washed out of the material and crystallize on the surface of the brickwork in the form of ugly stains. organosilicon compounds. Before the start of masonry, the front surface of each brick is dipped into the preparation, and after the end of the work, the dry masonry is again treated with impregnation using a spray gun. But if, despite all the precautions, a raid on the brick nevertheless appeared, it is washed off by special means.

Self-construction of a simple fireplace During the construction ...

• Types of facing bricks
  • Ceramic
  • Silicate
  • Hyper-pressed and clinker brick
  • Fireclay
• The main types of masonry: features
• Masonry facing ceramic bricks (ceramics)
• Facing Brick Tips

City landscapes and architectural buildings are simply mesmerizing and enchanting. These are high-rise buildings and small family cottages, on which involuntarily the gaze stops. I would like to take a closer look to understand what such beauty is made of. And it is made of ordinary brick. Such material does not lose its popularity and is a leader in the market of building materials. Most modern buildings are being built with its help. This material is affordable and has several advantages and benefits. This is an artificial stone, highly resistant to atmospheric precipitation, immune to mold. The material is durable and environmentally friendly. The houses built of facing bricks are durable, beautiful and warm.

Facing brick has several advantages and advantages, while it is affordable.

Types of facing bricks

In stores, this product is presented in a wide assortment. You can choose any color, size and shape. Facing options amaze with a variety of colors for absolutely every taste. From milky white to black. The sizes are divided into single and one and a half. Single is a classic size, one and a half is a bit larger. As for the shape, you can choose the standard - rectangular, and curly - with beveled edges.

Back to the table of contents

Ceramic

Ceramic brick is made with the addition of dye.

This is one of the most common species. Clay bar, parallelepiped shape. Ceramic brick made with dye. Indisputable advantages are low thermal conductivity, fire resistance, frost resistance. This kind of very long time retains its original appearance, does not wear out. The disadvantages include high cost, this option is 2 times more expensive than similar products. It is made of clay mixed with various additives. This is followed by firing at a temperature of 1000 ° C. It is divided into categories:

• hollow (economical, self-supporting);
• corpulent (construction, ordinary);
• front (facing): glazed, front, figured;
• oven (heat-resistant).

Ceramics is a very popular material. Ceramic are called artificial stone products, made mainly of clay and concrete mixtures.

Back to the table of contents

Silicate

This is an inexpensive form, such a low price due to the comparative ease of manufacture. The material has excellent soundproofing properties. But there are a number of disadvantages. Firstly, such a brick changes color, which will negatively affect the appearance of the building. Secondly, the thermal insulation characteristics are very low, which means that additional measures will have to be taken for insulation. Not suitable for harsh climates, frost resistance is very low. Made of lime and sand.

Back to the table of contents

Hyper-pressed and clinker brick

Hyperpressed brick has the highest strength and durability.

This type of brick is made using new technologies. It appeared in Russia relatively recently. This brick has the highest strength and durability. It can be used for construction in seismic areas. It can be any color. Walls made of such bricks do not require additional decoration. Such a brick successfully imitates natural stone and looks very beautiful and holistic. It has low water absorption and high frost resistance.

Clinker brick is magnificent in every way. Great solution for building. It is very resistant to adverse climatic conditions. Provides high heat and sound insulation in the room. It does not wear out and practically does not get dirty. This type of brick is universal.

Back to the table of contents

Fireclay

This type is suitable for laying stoves. A furnace made of such material heats up for a long time, but heat will also be distributed for a long time. These are refractory bricks.

Back to the table of contents

Masonry facing ceramic bricks (ceramics)

Nowadays, people want their home to be not only solid, durable and comfortable, but also beautiful. Facing the facade with a brick is the best option for this.

Ceramic brick is quite light and practically does not give additional load to the building frame. If you want to give the building a respectable look, then facing brick will perfectly cope with this task. Such walls with ceramic bricks look fashionable and chic.

Facade bricks are divided into subspecies:

1. Hollow. Used for masonry exterior and interior walls.
2. Solid - durable. They are used for the construction of load-bearing walls.

Hollow bricks weigh little and reduce the load on the foundation.

Facing brick will hide and mask every defect and lack of construction, give it a unique, impeccable, unique style.

By structure, bricks are divided into:

• porous - ceramic (during production, sawdust is added to such a brick, this makes it "warm");
• dense - clinker.

Materials for masonry:

Hollow ceramic brick is lightweight, so it does not create a large load on the building.

• a mixer for mixing the solution (optional, the solution can be kneaded manually);
• building cord;
• bucket for solution;
• plumb line;
• tool for joint stitching (gives the seams a convex shape);
• sand (sand should be fine, sieved);
• cement;
• facing brick (it is necessary to buy it 15% more than required, since during operation some bricks may be damaged and become unsuitable for laying);
• trowel.

The first stage is the erection of walls, followed by thorough warming and only then facing. There should be a distance of 4-5 cm between the insulation and the facing brick. This is ventilation, it will prevent the formation of moisture. Lack of clearance will lead to rapid destruction of the walls or early overhaul. The wall of the facing brick is connected to the wall of the house with steel anchors or dowels, on which the knitting wire is fixed.

Before work, the bricks are laid out dry, this will eliminate the marriage, as well as see how this design will look as a whole. Steps:

1. Preparation of mortar and leveling the foundation.
2. Lay the leveling cord and moisten the bricks.
3. The distribution of the mortar along the foundation and the laying of the 1st row of bricks.
4. Check the level of evenness of the masonry.
5. Next is the next row. Every 3-4 rows you need to remove excess solution from the seams. If you put off this matter, it will be difficult to wipe off the solution and ugly, messy spots will remain on the wall.

For many years, brick has been used not only for the construction of buildings, but also for exterior decoration. There is a very beautiful facing brick laying, which not only distinguishes the structure from others, but also gives the facade a unique look.

In order to determine what kind of decorative masonry from facing brick it will be necessary to initially choose the type of material itself. As a rule, hollow bricks are made for finishing work.
  They have high heat capacity and strength.
What is most important in the characteristics of facing bricks:

• Its clear and proportional forms.
• Size to make it comfortable to work with.
• The uniformity of the color design of the surface of such a material.

At the moment there are such types of facing bricks:

• Engobed.
• Glazed.
• Clinker.

All of these species have similar properties and characteristics.

Tip. When choosing such a material, you should pay special attention to the surface. There should not be any stratification or crumbling on it. From this, decorative masonry with facing bricks can lose its attractive appearance.

Angobirovanny facade brick and its properties

Note. After finishing works, a very original and beautiful masonry of this type of facing brick is obtained.

It has excellent properties and characteristics, it:

• Durable and practical.
• Has uniformity in shade.
• It has a high heat capacity.
• Moisture resistant and not exposed to weather or climatic conditions.

Features:

• This type of brick has only a matte surface. Quite often you can meet such a phenomenon as the emergence of salt on its surface.
    This does not mean the low quality of the building material itself.
• The whole reason may be brickwork and failure to comply with all its norms and standards. As a rule, salt appears only when there is no ventilation gap in the structure.
  That is, the insulation is close to the finishing material. Due to the fact that this type of brick is able to freely pass air, and most heaters do not have such an opportunity, then moisture collects under the lining and cannot freely come out.

Tip. To get rid of salt on the surface of the facing brick, you need to use water and rags. This temporarily eliminates such a defect on the surface of the cladding.

Glazed brick and its properties

Glazed facing brick decorative masonry looks a little different than engobed masonry. Everything is due to the fact that the surface of this type of stone has a gloss.
  That is, under the influence of sunlight the surface gains brilliance. A building with such a cladding has an elegant appearance.
Glazed Brick:

• In its properties and characteristics, installation method, it is similar to ordinary brick, which is used in house construction.
• Only it is hollow and has a high heat consumption, like all facing bricks.
• Lasting.
• Not able to pass heat.
• It has good air exchange, so the structure has the ability to breathe.
• Practical, as the shade does not fade in the sun.
• Moisture resistant and not able to absorb various contaminants.

The price for it can be higher than for engobed brick. This is due to production technology.

Clinker brick in finishing work

Decorative bricklaying of clinker cladding brick in its sequence of actions is no different from just using building bricks. Only the latter can be placed both on the larger side and on the butt.
Specifications:

• It is also made hollow for cladding, since clinker is a type of porcelain stoneware, which in its structure has a rather large mass and in order not to create additional load on the foundation of the house, the clinker was released hollow.
• Such actions of manufacturers do not adversely affect the strength of the material.
• It is made from several types of clay dough. Coloring pigments and various substances are added to it, which increase the strength of the clinker brick and all its main characteristics.
• The strongest and most reliable facing brick is clinker. It is also moisture resistant and wear resistant.
    It does not respond to both low and high temperatures. Its surface may be glazed or matte.
  In rare cases, a relief surface is found. But it is not recommended to use it in outdoor works, since a certain relief is achieved by creating a porous structure of the material, which can freely retain dirt in its pores.

This type of brick is environmentally friendly and does not harm the environment and human health. It is also fire resistant and due to this property it can reliably protect the building from fire or from direct exposure to a fire source.

Installation of facing bricks

Facing masonry can only be done if the foundation is designed to carry out such work. Although it does not have a lot of weight, it will still put an additional load on the base.

Tip. If a place was not originally provided for bricking the building, then you need to make a second foundation, which will be connected with the main one.

How it's done:

• Along the entire perimeter of the main foundation, the width of the additional base is marked. This size depends not only on the parameters of the facing brick, but it also includes the thickness of the insulation material, and it will be necessary to arrange a ventilation gap for normal air exchange at home.
• What size should the ventilation gap be? This parameter is determined on the basis of all the properties of the building material from which the house is built. As a rule, it can be from 10 cm to 30-35 cm.
• At the set marks, a trench is excavated to fill the base.

A solution for the foundation is prepared with your own hands from:

• Sand.
• Water.
• High strength cement.
• Gravel or gravel (they are added to the solution for greater strength).

So:

• The most important thing - there should be a reinforcing dressing between the main and additional foundation.
• As soon as the base is insisted, you can proceed to the masonry. For this, a cement solution is used, which is mixed in a concrete mixer with the addition of special hardeners.

Tip. Decorative masonry of facing bricks of any type can be using colored seam.

• Special coloring pigments are added to the shade of the concrete solution, which are added to the composition during its mixing. There are so many fixtures that make the brickwork seams beautiful.
    For this, a special trowel with a rubber ending is used. It is held along the seam after fixing the brick in a flat plane.
  We can say that for such works there is a special instruction, according to which decorative masonry is performed.
• Putting a brick is necessary gradually in one row. This will make it possible to firmly fix the brick on the surface and dry the solution well.
    With the help of a trowel, it is applied only to a brick that is already fixed. It is not necessary to smear it, since under the influence of physical pressure, the solution itself will evenly be distributed on the surface of the brick.
    The video shows the process of such work.
• It should be noted that the cladding should be connected with the wall of the building. To do this, reinforcing bars with sheet fastening at the end are initially installed on the surface.
    It is mounted to the wall. Bricklaying is already being carried out so that the reinforcement falls into the seams of the brickwork. But this is only ideal. Sometimes the location of the reinforcement does not match the location of the seam of the brickwork. Do not despair.

For greater strength, all reinforcing bars between themselves should also be fastened with a similar metal rod by welding.

Most often, brick and concrete facades are finished with ceramic, silicate or hyper-pressed facing bricks. Thanks to its excellent decorative qualities, geometrically clear dressing and jointing, as well as the ability to perform interesting architectural elements, the brickwork of the brick gives the building a respectable appearance and decorates the walls with extraordinary decoration.

How to choose a brick, what techniques are used when laying it? How is a monolithic cladding carried out, and how is a heater placed under a decorative wall? These questions are of interest not only to those who decided to revet the house with their own hands. The theoretical material presented here, plus the video in this article on the topic: “Brick masonry,” will give them comprehensive answers.

Which brick is used for wall cladding

In construction, there are such concepts as ordinary masonry, and front brickwork. Their main difference is the fact that the second option is built only from the whole, you can say perfect brick, with the right edges and corners. If ordinary brick is used for facial masonry, then it is carefully sorted, choosing according to the shade.

But most often for this purpose a brick is taken facing. Its price, of course, is higher, but it initially has higher decorative properties. This applies not only to the geometry of the stones, but also to their purely aesthetic qualities. To make it easier for you to visually determine the choice of bricks, we will present the main types used for masonry and cladding.

There is a choice for every taste: for whom it is enough that the walls are simply warm and smooth, without any frills; someone wants to design the facade so that it looks stylish and rich. We presented the main types of bricks, and only a fraction of the sea of \u200b\u200bwhat manufacturers of these products offer today.

Facing Features

Before giving preference to any type of decorative brick, think carefully about all the details of the finish, or rather, order a project. The dressing pattern will also be indicated in it, which will greatly facilitate the work: both for masters and amateurs. We hope that the instruction below will also be very useful.

Creating a masonry pattern

Brick cladding is used to decorate the walls, and therefore the front masonry is called decorative. First of all, the aesthetic effect is achieved thanks to the dressing of the seams. However, in the first place, it is carried out to ensure the solidity of the structure, and to prevent its stratification into separate fragments.

The choice of dressing depends on the thickness of the wall, and is carried out by laying the rows of rows of one verst in a spoon row of another. The same technique can be applied when performing brick cladding, which we see in the diagram below. In this case, individual stitch rows or single bricks play the role of anchors.

So:

• When anchoring in this way does not allow drawing of the masonry, then for the connection of the cladding with the main wall, flexible connections are used. You can learn more about them from the article on masonry anchoring, which is on our website.
• If the main decoration of the cladding will be decorative dressing of the seams, then the laying of the front brick is carried out in a certain pattern. The picture is obtained due to the alternation of spoons and pokes, their sequential or reverse bias, and not only.
• In most systems for decorative dressing of joints, bonded edges of a brick are involved. In this case, you can use a brick of two contrasting shades, due to which the pattern is emphasized.

Note! Such masonry methods as Silesian, Dutch, Gothic, Flemish, Cross, are carried out only with the simultaneous construction of walls with cladding. The fact is that when the front brickwork is done on an already finished wall, it is impossible to lay bricks with a poke. To get at least such a picture as in the picture above, you would have to cut them into halves - can you imagine how many they need for the entire facade?

Facing the finished wall is performed only in spoon rows, shifting the bricks by half or a quarter. Using a brick of two colors, you can get a very beautiful picture, as the above examples prove. Such a masonry is interesting even with an ordinary front brick, and if it still has a beautiful relief and a good color combination, the facade will turn out to be simply gorgeous.

• In general, multicolor brick cladding has been in fashion since ancient times. It appeared involuntarily - due to the fact that different lots of bricks almost always differ in tone. Be that as it may, there is a great way not to bother with the displacements of the brick, but simply to make it in the Bavarian style.
• For this, four types of bricks are selected, with shades that combine well with each other. You can also use a brick that is made multicolor in the factory - how it looks can be seen in the photo above. Its use greatly simplifies the masonry process. In any case, on the plot you do not have to put several pallets with a brick at once.

All options for the front bricks, which were mentioned during the article, have standard sizes. Only, they are not one and a half and double, but only single.

For cladding, a brick of the euro format is also used: with a section of 85 * 65 mm, the standard length is 250 mm; and Long format (extended), with a section of 108 * 37 mm, and a length of 528 mm.

Subtleties of facing works

When performing the facing simultaneously with the erection of walls, the laying of the front brick is carried out in the same way as if it were an ordinary brick. The only difference is that in this case, it is the lining that is the outer verst.

• Ordinary masonry is bandaged using either a single-row scheme or multi-row. But due to the fact that with a single-row dressing, too much front brick is consumed, while the masonry is facing, more often a multi-row system is used.
• It always starts from the front verst - that is, from the facing part of the masonry. For the proper aesthetic effect, it is very important to keep the rows horizontal and the thickness of the joints uniform. The norm for vertical joints is 10 mm, for horizontal joints - a maximum of 12 mm.

In the process of facing, produced simultaneously with the main masonry, such a technique is often used. In the front masonry, all vertical seams remain untied, or partially bandaged. As a result, it turns out that the entire surface of the cladding is divided into continuous strips with a width of one brick.

• The height of the strip is no more than four rows: under it, and above it, there is a poke row. It turns out very beautifully. But such a masonry is erected only according to the project, which indicates the alternation order of the yoke and spoon rows. This option is ideal for 2 brick walls.
• There are many ways to decorate such a masonry: the device of decorative belts; brick with a relief surface, used only on pokes, or only on spoons; the use of colored masonry mortar, which can be tinted in a contrasting color.

An excellent decor for face masonry is also some interesting way to embroider seams, which are also many. Only one of them - which is called "wasting", is performed in preparing the walls for plastering. All other options were invented specifically for face masonry.

Brickwork in a ventilated facade system

The brick cladding is good in that it can be done not only on the wall being built, but also on the finished one. The only condition that is required for this is the presence of a solid concrete support.

In a house under construction, the width of the strip foundation or grillage is calculated on the cladding, but in the old house, this possibility may not be. In this case, first you need to solve the problem with topping up the foundation, or with the installation of a concrete blind area, and then already take up the lining. The thickness of the decorative wall always corresponds to half a brick - that is, 12 cm.

Note! When wooden or cellular concrete walls are refined with brick, lining cannot be carried out close to the base. Due to the fact that these materials have a higher vapor permeability, condensation will accumulate under the lining. Therefore, the decorative wall is erected with an indent, which in construction is called a ventilated gap.

The indent should be at least 3 cm, but if insulation is laid under the lining, the size of the gap should also take into account its thickness. When installing the support, keep in mind that the decorative masonry can hang from the foundation no more than 4 cm. For better ventilation of the space, several unfilled vertical joints are left in the bottom row of the masonry - that is, they make air vents.

In this case, the front brick masonry is attached to the main wall using anchor dowels. This is also a kind of flexible connection: they not only connect the two walls together, but also allow you to simultaneously fasten the insulation boards.