One-and-a-half facing brick - description, types, DIY laying

There are many ways to improve the façade, but one of the best is to brick it. But which material to choose and how to do it? A one-and-a-half facing brick is perfect for decorating the facade of a house, and you can find out how to lay it by reading this material.

Note! Facing brick is not only an attempt to improve the appearance of a building, it also protects walls from external influences, as it is a fairly stable material.

Features and differences from other types of bricks

Face brick has certain differences from other types of this building material. First of all, these are its strength properties.

Facing brick:

• has high strength;
• does not lend itself to water (certain types), as it has low moisture absorption;
• is not afraid of frost, does not even collapse due to severe temperature changes;
• does not fade in the sun and does not lose its color for many decades.

Since it has always been important for builders to make a structure not only beautiful, but also reliable and of high quality, the high strength of facing bricks is perhaps one of its most important properties. Thanks to this, from such material it is possible to create those buildings and structures that will be subject to heavy loads.

Note! Due to its high strength, facing bricks can be used where other types of this material are not used. However, it is very expensive, and therefore it is rarely bought to create fences, foundations or paths.

Facing brick also has other differences. For example, it can have different sizes and shapes, as well as different colors, which makes it possible to match it to almost any structure, despite some obvious features of the latter. So, this brick is not only red, but also green, yellow, brown, blue, etc.

Face brick can also differ in texture - it can be rough or, conversely, smooth, as well as glossy or matte. These parameters will depend on the surface treatment technology.

Facing bricks often have a shiny outer surface. This effect can be achieved by applying a special low-melting composition based on glass - glaze on the pre-fired clay. Then another firing stage is carried out, but at lower temperatures. It is due to this procedure that the very shiny layer is formed, which is not afraid of moisture and other external influences.

The colored surface of this product (such a brick is called engobed or two-layer) can be obtained by applying a colored composition to the pre-dried raw material, and then the product is fired once.

Decorative colored coating is made from clay by adding certain dyes to it. Provided that the firing temperature is selected correctly, such an engobe layer will become opaque and matte, but a very beautiful colored coating.

Attention! More serious requirements are imposed on the facing brick, or rather, on its quality. For example, there should be no scratches, cracks, bulges or black points on it. The admissible maximum is no more than 4 notches and chisels, or only 2-3 black "flies".

By the way, colored bricks are not as strong as regular glossy ones. Rather, their coating is not strong enough, giving them color. That is why they are rarely bought.

Bavarian brick laying

This method is used not only for facing the facade walls of various buildings, brick fences, gazebos and barbecues are also erected in this way, decorative architectural elements. What is Bavarian brickwork? You can find the answer to the question in this article.

Types and sizes

Facade or facing bricks are of several types, differing in production technology and some other parameters.

1. Ceramic is a universal brick. It is used not only for cladding, but also for laying stoves and fireplaces, wall partitions. The strength is lower than that of clinker bricks, and the material is fired at slightly lower temperatures. The main difference from other types is the presence of small geometrically regular voids in the body, which allows you to create special thermal insulation conditions.

   

   Ceramic facing bricks

   Prices for ceramic bricks

   Ceramic bricks

2. Clinker is considered the most expensive type of facing brick. During production, it undergoes a firing procedure at critically high temperatures - more than +1000 degrees Celsius. Moreover, it is kept in the oven for a long time. It is then that high-quality clinker bricks are obtained, characterized by maximum strength and ideal for decorating basements and floors in buildings, walkways and other structures. It is used wherever the surfaces are subjected to the highest stress.

   

   Clinker bricks

   Prices for clinker bricks

   Clinker bricks

3. Hyper-pressed is made not of clay, but of cement and limestone with coloring additives. These bricks are exposed to a powerful press rather than fired. This is one of the inexpensive options for a building material that looks like natural stone.Strong enough, but poorly retains heat inside the building (additional thermal insulation is required during construction).

   

   Hyper-pressed facing bricks

   Prices for hyper-pressed bricks

   Hyper-pressed bricks

4. Hand-molded bricks are difficult to purchase in large quantities, most often this material is made to order.

   It is usually used for the restoration of buildings. Its peculiarity lies in the fact that it is molded (that is, the raw material is loaded into the mold) by human hands, and not automatically, which significantly increases the cost.

Important! There is also silicate and glazed bricks. We talked about the second type in the previous section, and silicate is made not from clay, but from quartz sand, water and lime.

Facade bricks also differ in their parameters.

You can get acquainted with them from the table below. The parameters of a classic single brick (250 * 120 * 65 mm) are taken here as a sample.

Table. The dimensions of the front brick.

What does one-and-a-half mean?

In the table above, we see a mention of the immediate hero of the material - one and a half facing brick.

Let's try to understand what is its main difference from other types.

A single brick is the most common, familiar to us in size. Its dimensions are 250 * 120 * 65 mm. It is most commonly used to form brickwork. Consumption is 52 pieces per 1 m ² or 428 pieces per 1 m ³ .

However, over time, other types of bricks appeared - these are double and one and a half.

Double stone or double brick, as you might guess, is twice as high in height as single ... Its dimensions are 250 * 120 * 138 mm.

But one-and-a-half brick, also called thickened, is a middle option between double and single types of bricks. Its dimensions are as follows: height 88 mm, width 120 mm, length 250 mm. It is usually hollow and therefore cannot be used for the construction of structures that are exposed to moisture - for example, foundations, plinths. However, it has high thermal insulation and is excellent for wall cladding in residential buildings.

Note! One-and-a-half brick allows you to save the cost of purchasing bricks and masonry materials, and the masonry dries out of it faster.

The construction process from this material is 1.5 times faster, and much less cement mortar is spent.

Consumption of one-and-a-half brick is lower than that of a single brick and amounts to 41 units per 1 m ² or 380 units per cubic meter. Also, the price for such a brick will be lower per cubic meter or square than when buying an ordinary one. One and a half brick is used both for the decoration of industrial buildings and for private construction.

There are many voids in such a brick, due to which it becomes lighter and less dense ... The voidness is up to 70%, and the shape of the holes can be different - oval, round, slot-like. They can also be arranged in different ways - vertically, piercing the product through and through.

However, the brick still remains a very durable product.

Attention! If you use one-and-a-half facing brick, then the presence of "cold bridges" - joints between bricks - is reduced to a minimum, due to which the thermal insulation characteristics of the walls increase.

Such a brick also significantly increases the sound insulation properties of walls. And its frost resistance is no worse than that of a single brick. It is also hypoallergenic, not susceptible to mold, does not rot.

Storage and transportation

Brick is a product that, despite its strength, is rather fragile. It is easy to damage it if stored or transported improperly, and it will not be the manufacturer's fault, but the one who bought the material (or the shipping store). That is why certain requirements are imposed on transportation.

Brick must be transported in special transport packages that are formed at the warehouse. Products must be secured in a certain way, especially if they will be transported over fairly long distances.

The brick should be stored in packages in one tier, in a continuous stack. Packages can be installed on top of each other, but no more than four tiers in height, and then if all safety requirements are observed.

Unloading bricks from the vehicle should only be done with special lifting devices that will not damage the material. In no case should you just pour bricks onto the ground.

How to lay facing bricks?

Remaining just learn how to properly lay facing bricks.

This will require the acquisition, in addition to the brick itself and mortar, and the following tools:

• special metal rods;
• tape measure;
• bricklayers' hammers;
• masters ;
• building level.

Prices for building levels

Building levels

Bricklaying technology looks like this.

Step 1. The facing brick is laid on a flat surface.

Step 2.

In order for the mortar to be applied accurately, the bricks lay flat, and between them a beautiful "gap" was obtained, a metal rod is used. It is laid on the first row of bricks in such a way that it is at the very edge of the outer side of the product, which will "look" into the street.

Step 3. A portion of the mortar is placed on brick with a trowel. Gently leveled over the brick surface.

Advice! You can add a little soot to the solution during preparation - this will make it darker and look very harmonious.

Step 4. Vertical joints are also filled with mortar using a small piece of metal bar, applying it to the edge of the brick, which will be laid on the surface of the previously laid row. A little mortar is applied to this small side surface.

Step 5.

The brick is carefully placed on the previously applied mortar close to the earlier the laid brick on the side (the side on which the mortar was applied in a small amount using a small piece of bar).

Step 6. A building level is applied to the brick and, guided by it indicators, with the help of a bricklayer's hammer, they carefully "break through" the brick so that it lay down more densely and evenly.

Step 7. Using a level, check the evenness of the masonry from the outside.

Step 8. This is how the entire brick wall is carefully laid out. There is no need to rush here, because it is very easy to ruin all the work with one incorrectly laid brick. It's like a puzzle - if something doesn't go well, then a beautiful picture will not work.

Video - How to lay a brick "under the rod"