The facade of a house is its face, so its appearance depends on the material that will be used for cladding. In addition, cladding can improve the performance characteristics of the building, making it more comfortable and durable. Facing brick has been widely used and has become one of the most popular decorative materials. It is produced in a variety of shapes, textures and colors, which allows you to give the structure respectability and color.
The facade of a house is its face, so its appearance depends on the material that will be used for cladding. In addition, cladding can improve the performance characteristics of the building, making it more comfortable and durable. Facing brick has been widely used and has become one of the most popular decorative materials. It is produced in a variety of shapes, textures and colors, which allows you to give the structure respectability and color.
Facing brick has certain physical and chemical properties and technical characteristics that allow it to be widely used in construction. It is used as a facing material in the construction of apartment buildings and private cottages. It is widely used for decorating buildings and interiors. The material is used in landscape design and laying sidewalks.
- variety of color solutions;
- high resistance to ultraviolet radiation;
- the variety of shapes and textures allows you to choose the optimal brick in terms of quality and price;
- the material is able to work under significant temperature changes;
- low level of moisture absorption;
- long service life.
The disadvantages of facing bricks include:
- a significant mass of material increases the load on the base;
- the need to use cement and adhesive solutions;
Despite this, cost and performance characteristics make brick the optimal material for facing work.
Facing brick
The appearance of the building depends on the quality of the decorative brick, so choosing the optimal cladding option is a responsible task. In this case, you should pay attention to:
- precise execution of geometry and uniform coloring of bricks;
- presence or absence of visible defects;
- sufficient level of material strength;
- high frost resistance and thermal conductivity of brick.
Frost resistance is expressed as a percentage, and is denoted by the letter F, followed by the numerical value of the indicator. The manufacturer indicates this designation on the working edge, which allows you to quickly determine this characteristic of the material.
Based on their thermal insulation properties, brick is divided into five types, which determines the area of application of the material and characterizes the ability to conduct heat. Externally, this parameter can be determined by the number of cavities – as their number increases, the thermal insulation properties of the material increase.
Water has a destructive effect on the material, therefore, to increase its resistance to it, they resort to the use of water repellents, which are applied to finished products. This creates a vapor- and waterproof film that blocks steam emanating from the room and prevents condensation from forming.
Types of bricks
Facing bricks are classified depending on the material and production technology. Its main components are cement, limestone and clay, and natural pigments are used to give a certain color. The natural origin of the product components ensures environmental friendliness and high quality of the material.
Ceramic brick
This facing material is manufactured in two versions: solid and hollow. Its production requires special grades of clay, which does not affect the appearance of the product, but has a significant impact on its technical characteristics, in particular weight.
When using ceramic bricks, various cladding methods can be used. A smooth surface is considered a classic option. With a textured finish, another material is imitated, which looks very impressive. Glazing is very popular among developers, as the surface acquires an elegant appearance and an attractive shine. You can even make mosaics using ceramic bricks.
Clinker brick
This modern version of ceramic brick is made using special clay. The production technology involves high-temperature firing, which makes it possible to obtain a material with high strength properties and durability. It finds application under conditions of constant increased loads. The material is excellent for decorating window and door openings, garden paths and finishing basements.
The material has a high density, has a minimal number of pores and has a low level of water absorption. Clinker brick has excellent performance characteristics and is able to maintain its original attractive appearance for a long time. The material has increased thermal conductivity, which is associated with its density. Clinker bricks are produced in a wide range of colors and have many standard sizes.
Hyperpressed brick
The production technology of this facing brick does not include the use of firing. This type of processing is replaced by high pressure, which acts on the formed product. This brick does not contain sand and clay, but contains limestone, cement additives and dyes.
Thanks to the peculiarities of production technology, the brick acquires a textured chip that is similar to natural stone. This property is widely used by designers to give the facade an original look. The material is easy to process and at the same time retains its qualities unchanged.
Hyper Pressed bricks are a very durable product that can be used at low temperatures and have an ideal geometric shape. The disadvantages of the material include high thermal conductivity. When using a heat insulator, it is easily corrected.
Sand-lime brick
This material is low in cost, and its technical characteristics are inferior to analogues, so the popularity of sand-lime brick as cladding is constantly decreasing. Developers prefer to use higher quality and more expensive materials that make the appearance of the building impeccable and are durable.
To give sand-lime brick a certain tone, it is painted in the mass. For this purpose, the dye is introduced when preparing the mixture, and its quantity is measured with a dispenser. If the recipe is violated, the technical characteristics of the product change. A more economical way to paint this material is to apply paint only to the front side.
Hollow and solid bricks
In monolithic facing bricks, pores make up less than 13% of the mass of the product, so they have a greater mass. They are resistant to climatic factors and have high strength indicators. This material is durable, capable of maintaining its characteristics unchanged for a long time, but does not have good thermal insulation properties.
Hollow bricks have many cavities that can take on a variety of shapes. They are lightweight and have excellent thermal insulation characteristics.
Color solution
Correct selection of the color scheme of facing bricks allows you to achieve a harmonious and attractive appearance of the building’s exterior and obtain a holistic architectural ensemble. All nuances are taken into account: from the size of the building to its shape.
With a small surface area being treated, the human eye cannot distinguish a large number of shades, and some of them will appear duller than in reality. In this case, brighter colors are used to highlight a certain architectural element and make the facade more attractive.
Facing a large area requires the use of discreet and not too bright colors, which will allow you to see their beauty. However, you should not get carried away with dark colors, as over a large area they are perceived as solid black.
A combination of several shades will achieve an excellent visual effect. In this case, the compatibility of colors and architectural features of the building should be taken into account.
Brick texture
Facing bricks can have different textures or reliefs, which expands the possibilities for designing facades. The poke can have a recess, depressions or roughness, forming a specific pattern, which can have an ordered or chaotic arrangement.
Ceramic and clinker bricks
The production technology of these materials involves firing, which simplifies the production of a relief surface. To do this, a certain pattern is applied to the unfired workpieces, which is fixed during the drying process in the oven. This method does not damage the surface and preserves the performance characteristics of the material.
In addition to this method, a number of others are used.
Shotcrete
Before firing, mineral chips are applied to the front surface of the brick, which, during high-temperature treatment, are welded to it and form an original texture. With the right combination of different shades, you can get an original visual effect and smooth color transitions.
Melting inclusions of mineral origin requires the use of elevated temperatures, so this method is used in the production of clinker bricks. With their help, columns, corners, door and window openings are decorated.
The surface faced with shortcrete bricks is difficult to maintain and is prone to the accumulation of dirt. This drawback is especially pronounced when using light-colored material.
Engobing
This method involves the use of engobe – a liquid ceramic mass that is applied to dried products. It completely covers the original texture and color of the brick. After this, the product is fired, as a result of which it receives a coating with a thickness of about 1 mm.
To achieve a certain effect, engobe is not applied to the entire front surface of the brick, but only locally. This allows you to get interesting transitions of different shades. At the same time, their characteristics remain unchanged, but when handling them, care should be taken not to damage the applied layer.
Glaze coating
When using this method, a glaze with a special composition is applied to the surface of the product, which is more durable than engobe and looks very aesthetically pleasing. During the firing process, the resulting layer becomes glass-like and serves as reliable protection against moisture penetration. Glazing makes it possible to experiment not only with shades, but also with pattern.