When should you stop using brick cladding?
When finishing a façade with brick, a good foundation is required. If your house has a weak foundation, then it is better to abandon the idea of a brick facade and take advantage of other proposals for wall cladding.
When constructing a brick facade, it should be taken into account that the facade must go under the existing roof. Otherwise, you will have to remove the old roof and build a new roof.
The reliability of finished walls is questioned. The facing brickwork will be attached to the finished walls. And if there are doubts that the load-bearing wall will withstand the additional load, then it is better to abandon the idea of a brick facade.
If the above reasons are not fundamental for you, and you decide to decorate the facade of your house with brick, then you should know about the existing types of brick.
There are two main types of bricks. Hollow (has good heat-insulating properties) and solid (more durable).
House facade Regional gable cottage
This popular style came out of triple-faced, veneer and brick.
While the home's footprint and floor plan may be very similar, the gabled roof of a cottage evokes a very different feeling. In this style, the gabled roof is the defining feature and acts as a dominant design element, providing shade as well as part of the entertaining space.
The structures can be made entirely of brick, or of painted wood; a very common combination of brick on the lower part of the house and wood on the upper part. Some houses have verandas and porticoes made of brick. The roofs are usually made of galvanized iron, and the windows have a metal frame.
Preparatory work
A very important component of masonry is the mortar. Typically, M300 or M400 cement and sifted sand are used to make the mortar.
For good quality of the prepared solution, you should use water containing a minimum amount of salts. The prepared solution should resemble thick sour cream in thickness.
Before starting the construction of a brick facade, you can insulate the facade of a brick house. For this purpose, mineral wool is used.
But it is worth noting that if you decide to make insulation, then do not forget to worry about the ventilation gap. In any case, he must be present. But when installing insulation, there are some peculiarities.
What is facing brick?
From the name it follows that the material is used for cladding a house. They are also called front or façade, but this does not mean that manufacturers relegate strength characteristics to the background.
The brick used to decorate the walls outside must also have good strength indicators. This is due to the fact that the facade is constantly exposed to serious loads, such as:
Thanks to special manufacturing technologies, a brick facade is able to withstand all the above loads. At the same time, the material retains its attractive appearance for a long time without unnecessary maintenance costs.
By the way! It will be interesting to know: CM 117 Elast
Style solutions and additional decoration techniques
Colored facing bricks work well with most well-known exterior styles. Some examples of its use:
- Baroque. Includes classic shades of material that make the building look luxurious and elegant. Involves the presence of columns, majestic structures and sophisticated elements.
- Castle style. A characteristic feature is the use of dark bricks and blocks with an artificially aged surface.
- Gothic. It also implies the dark design of buildings and the presence of huge windows, vaults, and turrets.
- Modern. A rather calm style, characterized by strong but sophisticated lines and floral patterns.
- High tech. Brick is combined with glass and metal, bringing to life the most incredible combinations.
To make your home even more attractive, you can use additional facade decor. For example, an unusual cornice will become a real decoration of the building; the main thing is to choose it in accordance with the main style.
Decorative window sills, base strips, moldings, keystones, and window brackets look beautiful and fashionable. When decorating a facade with colored bricks, you can practice the most daring ideas.
Examples using bricks
There is no arguing about tastes, since everyone has their own vision of beauty. Therefore, we will consider several options for facades decorated with brick, but in different interpretations and styles.
Universal brick facade
Painted brick, external walls of different colors
If this option is suitable and does not frighten the owner, then there are no limits to imagination. On the construction market there are a large number of facade paints that are already tinted or white, which can be pigmented. The pigment is chosen from the same manufacturer as the paint.
No more than three shades are combined on the façade. Contrasting colors are used to highlight window and door openings, porches, and decorative elements. To choose a color scheme, use advice from fashionable construction publications, their online counterparts, or professional designers.
Whitewashed brick
For whitewashing, a mixture of lime and table salt is used. If you add a small amount of white cement, the layer will be more durable and will last longer.
Energy efficient brick
The energy efficiency of this material lies in the ability to heat up for a long time, and then release heat to the environment for a long time. Thus, we have the following:
- In the summer, the facade warms up in the sun, but the heat does not penetrate into the rooms, so it remains cool there.
- In winter, heated internal walls do not let heat out, but at the same time retain heat inside the rooms for a long time.
If this is not done, moisture will accumulate in the thermal insulation material, which will lead to destruction. In addition, the walls inside the rooms will also be damp. And if you leave a gap, then there is no need to additionally ventilate the room.
By the way! It will be interesting to know: Making lining with a milling cutter; how to make slats yourself
Natural beauty
Naturalness is always in fashion, and now, when the world around us is stuffed with synthetic substances, I want to lock myself in a country cottage or a city one-story house made from natural ingredients.
Playing with texture
You can finish several elements with plaster and leave a clean facade, which looks good. In addition, bricks of different types and shades combine well on one house. You just need to skillfully select a separate area.
Mix tiles and bricks
Handmade brick
Now all bricks are made in factories and in large batches. Previously, everything was done manually without the use of sophisticated equipment. If you want to make your house stand out from the general mass of buildings, you can do everything the old fashioned way.
Mix the solution, pour into wooden molds and fire over a fire. By washing away the unevenness on the bricks with sand, they create an original velvety texture. Such blocks will aesthetically embellish the facade and convey the spirit of an ancient mansion.
Modern brick
Brickwork as a decorative option for the facade
Brick is one of the most ancient building materials, widely used in construction and finishing work. But, it should be borne in mind that the so-called facing brick can be used for cladding buildings, which, unlike ordinary bricks, has some features:
- precise geometry of edges and corners;
- absence of cracks, cavities and other surface defects;
- color and texture diversity within even one type of product. For example, the color of a ceramic brick can be brown, yellow, or orange, depending on the color of the clay, but if you add pigment to the raw material, you can get a product of the required shade.
There is a similar article on this topic - Ventilated facades: types, installation technology.
In appearance, facing bricks can have not only smooth and straight corners, but also rounded or beveled corners, and some products have only one front side, for example, glazed.
In terms of structure, facing brick can be solid or hollow (slotted), which is often called effective due to its increased thermal insulation abilities.
