About+the+Bricks

A brick is a block, or a single unit of a ceramic material used in masonry construction, usually stacked together, or laid using various kinds of mortar to hold the bricks together and make a permanent structure. Bricks are typically produced in common or standard sizes in bulk quantities. Bricks are used for building, block paving and pavement. about the types of bricks:

Stock:

Stock Bricks are a traditional type of brick with a slightly irregular shape made by using a mechanised moulding process known as soft mud moulding. A wide range of colours is available. In price, as well as style, stock bricks fall between the wirecuts and the handmades. This type of brick is currently one of the most popular. Engineering:

Engineering Bricks are used for their performance characteristics rather than their appearance and are most suited for groundworks, manholes and sewers, retaining walls and other situations where strength and resistance to frost attack and water are the most important factor. Fletton:

Fletton Bricks, or Londons are only manufactured by Hanson Brick. They are made from deposits of Oxford clay. They are available in a wide range of colours and textures, and are particularly popular for matching existing brickwork. Handmade:

Handmade Bricks are literally made by hand by skilled craftsmen throwing clay into moulds. Each brick is unique and they have a pleasing and distinctive appearance with a creased face (known as a smile) as well as longstanding durability - many of our most admired historic buildings were built with handmade bricks. They are very much the thing for prestige housing projects. Re-Pressed:

Re-Pressed Bricks are wirecut bricks which are re-pressed to create a solid brick with very precise size tolerances and distinctive surface texture. Known as the 'Jacobean', this range is unique to Butterley and is a high quality product that can be used effectively in housing. Special Shapes: Special Shapes: Hanson Brick manufactures special shaped bricks to enhance the company's extensive range of facings. There are over 70 special shapes available from Hanson consisting of both standard and purpose made shapes which enable flexible design and the means to execute any imaginative design detail or decorative element. In addition, their use adds a high quality finish to brickwork, can provide extra durability and protection to vulnerable areas and can save time on-site by overcoming extensive hand cutting. Wirecut: Wirecut Facing Bricks are made by extrusion of a continuous column of clay which, as the name implies, is cut by the wire but not before the column has been textured. They are suitable for almost every type of application and are available in a wide range of colours and textures. The highly automated production process makes wirecuts relatively inexpensive compared to some other types of brick. Bricklaying is a skilled trade that takes many years to master. Bricks are laid in courses, on a bed of mortar, with a taut string linesed as a guide to line and level. The horizontal joint is the "bed joint"; the vertical joints are "perpends". The ends of walls are built first, with the level and verticality of the bricks checked repeatedly as the corners/ends are raised. The gauging is also checked, to ensure that 4 courses measures 300mm. Stretcher Bond is the easiest bond to lay and minimises the amount og cutting required. It can be used for single skin walls quite easily. When used as a double skin wall, the two skins are locked together across the collar joint by means of wall ties. The English Bond is a traditional bond dating back hundreds of years and features alternating courses of stretchers and headers. This is one of the strongest brickwork bond patterns.