What type of bricks are available from ET Clay Products
If there’s one thing we really know about at ET Clay Products, it’s bricks! We stock literally thousands of bricks in every conceivable size, shape, colour and texture. Choosing the right brick for your building project can be pretty daunting when you are faced with such a massive assortment of bricks, but then that’s why we have friendly and experienced staff always on hand to help that process go smoothly.
Although there are literally thousands of different bricks available on the market, they can be broken down into a few basic types. The vast majority of bricks are made from clay and are fired in a kiln. ET Clay Products also offer a superb brick matching service so you are able to maintain a consistent finish to any add on building brickwork.
Facing Bricks
Facing bricks are a high quality and durable brick with a great look for external building use above ground.
Wirecut facing bricks
The wirecut facing brick is manufactured using clay that is continuously extruded to the required size and shape and then cut into individual bricks using a wire. There are thousands of variations of wirecut facing bricks in colour and texture. Wirecut facing bricks are often the cheapest bricks available because the manufacturing process they go through is highly automated.
Stock facing bricks
Stock facing bricks have the clay moistened to what is referred to as a soft mud and then the brick is moulded to the requisite shape. This stock brick is then allowed to dry before it is fired in a kiln. Like the Wirecut facing brick, a lot of the manufacturing process for stock bricks is automated. Stock facing bricks are usually slightly irregular in shape. These bricks can be a little more expensive than wirecut facing bricks.
Handmade facing bricks
Handmade facing bricks demand a much higher price tag than the other facing bricks, but then they are handmade and are well worth the extra cash as the finish they produce is superb and distinctive. Handmade facing bricks are often made on a bench in a workshop. The bricks clay is placed or thrown into a mould. Because the clay doesn’t get compacted by a machine, each handmade brick normally is likely to exibit a certain amount of creasing, this isn’t a fault, it is intended and is commonly known as a smile. So if you need a premium brick for your building project, that displays tons of character, a handmade facing brick is the brick to choose.
Fletton facing bricks
Fletton facing bricks are probably known by the far more common name of London Brick. Fletton, or London facing bricks are made from Lower Oxford clay that is only found in the South East part of England. What makes these bricks so distinctive is that the clay they are made from contains traces of coal. These coal traces burn during the brick firing process, which reduces the amount of fuel required for the kiln, which keeps the manufacturing cost down and also produces some very interesting effects in the bricks finished look.
Common bricks
Common bricks are a rather cheap brick that is designed to be useful or practical, rather than attractive. Like anything in life, some people find these bricks to have a character all their own but they are generally suited for smaller projects as a greater area covered in common bricks could look rather monotonous.
Concrete or Calcium Silicate bricks
Concrete or Calcium Silicate bricks tend to be used more in areas where good brick making clay is in short supply. These bricks are certainly not something you would want as a facing brick, as they can look rather unnattractive. However, they are cheap to produce and buy and if they are to be finished with render, pebbledash or textured masonry paint, who’s to know?
Engineering bricks
Engineering bricks may not be the prettiest brick in the world, but they have certainly earnt their stripes when it comes to their strength and reputation for being a hard wearing and frost resistant brick. Because engineering bricks have such a good track record for resiting frost and water, they make a great choice of brick for groundwork projects and any brickwork that will be in continuous contact with the ground such as a retaining wall. Although not the most expensive brick, engineering bricks still command a reasonable price because of their longevity, toughness and vast range of application.
Special shaped bricks
Essentially, special shaped bricks fall into the category of any brick that isnt a standard rectangle. Special shaped bricks come as standard special shaped bricks, such as bullnoses, cants and radials, and an even more special, or exclusive type of brick such as cills and quoins. These special shaped bricks gives the builder an extensive and varied scope of design possibilities and make the brickwork finish extremely pleasing to look at.
Reclaimed, recycled or salvaged bricks
Reclaimed, salvaged or recycled bricks are essentially bricks that have been taken from demolished building and cleaned up to remove all, or most traces of old mortar. It is vital that you do your homework and use a specialist brick merchant when considering this type of brick as there can be some very poor quality examples out there.
Reclaimed, salvaged or recycled bricks undeniably have a great deal of character and may even have an interesting history that could be a talking point for years to come. Maybe the reclaimed bricks came from an old school house you attended as a child, or from the police station your dad served at, how cool to have your garden wall, extension or raised garden pond made from the same bricks!
Sadly there can be a high level of wastage with reclaimed bricks as many will be the old Imperial sizes, which are not compatible with the modern metric bricks. Should you think that a reclaimed brick is cheap, you would be in for a nasty shock. Many people see a reclaimed brick as a second hand brick and therefore it must be cheaper than new. What needs to be remembered is that the amount of labour that is put into cleaning and sorting these bricks out is considerable. So cheap they are most definately not!
Other walling products available from ET Clay Products
ET Clay Products don’t just sell bricks! We can supply you with reconstituted stone or products from our stone in stock range. The purpose of these products is to enhance the finished look of your building project. So no matter what sort of stone walling finish you require, just ask one of our expert sales team who will be glad to help.