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Useful DIY Tips And Information About Bricks

Here some DIY tips and information about bricks and laying bricks that a home handyman will find useful.

Airbricks

Airbricks are perforated bricks which are built into walls to ventilate a room or the underside of a wooden floor.

Bat

A bat is a brick which has been cut across its width.

Brick veneer

Brick veneer is a decorative exterior wall finish of one brick's depth in front of a wood frame.

Building Blocks

Building Blocks are hollow or solid blocks of clay, gypsum or concrete. Because they are larger, building blocks are cheaper and quicker to lay than bricks.

Cavity Blocks

Cavity Blocks are pre-cast concrete blocks which are shaped to form a cavity wall.

Closure

A closure is the name given to a longitudinally cut brick which is used to close the end of a course in a brick wall.

Coping

Coping is the top course of bricks and it protects the wall from rainwater.

Course

Course - the name given to a horizontal layer of bricks or slates throughout a wall.

Cutting Bricks

Use a bolster chisel to mark a line on all faces of the brick where it is to be cut by gently tapping the chisel with a hammer. Then place the chisel on one of the lines and firmly hit the chisel. The brick should break along the line.

Engineering Bricks

Engineering bricks are very strong bricks. Because they are impervious to water engineering bricks are sometimes used for damp-proof courses.

Header

Header is the name given to the end or short face of a brick, as it shows in the face of a wall.

Protect New Brickwork

Protect newly laid bricks from frost or rain by covering them with a tarpaulin or a sheet of polythene.

Stretcher

Stretcher is the name given to the longest face of a brick.