Beautiful facades of brick houses: all the pros and cons. Brick facade: possible problems and solutions Facades of houses made of cladding

The first impression of the house and its owners is formed even with a fleeting glance at the home. By the facade of the house one can judge not only the taste of the owners, but also their lifestyle and preferences. Perhaps this is why brick does not lose popularity in suburban housing construction, allowing the creation of original and reliable buildings.

IN modern construction Brick cladding of the facade with various types of material is a popular way to solve three problems at once - strengthen, insulate and give an attractive appearance to suburban housing. Beautiful houses made of brick serve as a subject of admiration for friends, mild annoyance for neighbors and an excellent backdrop for selfies.

Light clinker brick in the decoration of a country cottage Source koloritinform.ru

Types of facing bricks

The material used for finishing facade walls is various names: front, facade, facing. It takes on the influence of the environment, so it must have special technical characteristics. Several types of products are used in construction, differing in composition, production method and performance characteristics: ceramic, silicate, clinker and hyper-pressed. If the shape of the product differs from the traditional rectangular one, then such a brick is called shaped.

Clinker

Clinker is one of the best materials for facade finishing. For its production, a unique technology and a special type of clay are used, which is fired in a kiln at temperatures above 1000°C. The advantages of clinker products are:

Strength. The abrasion resistance of the material exceeds the characteristics of high-quality concrete.

Durability. The cladding will retain its qualities for at least a hundred years.

Far from a complete collection of clinker varieties Source assz.ru

Moisture absorption. Thanks to the firing conditions, it is only 8% (ordinary brick absorbs up to 15-25% of water).

Frost resistance. The material has a frost resistance coefficient of F300 and is designed for 250-300 freeze-thaw cycles. Products with a glazed surface (completely moisture resistant) are the most frost-resistant.

Decorative qualities. Additives introduced into clay during the production process provide about a hundred shades, from beige-yellow to dark brown. The front side of the clinker can have a matte, glossy, glazed or corrugated surface.

Thermal conductivity. Significant, like any stone; is 0.7 W/(m✖ °C).

Features of masonry. Working with clinker requires skill - the material absorbs moisture gradually, and adhesion to the solution occurs slowly.

A layer of insulation is hidden under the clinker finish Source pinterest.com.mx

Color Difference. Even in one batch, there are products with different shades, which delays the laying process - builders have to spend time to beautifully (evenly) distribute dark and light stones along the wall.

Solution. To lay clinker, a special (and more expensive) solution is required; the usual composition does not provide high-quality masonry, and the cladding may “float”.

Ceramic

The advantages of ceramic facing bricks are:

Frost resistance. Quality invaluable in northern climates. Along with strength, frost resistance is the main indicator of the durability of a material. The combination of characteristics and price/quality ratio makes ceramic brick ideal material for Russian weather conditions.

Strength. Thanks to the small volume of porosity, the masonry is durable and resistant to natural vagaries.

Diversity. The industry produces products of all kinds of shapes, colors and textures. This diversity makes it possible to build beautiful brick houses that imitate ancient buildings and to successfully restore old mansions.

High-quality ceramic cladding is not afraid of Russian frosts Source d-haus.ru

The disadvantages include:

High price. Bricks undergo multi-stage processing, which affects the final cost (when compared with silicate products).

Requirement for solution. The masonry mortar must be of high quality, otherwise you should wait for the appearance of efflorescence - a deposit of evaporated mineral salts.

Color differences. Bricks from different batches can differ greatly in tone, which can ruin appearance facade.

Hyper-pressed

This material belongs to artificial stones; it is made from cement, limestone and waste from other industries (marble, limestone, dolomite, shell rock), which reduces the cost of products. Hyperpressed brick is highly durable; it is used in finishing the facades of houses, gazebos, fences and garden paths.

Hyper-pressed brick at the most exquisite taste Source klademkirpich.ru

On our website you can get acquainted with the most popular projects of brick houses from construction companies presented at the exhibition of houses “Low-Rise Country”.

The facades of brick houses of this type have the following advantages:

Material strength and correct geometry. Strength parameters exceed those of silicate and ceramic products. The size deviation is no more than 0.5 mm, which saves mortar and reduces laying time.

Ease of use. Cladding can be done not only simultaneously with the construction of the wall, but also on the finished facade.

Suitability for cladding. The material has a variety of colors and a wide selection of shaped products. It is frost-resistant, easy to saw and has low water absorption (5-6%). The chipping of the front edges perfectly imitates the texture natural stone, which benefits a brick facade of any style.

Strength of masonry. One and a half times higher than ceramic, due to the improved quality of setting with masonry mortar.

Durability. The masonry will survive most walls - its properties are preserved for 150-200 years.

Fragment of a facade made of hyper-pressed “torn” brick Source ideal-prodakshn.od.ua

The main disadvantages of hyperpressed brick are its weight and high heat capacity. These features require strengthening the foundation and insulating the walls, which inevitably leads to an increase in the cost of construction work.

Silicate

Sand-lime brick finishing is widespread in private housing construction; its popularity is due to several factors:

Environmental friendliness. The manufacturing materials are sand and lime, safe (from the point of view of health effects) natural raw materials.

Strength and frost resistance. Important qualities for facade finishing, the service guarantee of which is 50 years.

Assortment. Colored and textured silicate bricks are produced for cladding. The color is obtained by adding artificial dyes, in contrast to ceramic products, which obtain the color by mixing several types of clay in different proportions. There are no shaped products.

Sand-lime bricks have a serious drawback - a low threshold of water and heat resistance, which prohibits their use for cladding foundations and chimneys.

White brick façade with contrasting trim Source houzz.se

On our website you can find contacts of construction companies that offer the service of building brick houses. You can communicate directly with representatives by visiting the “Low-Rise Country” exhibition of houses.

Brick facade: advantages and disadvantages

Brick has a thousand-year history of use, it was known to the builders of Ancient Egypt and the Roman Empire; Today, both construction and decorative materials are successfully used in country house construction. Decorative brick It is used in internal (for cladding fireplaces and walls) cladding and is a popular material for adjusting the facade.

The advantages of brick cladding are:

Reliability. This is achieved due to the high strength of the material and its resistance to atmospheric conditions (humidity, temperature changes, precipitation, direct sunlight).

Durability. Brick is not susceptible to biological agents, is not subject to oxidation or corrosion and has a decent service life (50-150 years).

Video description

About the production of clinker products in the following video:

Practicality. The material has excellent sound insulation qualities, and the insulated facade serves as an excellent heat insulator. Many façade products are made hollow, which also helps retain heat.

Environmental friendliness. Facing brick is a natural material, in the manufacture of which clay and other natural substances are used.

Assortment. There are various types of cladding products on the market in a wide range color palette, various shapes and textures. Thanks to such diversity and the work of the designer, the facades of brick houses acquire an individual appearance.

The material is not without certain disadvantages:

Weight. The weight of the brick cladding must be taken into account when calculating the foundation, as it is a significant additional load.

Solution quality. May affect the strength and appearance of the cladding (formation of efflorescence).

Yellow brick cottage creates an atmosphere of comfort Source himcomp.ru

Facade cladding options

Cladding brick is a great way to give your country cottage a personal touch. Architects and designers know many options for decorative masonry, based on one technique - highlighting with color. All combinations of color and texture are conventionally divided into two ways:

Colored layout. A facing brick of one (or more) color is used, and a colored masonry mixture is selected for it, matching the tone or contrasting.

Used brick of several colors and textures; this allows you to highlight the elements of the facade and emphasize the main lines of the building.

Colored clinker cladding Source tr.decorexpro.com

To get a beautiful house facade, options are chosen based on certain rules:

The guideline is architectural style country house.

In order not to lose half of the attractiveness, you should remember that the entrance to the house, the path and the fence with a gate should be single architectural ensemble.

Most often, an effective and sufficient technique will be highlighting the main elements of the facade with color- corners and windows. Using a material with a different texture or using different types brick dressings.

Painted brick facade Source ausmart.top

Cladding of wooden houses

Owners of frame and wooden houses made of timber or logs, they often resort to brick cladding as a way not only to decorate a home, but also to increase its service life. The house becomes more solid, acquires a solid appearance and a higher value on the market. The cladding of wooden cottages consists of three stages:

Home preparation. You need to make sure that the structure can support the additional weight. The structure is inspected and the quality of the floors is checked. Beams with cracks, traces of mold and other damage are replaced with new parts. The facade is treated with antiseptic impregnation and fire retardant (a fire retardant).

Insulation. It is carried out at will, for which mineral wool is used as a thermal insulation material. The material does not interfere with air circulation, allowing the wooden facade to breathe and extending its service life.

Cladding works. The facing layer is made with clay or silicate bricks at a distance of about 5 cm from the wall. The masonry is fixed with galvanized pins.

Cladding of a wooden facade Source himcomp.ru

Cladding of stone and brick buildings

The cladding device for these types of buildings has its own characteristics:

Insulation. Buildings made of stone and brick can be insulated with materials that do not allow air to pass through well, such as polystyrene foam. If the insulation is done with glass wool, a membrane film is additionally stretched. Thermal insulation material fastened to the wall with disc-shaped dowels.

Facing. The brickwork is connected to the insulation by securing self-tapping screws to disc dowels.

Video description

About choosing facing bricks in the following video:

Methods for finishing a brick facade

If it is not possible to finish the facade with brick due to limited resources and time (installation of brick cladding is a long and painstaking task), materials that can imitate brickwork will come to the rescue:

Facade panels or tiles with brick imitation.

Clinker tiles for brick.

Brick siding finish.

All these materials are practical and easy to use and maintain. They are used for cladding facade walls and plinths, and decorate openings and facade details. The market offers a large selection of shades, shapes and sizes, allowing you to create a brick look of a country house that is almost indistinguishable from a real one.

Modern country house in English style Source neanderthals.ru

Styles of facades of brick houses

Centuries of using brick as a building and facing material have led to the emergence of many methods and styles of building design, resulting in beautiful brick facades of private houses, photo different styles We suggest you look below. There are several popular trends in decorating modern brick houses:

English style. The most popular cottages are those whose facades are made of red brick, although the house is made of brown brick will not be a violation of the canons. The direction is characterized by clear geometric shapes, restraint in palette and decor, precise proportions and a small, neat porch. Modern English houses still do without ground floor, but the attic is an indispensable component of the image.

Gothic style. Country cottage in gothic style- this is a personal fortress with all (unlike its medieval predecessors) amenities and external attributes: strict lines of the facade, forged elements and a facade lined with brick. The rougher the material, the more brutal the building looks. The brick can be any color; To enhance the effect, the color of the roof and trim is selected in contrast.

Brick cottage in Provence style Source pinterest.com

Country or Provence. Both styles bear the features of free country life and look cozy and elegant; In design, brick is often combined with plaster and wood. It is traditional to distinguish brick facades by shades. For houses in the Provence style, cold (gray, bluish, white) colors are often chosen; for a country-style facade, warm colors are chosen, from delicate beige and ivory to rich curry.

European style. It combines traditions from several European countries, including Germany, Denmark, Austria and the Netherlands. Most often, the facades of European-style cottages combine elements of half-timbering (medieval technology) with stone, plaster and brick. The facades of houses with gray and light bricks look practical and respectable.

European style - fabulously cozy and practical Source natelki.net

Historical direction. Brick facades of houses made in Romanesque or classic style, Rococo, Baroque or Art Nouveau style, look luxurious and majestic, but require the involvement of an experienced architect who can maintain the correct proportions and overall design.

Modern styles . These include constructivism, minimalism, hi-tech and eclecticism, which is fashionable today. The facades of such houses have their own characteristics and can be decorated in a thousand different ways, and brick will look appropriate everywhere. In exterior design, brick facades are often painted. This can be done on brick, immediately after the masonry has dried, or after plastering the surface.

Modern project - brick cladding and panoramic glazing Source pinterest.ru

Conclusion

Despite the variety of modern methods of suburban construction, brick facades still attract with their timeless elegance and reliability in operation. Using brick in exterior decor is a practical way to give your home a beautiful appearance and positive emotions for yourself.

Building a house from one brick in our climate is not the best idea: its thermal conductivity is too high, which is why the walls must be thick. But how to use it finishing material- this is already more economically justified: facing the house with bricks, with proper insulation, will help you save on heating costs, and will give the building a “major” appearance. If the walls are made of foam blocks or other light and warm building blocks, then such finishing will also be windproof. Wooden houses are also covered with bricks, but in this case there are some peculiarities: it is necessary to ensure the removal of vapors from the wood, otherwise mold, mildew and expensive repairs with a complete overhaul of the finish will occur.

Which brick to use

Facing bricks are produced using different technologies, due to which they have different characteristics and prices:

• Ceramic. Of all the finishing materials, it is the most inexpensive. One of the disadvantages is high hygroscopicity: 6-15% depending on the technology and batch. When water gets into the pores, it expands when it freezes, causing destruction and the brick begins to crumble. Even the special finishing one, in which in factories the bed (the part that ends up outside) is specially protected. The solution is to cover the wall after installation. hydrophobic composition. Only those that do not form a vapor-proof film. When choosing, pay attention to this: excess moisture must be removed. Frost resistance of ceramic facing bricks is 25-75 cycles (how many times it can withstand freezing/freezing without deterioration). The higher this indicator, the higher the price. This is explained by high production costs.
• Hyperpressed or non-firing. This type of facing brick is produced not by firing, but by pressing. Its composition no longer contains clay, but lime with various fillers and pigments. The possibility of using pigments allows you to obtain a wide color scheme. The front surface is often nonlinear, imitating wild stone. Looks decorative. But such nonlinearity threatens delamination: an uneven surface allows water to flow into the pores more abundantly and freezes in cold weather. This is treated in the same way as in the case of ceramics: hydrophobic impregnation. The frost resistance of high-quality unfired bricks is stated by manufacturers to be from 75 to 150 cycles.

  

• Clinker. This brick is also ceramic, but a special technology gives it very high strength and density. Denser material absorbs water much worse. This is good for use, but when laying it it leads to difficulties: in order for the wall not to “float”, it must be laid on a hard, low-plasticity mortar, and it is more difficult to work with. Another disadvantage that limits the wide distribution of a material with excellent characteristics is that it is expensive compared to previous materials: prices are 50-150% higher, depending on the manufacturer. Frost resistance of clinker is from 100 to 150 cycles. Clinker cladding of a house with bricks is not a cheap pleasure, but it is the most attractive in appearance.

  

• Silicate. The cheapest, but also the most “quickly perishable” of facing bricks: its frost resistance is 25-50 cycles. It conducts heat better. Not much, but still: the average thermal conductivity of ceramic is 0.16, silicate is 0.18. In addition, it is heavier: on average, the weight of ceramics is 2.4 kg, silicate of the same size is 3 kg. More weight requires a more powerful foundation and the price gain (silicate is cheaper) is not so great. If you consider that heating costs will also be higher, then the gain is questionable. It is advisable to cover the house with sand-lime brick in warm regions. In the northern regions this is completely unprofitable.

  

  Cladding a house with sand-lime brick is the most inexpensive, but, unfortunately, also the most short-lived type of finishing.

Choosing the type of brick is not everything. It is also necessary to pay attention to the size and shape of the holes. Solid finishing bricks are rarely used: they are more expensive and weigh more. On average, voids occupy about 28%, but they can be large and small. Given equal characteristics, give preference to bricks with small holes: the mortar will not flow into them. This will reduce the consumption of masonry mortar and increase the strength of the masonry.

If you decide to clad the house with hyper-pressed brick, it should be made no earlier than 15-20 days ago. During this time, it gains basic strength (about 80%) and can be transported and loaded without fear.

Please note that the brick packaging should not be exposed to water during storage. This is especially true if you are planning to leave it for the winter.

How to cover a wooden house (timber, log, frame) with bricks

The most difficulties arise when finishing a wooden house with bricks: the materials have very different characteristics, and it is not easy to make a good bond out of them. The whole secret here is the need for a ventilation gap between the cladding and the insulation layer, which is usually placed on a wooden wall. A windproofing membrane is laid on top of the insulation. A prerequisite is that it must be vapor-permeable (Izospan A, Izospan AS, Tyvek HouseRep, Megaizol SD, etc.). Only under such conditions will there be normal humidity in the room and rot and fungus will not develop between the cladding and the wooden wall.

Instead of windproofing, you can protect the surface of the insulation with fiberglass or fiberglass. If the wooden walls are sufficiently thick, the thermal insulation layer is simply absent; wind insulation and ventilation gaps remain.

The ventilation gap must be at least 60 mm. It stretches from the very bottom of the wall - it starts after the base - and to the top. To ensure air flow, ventilation ducts are made in the first row through which air enters. Exit holes are installed under the roof in the eaves. The area of ​​ventilation holes is 75 cm2 for every 20 m2 of wall. The vents in the bottom row can be made in several ways:

• lay a brick with through holes on its side;
• partially fill the side seams with mortar (when laying the mortar, place a ruler, then remove it);
• make two or three holes and install gratings.

Regarding what kind of insulation to use. The most acceptable option is mineral wool in mats or rolls. The use of polystyrene foam or expanded polystyrene is undesirable: they do not conduct steam. This will lead to the wood rotting, and indoor humidity will be higher than normal.

Another important point: you can cover a wooden house with bricks only after the main shrinkage of the log house has passed. And this is at least 1.5-2 years. In this sense, it is easier with old wooden houses: the main processes have taken place in them.

Pros and cons of a wooden house lined with brick

The combination of materials so different in all characteristics is a complex and completely ambiguous matter. From positive points can be distinguished:

There are enough negative points:

In general, this is not an ideal solution. If you are still planning your house, think a few times. Maybe it would be better to build them and then cover them with bricks. These materials coordinate much better and complement each other's qualities. It is worth covering a wooden house with bricks if the house is old, the wood has darkened, and it is necessary to give it a more attractive appearance.

Wall cladding technology

First, the wood is treated with a protective impregnation for outdoor use. Then the sheathing is made of planed timber (also impregnated). The dimensions of the timber depend on the required thickness of the thermal insulation layer. Usually for Middle zone Russia needs a thickness of basalt wool of about 50 mm, for more northern regions from 100 to 150 mm. But exactly everything is calculated depending on the thickness of the wall (made of timber or logs) and the brick chosen for cladding.

The insulation is laid very tightly, without gaps: the sheathing is padded taking into account its width. The distance between the bars should be a couple of centimeters less than the width of the insulation. This way the material will be laid with force. It will fit tightly to the sheathing, which will minimize the formation of cold bridges.

An example of brick cladding on the wall of a wooden and frame house

A windproof membrane is laid on top of the insulation. It must be vapor permeable, and if the vapor permeability is one-sided, then moisture must be removed from the room. Fasten the membrane with staplers to the sheathing. Next, leave a gap for ventilation of at least 60 mm and install a wall made of facing bricks.

How to do it right

There are several subtleties that you need to know. The house is usually covered with half a brick. Without support, the wall turns out to be shaky, especially over large areas. To make it stand firmly, it is tied to a wooden wall. There are two ways:

Single dressings should be located over the entire surface of the wall. There are different recommendations - at a distance of about 50 cm from one another or 4 pieces per square meter.

If you are planning to cover a house with bricks with your own hands, problems may arise with the horizontality and verticality of the masonry. The following technique can help, allowing you to simultaneously control all directions:

• Long pins are driven horizontally into the corners of the house under the roof and above the base. They should protrude from the wall at a distance greater than the entire thickness of the finish.
• At one corner, a wire is tied to the upper pin at a distance corresponding to the outer edge of the masonry and lowered down, movably fixed to the lower nail.
• A plumb line is used to check and set its verticality and firmly fix it.
• Also, a vertical wire is tied at the same distance at the other end of the wall.
• A horizontal cord is tied between two stretched strings. It will serve as a guide during laying: it can be moved upward as the rows are laid. Just every time you need to check the horizontalness using a level.

All of the above applies to frame houses. They also require a ventilation gap. The situation is similar: on the outside there is a material that conducts moisture much worse than those located inside. In this case, only wire or strips of tin for bandaging are attached to the frame posts.

To reinforce or not

In general, reinforcement makes the wall stronger and more reliable. Therefore it is better to reinforce. But this complicates and slows down the laying, which leads to an increase in the cost of work (if craftsmen were hired).

If you do it yourself, then you need to lay rows with reinforcement approximately every 5th row. A special mesh with a cell size of 50-50 mm or two longitudinal reinforcement bars with a diameter of 6 mm are used as reinforcement. At the same time, the size of the seam, both with and without reinforcement, should be the same.

The brick cladding of a house was filmed “live”, the laying technique was “under the rod”. The seams turn out beautiful, but water flows into them, which is then absorbed by the brick. Therefore, the seams cannot be left in this form. They must be filled with mortar and embroidered in the same plane as the surface of the brick. Then the absorption of water during bad weather will be significantly reduced, and the “life” of brick wall cladding will increase significantly. The laying process itself is demonstrated correctly: the mortar is laid carefully, and any drops that fall on the surface are immediately wiped away.

Facing a house with bricks made of aerated concrete, foam concrete and gas silicate

The vapor permeability of cellular concrete is also higher than that of brick. That is, the situation is exactly the same: inside the room there is material that removes vapors better. Therefore, to ensure a normal microclimate in the room and a long service life, a ventilation gap between the brickwork and the wall and foam blocks is necessary.

If you line a house made of aerated concrete (foam concrete, aerated silicate) with bricks without a gap, its service life will decrease by about 60%: condensation will accumulate at the boundary of the two materials. At low temperatures, frozen moisture will destroy the shell of the bubbles, gradually destroying the entire material and significantly deteriorating its characteristics.

Cladding options aerated concrete house bricks and their characteristics

Additional insulation materials are used very rarely; if they are still needed, all the rules are the same as for cladding a wooden house: basalt wool, protected by wind insulation.

The size of the ventilation gap is from 60 to 150 mm. Number of connections between two walls: at least 3 pieces per square meter of masonry, their cross-section is at least 5 mm 2 per 1 m 2. For connections, you can use screw or stainless steel nails with a length of at least 120 mm. They are driven not perpendicular to the wall, but at an angle of at least 45°. You can use galvanized strips with perforations, which are nailed to building blocks on one side, and the other end is inserted into the brickwork, where it is bent at an angle. Please note: connections should not be embedded in the masonry joints of the main wall. Only nailed to the front surface of the blocks.

The best cladding for walls made of aerated concrete and foam concrete is brick with a ventilation gap

Slag or slag-pouring house

Brick cladding in the case of buildings using slag is used more often when cracks spread along the walls. This happens mainly when the slag has exhausted its resource and began to crumble. On average, its service life is 50 years, it is reduced if the humidity of the walls is high.

Brick cladding of a cinder block (cinder block) house will only delay the inevitable: it will slow down the destruction, but will not stop it. The duration of the delay depends on the condition of the material and the measures taken. On average he is 8-15 years old. It is hardly possible to do without consulting a specialist: the cost of a mistake is too high.

In most cases, it is recommended to build a frame around the house, on which to transfer part of the load of the floor and roof, and carry out waterproofing work. One of which is the external protection of walls from precipitation using brick cladding. The brick is selected with the lowest water absorption. For greater protection, the masonry can be impregnated with a hydrophobic compound (but does not create a vapor-proof film). Penetrating hydrophobic impregnation of the main wall will not be superfluous. To do this, you can use impregnations such as “Penetron” and analogues. They will simultaneously strengthen the material and significantly reduce water saturation.

Watch the video about the practice of facing old buildings with bricks.

About choosing suppliers and prices

Prices for the same materials vary greatly depending on the region. To correctly assess the situation, you need to conduct your own market research: call or visit the largest suppliers, look at offers in the region online. During the call, you need to get technical data and find out prices. Then compare the characteristics of the brick and compare the prices.

What can I advise: do not buy materials that are too cheap. If the difference from the average market price is 15-20%, most likely these are the remnants of last year’s not-so-successful batch. For the rest, look at the ratio of price and declared characteristics.

Average prices in Moscow are as follows:

• silicate facing brick - 11-21 rubles/piece;
• ceramic facing - 18-35 rubles/piece (full-bodied 45-65 rubles/piece);
• hyperpressed non-firing - 25-31 rubles/piece;
• clinker - 27-40 rubles/piece.

After selecting several possible suppliers, look at their products in person. Smooth edges, uniform coloring, absence of cracks and any defects - this is what you should see.

About batch sizes. It is advisable to purchase the entire volume of material for cladding at once. This will help you save about 10-15%. Some suppliers offer large quantities to be delivered by dump trucks directly from the factory. This is cheaper and eliminates additional overload, which means less combat.

Another advantage of purchasing in bulk is that there will most likely be only one batch, which guarantees uniform coloring. In any case, facing a house with bricks is carried out from several packages at the same time. So even slightly different shades will not create color spots.

Houses lined with brick are encountered with enviable regularity. Such buildings are not only distinguished by their aesthetic appearance, but also by their reliability and durability. Many owners decorate their homes with high-quality and wear-resistant bricks themselves, saving money on the services of professionals. Of course, you can actually do this yourself, but it is important to take into account the features of the specified building material and read the instructions.

Features of the material

Brick is rightfully recognized as the most popular building material, which is found very often. Brick houses and brick-faced buildings can be found on every street. Many consumers choose these products. The distinctive characteristics of modern facing bricks include its attractive appearance coupled with wear resistance.

In addition, these raw materials are not afraid of negative external influences, bad weather conditions and mechanical damage. It is not so easy to break or break a high-quality brick, so it is simply irreplaceable in the cladding of private houses and summer cottages.

According to experts and home craftsmen, today's facing bricks may in some ways be inferior to other facing materials in terms of their external characteristics. However, recently this trend has ceased to be relevant. In different retail outlets, people can find different versions of bricks. It can be not only red and smooth elements. It is possible to choose textured options in other colors that look very interesting.

Using reliable facing bricks, it is possible to form an additional protective layer for the walls. In this way, it will be possible to protect these bases from the penetration of destructive dampness and moisture. In addition, heat loss from brickwork is usually significantly reduced, which is noted by many owners.

In most situations, in the desire to decorate a house with brickwork, people rely on their “wants”. In this case, quite a lot of important points are missed that have a direct impact on the brick itself and the facade made from it. Experts say that the design material for the facade of the house must be thought out at the design stage. There is no point in leaving this matter “for later”.

If you do not pay attention to this rule, then after making the box a lot of problems may appear. It may turn out that the width of the foundation base is not enough to support the facing brick, because during construction the owner decided to additionally insulate the wall structures.

Thus, a facade made of facing bricks has a more significant load-bearing capacity, which can exceed these foundation indicators, which will result in cracking of the masonry. It is quite possible to cladding a house with brickwork with your own hands. Of course, this process cannot be called very simple and easy. In fact, this is labor-intensive work, but it is possible to cope with it. The main thing is to observe all the nuances of the cladding and act step by step, following the technology.

Advantages and Disadvantages

Today, many users choose brick as a facing material. For this reason, facades made from it are most often found. This popularity of brickwork is explained by many positive qualities which are inherent in it.

Let's take a look at their list.

• First of all, you should pay attention to the attractive appearance of the brick cladding. Thanks to this design, the house can become much more aesthetically pleasing.
• Brickwork can provide good protection to the main wall material(for example, from foam block or timber). Being behind the bricks, the base will not be subject to the destructive influence of precipitation and other external factors that can cause serious damage.
• There are many different materials that can be used to effectively decorate a residential building, but brickwork is recognized as one of the most reliable and wear-resistant solutions. For example, the same facade plaster is more susceptible to mechanical damage.

• Brick is not afraid of exposure to aggressive ultraviolet rays. When in contact with them, the masonry does not lose its color and presentation, which cannot be said about vinyl siding or painted corrugated sheets, which are popular today.
• Decorating the façade of a house with brickwork allows for additional insulation of a residential building, as many experts say. Of course, the thermal insulation properties of brick are not highly effective, but the combination of hollow building material and insulation makes it possible to achieve a good effect.
• Another significant advantage of brick cladding is that it makes the house even more fireproof. Brick itself is a non-flammable building material, and it does not support combustion itself in any way. If there is a wooden base underneath, then it simply needs to be closed, as it is susceptible to fire.

• Brick-clad facades boast durability and wear resistance. They are not afraid of external influences or harsh weather conditions.
• Brick is characterized by minimal moisture absorption, so it does not crack over the years and does not lose its positive qualities, even if it is located in a region with frequent rains.
• A brick-lined facade does not require complex and regular maintenance, unlike a wooden one.

It does not need to be treated with antiseptic compounds or other protective agents. Brickwork is the protection itself.

• This building material is famous for its environmental safety. It does not harm human health or the environment. Moreover, brick has the ability to destroy harmful substances - they are simply removed from the base. During rains, this lining is self-cleaning.
• Brick can be used for both exterior and interior decoration of buildings.
• Facing brick is famous for its frost resistance. You can safely turn to it, even if you live in a northern climate. In addition, these materials are not afraid of temperature changes - under their influence the masonry is not damaged and does not lose its positive qualities.

• It is not necessary to trust professionals to work with facing bricks. It is quite possible to decorate a house yourself - you just need to follow the instructions and use high-quality raw materials.
• Brickwork has a good soundproofing effect. A house with such a facade will always be protected from annoying street noise.
• Modern facing bricks are available in a wide range. In retail outlets there are products of different textures and colors, so choose optimal models everyone can.

As you can see, brickwork has many advantages. That is why it is so widespread. Many consumers do not even have a question about how to decorate the facade of the house - they immediately purchase a suitable batch of facing bricks. But we must not forget that, like any other building material, it has its own weaknesses, which you also need to familiarize yourself with.

• Brick is susceptible to the formation of noticeable white plaque, called efflorescence. Due to such formations, the appearance of the lined building can be seriously damaged.
• It should be kept in mind that brick cladding is not cheap, especially when compared with other options. For example, using the same Don board will cost several times less.

• In stores there are too many low-quality building materials that do not last as long as we would like, and during operation such products cause many problems. This is why professionals say that only European bricks should be used - there are practically no defects in them. But such options are not found so often, and their authenticity cannot always be verified.
• When selecting facing bricks, you need to make sure that all building materials are selected from the same batch. If the shades do not match, it will simply not be possible to correct the situation, and it will be very noticeable.
• Despite the fact that you can build brickwork yourself, such work can still hardly be called simple and easy. Cladding a house with brick is labor-intensive and sometimes very expensive.

• Brickwork creates a serious load on the foundation. This is why experts strongly recommend working out this question still at the stage of preparing the project and plans for future construction.
• It must be borne in mind that the use of facing bricks can lead to a noticeable decrease in ventilation. Because of this, moisture may accumulate in insulating materials, which will negatively affect their properties.
• With such a finish, the shrinkage of the wall bases will be different, so it will not be possible to firmly and rigidly tie the base to the cladding.
• In stores you often find bricks that do not have ideal geometry. Working with such products can be difficult.

• Such facing materials may be subject to shedding if you choose products of the wrong brand (not having high enough strength).
• Brick is a building material that is very often damaged during transportation. Often it turns out to be chipped - the edges fall off. You cannot continue working with these elements.
• Brick can collapse if low-quality raw materials were used in its manufacture. Improperly processed limestone, always present in clay, often remains in the mass of products. Because of this, noticeable “dubs” appear in the bricks. In these places, products absorb moisture especially strongly, and then completely collapse.

You can see that facing bricks also have many disadvantages. However, you may never encounter many of them if you initially purchase high-quality products manufactured in accordance with all norms and rules.

There are several types of facing bricks. Let's take a closer look at them.

• Ceramic. This type is the most common. Such products are made from clay and special mineral additives, from which a special mixture is obtained. It is passed through dies, and the output is a formed block, which is then sent to the kiln for firing. In such conditions, the building material turns out to be very practical and then serves for a very long time. It is characterized by strength, low moisture absorption, reliability and resistance to wear/destruction.

• Clinker. This type of brick is placed in a separate category, although it is one of the varieties of ceramic products. Clinker models are also manufactured, and the starting materials are similar. The only difference is a more stringent firing mode. After this stage, the brick turns out to be almost monolithic - it acquires increased strength characteristics. Such products last a long time and are extremely difficult to damage. However, it must be borne in mind that clinker is not the most effective sound insulator.

• Hyper-pressed. This building material is made without the use of clay. A lime-cement mixture is used with a number of specialized additives used to obtain more high level strength and different colors. During the manufacturing process, hyperpressed building materials are not fired. Such products are also distinguished by their impressive weight. They can have a beautiful stone texture.

• Silicate. Sand-lime facing bricks are produced from silicate sand, water and lime. Such building materials are characterized by high moisture absorption rates, and therefore are not resistant to frost. Service life also suffers due to this feature. For this reason, sand-lime bricks have been purchased quite rarely in recent years.

Types of masonry

There are several types of brickwork. Let's get to know them better.

• Spoon type dressing. This is the simplest masonry. With it, the stones are shifted by a quarter or half the length. In the construction of houses, such options are used very rarely, but in facing work this is a common solution.

• Chain dressing. When building wall structures with one brick, such a bandage will be as reliable as possible. In such work, one row is a bond row, and the second is a spoon row with parallel laying of two stone elements with a spacing of seams.

• Multi-row dressing. During the work, in extremely rare cases, every second row is made with a butt joint, and there is no need for this, because because of this, the strength level of the wall structures will suffer minimally. For this reason, in most cases, from 2 to 5 (sometimes 6) spoon rows are combined with one splice row.

• Lightweight. As for lightweight masonry, it is usually used in low-rise construction. This method is characterized by the presence of large voids in the wall structure. Most often they are filled with insulation.

Walls built using lightweight technology consist of two walls connected to each other using brick ties or special metal ties.

• Reinforced. This type of masonry is used if it is necessary to build high-strength and strong brick structures. Reinforced masonry is relevant if you need to connect the cladding to a load-bearing wall and take care of additional structural strength.

• Decorative. Thanks to this method of masonry, it is possible to create a beautiful architectural image of the facade of the house. If you turn to this option, the building can be made very impressive; it will stand out among other buildings.

• Bavarian. This masonry technology is considered German, but this type of design has many different buildings located in many European countries and even in Russia. With this technique, bricks of different colors are mixed - they do not alternate evenly.

• Facial. With this method, only facial building materials are used, which can be found in modern retail outlets with various kinds of decorative effects. There are simply countless varieties of such masonry. However, in most situations, when finishing facades, the classical technique is used - half-brick masonry.

• Openwork. With this masonry option, spectacular perforated structures are obtained. They are erected using the spoon method of laying half a brick; they simply leave small gaps between the joints of adjacent bricks and carefully close the seams.

Required Tools

As mentioned above, it is quite possible to do tiling work both inside and outside with your own hands. But before that, it is extremely important to stock up on all the necessary tools and equipment.

Let's take a look at their list.

• trowel (this is another name for a device such as a trowel);
• hammer-pick;
• grinder (with its help you can cut bricks as accurately and accurately as possible);
• level and plumb;
• rule;
• order;
• jointing;
• special construction cord;
• square

Please note that the number of tools used largely depends on the qualifications of the craftsman carrying out the facing work. Thus, more experienced masons with a wealth of knowledge can use very few tools. If the employee is less prepared, he may need a much wider range of tools.

Preparatory stage

If you decide to decorate your home yourself using brickwork, then you should first carry out a series of preparatory work. You should not neglect them if you want to achieve a good and sustainable result. Make sure that the foundation of the house, as well as its overall structure, is designed for the installation of brickwork. The foundation must be constructed in compliance with all building codes. It must withstand significant loads. Cheap and simple bases will not work in this case.

You should also make sure that the foundation of the house is made of raw materials such as monolithic concrete (concrete blocks are also acceptable). The foundation itself must be sufficiently wide. This requirement is especially important because it is on the foundation structure that the facing brick will rest. In some situations, bricks are placed on special steel angles, which are attached to the base using anchor bolts.

In addition, it is allowed to organize an additional foundation if the quality of the main one leaves much to be desired. Another foundation must be poured around the perimeter of the building, retreating about 30 cm from the first foundation.

The additional structure will need to be covered with waterproofing material. A roofing material laid in two layers is ideal for this. You can fasten it to the previous base using anchor bolts.

Next you should pay attention to the roof structure. It is very important to take a closer look at the roof. In most cases, in old houses, the cornice part does not protrude beyond the perimeter of the building by more than 25 cm. With such a structure, the bricks will become endlessly wet and may even be subject to destruction. After about 5 years of such use, the brickwork will become unusable. This problem can be solved with one the right way– you will need to coat the walls of your home every year with a special water-repellent compound, but keep in mind that such products are quite expensive.

If you plan to cover the main wooden walls with brickwork, then before starting work you will need to coat the wooden bases with antiseptic compounds. If you are decorating external walls, then you need to buy the appropriate product for them. For external works You should not purchase internal impregnations - they will be of little use. In addition, it will be necessary to attach a vapor barrier material to the wooden walls using a construction stapler. These coverings should be laid with an overlap (minimum - 10 cm).

There almost always comes a time when the owner of a private home thinks that the house needs brick cladding. In general, on the modern market there are many options for external cladding, including decorative plaster, plastic frames (siding), special facing slabs or ceramic tiles. However, despite the many options, more people choose reliable material that has proven itself over the years. Modern brick for cladding combines reliability and excellent appearance. Color schemes and textured prints are varied and varied. Even if you have an old, run-down home, brick cladding will give it an updated look.

For facing work, the same types of bricks are used as for other ordinary ordinary work. The only difference is the quality of the material; the front part of the brick is used for cladding. So which brick is better? Types of bricks for cladding:

Red ceramic

The cost of red brick remains acceptable at all times. It is one of the most popular options for cladding. Its main disadvantage is the high rate of absorbed moisture (from 5 to 20 percent, depending on the manufacturer and batch). This affects its frost resistance, which for red brick is within 25-75 cycles. This means that it can withstand freezing and thawing so many times without losing its strength or changing its other properties. The higher the frost resistance index, the more expensive the brick, but it is better to choose a more frost-resistant one. The indicator is designated Latin letter"F". Moisture getting into the pores significantly worsens the properties of the brick. When water freezes, it expands, thereby causing cracks to appear. Facing materials are coated with a special hydrophobic layer on the front part; this is done by manufacturing plants, but this is often not enough. It is better to clad the house, all the walls in the house, with special primers, after laying it. This way you will increase the life of the wall. A brick house, ceramic brick houses look best.

White silicate

The cheapest material among all, however, it is less suitable for cladding than others. Its frost resistance reaches 50 cycles, it has good heat conductivity, but it is a much more hydrophobic material. They produce many color variations of this material; it has excellent decorative properties, but does not tolerate humid climates. It is better to veneer with white brick in warm areas, since when treated with special solutions, it can last long time. But silicate has increased strength; it is obtained by autoclave processing, so with silicate brick cladding, the house will last longer. The result is a very durable silicate material.

Hyper-pressed materials

The name speaks for itself. This material is obtained by pressing without the use of heat treatment. Its main component is lime, to which special plasticizers and fillers are added. Like silicates, the color schemes of hypersanded bricks are varied. Many color pigments are used to color it. According to manufacturers, the frost resistance of such bricks can reach 150 cycles. To impart decorative properties, it is often produced in the form of wild stone. Non-linearity of dimensions can lead to a deterioration in the hygroscopicity of the material, but its surface is treated with water-repellent compounds, like other bricks.

Clinker

Relatively new good material for cladding. Possesses best performance strength and density, making it resistant to wet environments. This is a good property for outdoor masonry. Combined with its strength, clinker brick cladding is reliable and durable. But such brickwork is more difficult to manufacture; the mason has to use a thick, non-plastic mortar. The frost resistance of such material can reach up to 150 cycles. Its strength characteristics allow manufacturers to create it in a variety of forms. You can build from it complex elements facade. But all these advantages are greatly offset by its price. Clinker brick cladding will cost you much more. Its production is more difficult, its cost can be 100 percent higher than that of ceramic.

Dimensions

The choice of brick is not limited to its composition. Its linear dimensions are also important. There are 3 main types:

• Single (250 by 120 by 65 mm.);
• One and a half (250 by 120 by 88 mm.);
• Double (130 by 176 by 206 mm.).

They make other sizes, but these are the most common. The selected single or one-and-a-half size is best suited for cladding, as the brickwork looks more beautiful.

You should also pay attention to emptiness. The facing material, like ordinary material, is produced with voids or solid. It is better to choose hollow bricks so as not to increase the weight load on the wall.

Wall cladding with hyper-pressed bricks is reliable, but you need to pay attention to the production time. The material should “rest” for about a month, only then will it gain sufficient strength.

Cladding the walls of a wooden house with bricks (timber, cladding a frame house with bricks)

Technologically, brick lining a wooden house is the most difficult. This is due to the large difference in the characteristics of the two materials. It is quite difficult to correctly combine their individual properties. The main problem is to finish it in such a way as to create ventilation between the insulation and the brick. In addition, on wooden facade it is necessary to install the insulation itself. Vapor barrier materials are applied on top of the insulation surface. This ensures the required level of humidity in the building. Thus, the dew point is moved outside the living space and the brick-lined house “breathes.” Of course, if the thickness of the wooden walls is large, then it is not necessary to insulate them (wood itself is warm). However, wind protection and ventilation space should be left.

The ventilation space should be about 50 mm. It is installed over the entire wall area from the foundation to the roof. To allow air to circulate, special holes are left in the lower and upper parts. Air enters from the bottom and exits through the top. For every 15 meters of wall it is necessary to make 700 mm holes. Technically, they are equipped in the following ways:

• A hollow brick is placed on its side;
• The side seams in the masonry are not filled with mortar;
• Lay out the holes and install metal gratings over them.

Mineral basalt wool, polystyrene foam and high-strength polystyrene foam can be used as insulation. But it is not advisable to choose the latter, since they do not allow air to pass through, which is why wooden walls can begin to rot. In addition, polystyrene foam is a highly flammable material, unlike cotton wool.

It is important to know that a new wooden house cannot be insulated; it must shrink. (about 2 years)

How to choose cladding for a wooden house

The wood itself looks beautiful, if it is not old house. But the combination of brick and wood is very complex in its combination. The advantages of cladding include:

• Increasing the fire safety of the building;
• Insulation, as a result, reduction in heating costs;
• Improving the physical and mechanical properties of the wall and wear resistance.

TO negative consequences applies:

• The cladding technology is complex due to the arrangement of a ventilated façade. If the technology is not followed, the lined house will begin to rot due to a violation of the microclimate. The walls or insulation will begin to rot.
• The change in size of brick and wood in warm and cold seasons is not the same, which is why the wall must be fastened in a movable manner. Sudden temperature changes can lead to peeling of the cladding.
• Foundation safety margin. A special feature of brick is its weight. It's significantly heavier wooden structures, so the foundation must be pre-designed to accommodate the increase in weight.

It turns out that building a house made of wood, planned with cladding in advance, is not reasonable. This makes sense if you need to cover the facade of an old wooden house.

Process

The process itself is not complicated. To begin with, the entire surface of the wall is treated with protective primers. A lattice of boards is filled on top (impregnated with the same primers). They are needed to install insulation. The boards serve as a frame for the insulation. Its thickness should be from 50 to 150 mm, depending on the thickness of the walls and the climatic conditions of the region. The insulation is installed so that there are gaps. It should fit snugly against the wall and frame. If the technology is not followed, “cold bridges” will form in the gaps. The wall will freeze only in one place.

A vapor barrier layer is stuffed on top of the insulation with a construction stapler. Sometimes a vapor barrier layer is used that releases steam in only one direction. In this case, it needs to be directed outside the house.

The walls are lined with brick floors, usually they need to be tied. There are several ways to do this. For wooden walls, you can use a regular nail. They hammer it into the wall and bend it over. A wire is wound around it and tied between the seams in the masonry.

The second option is to use reinforcing mesh. The wall is reinforced in such a way that reinforcement bars connect every fifth row of masonry.

How to properly reinforce a wall

Reinforcement allows you to more reliably connect the facing material and the wall of the house. It is better not to neglect this procedure, and in some cases you cannot do without it at all. Of course, such a process increases the cost of the work, as well as the duration of its completion. For reinforcement, reinforcement with a diameter of 6 mm and a mesh with cell sizes of about 40-60 mm are used.

Brick cladding of a house made of cellular concrete

The permeability of vapor in such a material is higher than in brick, so lining foam blocks with brick leads to the same problems as with wood. In order not to disturb the microclimate in the building, it is necessary to make a gap for ventilation. If you cover it without following the technology and without making a gap, then the process of destruction of the aerated block wall will begin, and condensation will begin to form between the cladding and the house, destroying both materials.

For foam concrete, the difference in brick cladding is the insulation. As a rule, it is simply not needed. And if you want to insulate, then process the same as with wood.

The main reason for insulating such houses is the destruction of the masonry material. Porous materials strongly absorb moisture and are not more durable. Their service life is significantly shorter than that of brick, so houses built from foam concrete (aerated concrete) are planned for cladding immediately, sometimes using three-layer insulation.

The tiled house has a beautiful aesthetic appearance. Brick is classic version for façade cladding and never goes out of style. Knowing the sequence of work, you can do it yourself, saving on professional labor costs.

Video

After completing the frame of the house, the question arises of how to decorate the facade so that the building gains expressiveness and becomes warmer. Along with plaster and siding, cladding a house with brick is often used. The facing brick itself is distinguished by its beautiful surface, correct dimensions, and a wide variety of colors and textures, so that a house lined with brick takes on an elegant and neat appearance without additional decorative details and decorations. In addition, facing a house with brick is also beneficial for functional reasons, because it protects the facade from negative impact weather factors, increases the sound and heat insulation of the building.

Features and types of facing bricks

The basis for the production of facing bricks is the same material that is used for the production of ordinary bricks. However, regardless of the material from which the facing product is made, it must meet the following requirements:

• correct geometric shape (the error in length cannot exceed 4.4 mm, in width – 3.3 mm, and in height – 2.3 mm);
• clear and smooth edges;
• rich, uniform color;
• the product should not have any defects in the form of chips, cracks and delaminations (the surface can be smooth, glazed or textured);
• facing bricks can have frost resistance within F 25 - F The marking value indicates the number of freezing and thawing cycles that the material can withstand without visible damage and a decrease in compressive strength of no more than 20 percent;
• water absorption should be below 6%.

Important: if you are laying facing bricks with your own hands, then you should know the following concepts: the long side of the product is called the spoon, the end part is called the butt, the supporting plane (the largest surface) is the bed.

The following products can be used as facing bricks:

1. Ceramic masonry bricks in which clay is used as a filler. Compared to silicate products, the production technology of ceramic elements is more complex, which affects their price (they are more expensive). Among the positive qualities of these products it is worth listing the following:
   • water absorption is 6-14% (this figure may be higher according to GOST, depending on the type of clay used);
   • frost resistance - from 25 to 50 cycles;
   • thermal conductivity is 0.3-0.5;
   • a large assortment of colors, textures and sizes (thanks to this, decorative parts of facades can be made from brick, arches and columns can be lined with it);
   • The density of the product is in the range of 1300-1460 kg/m³.

1. Clinker brick has a dense structure, so it practically does not absorb moisture. However, solid clinker has greater thermal conductivity. In addition, the price of the product is higher than that of conventional ceramic bricks. Its characteristics:
   • can withstand up to 100 cycles of thawing and freezing, which makes a house lined with such bricks more durable;
   • With clinker you can not only sheathe the facade, but also use it to lay out columns, decorative belts, façade details, and make beautiful fence and use in the interior;
   • there is a large selection of shapes, colors and textures of this product on sale;
   • The density of clinker brick reaches 2100 kg/m³, so it can be used for laying load-bearing elements of a building.

1. You can cover your house with bricks yourself using silicate products. They use quartz sand as a filler. When decorating your home with such elements, it is worth considering their characteristics:
   • water absorption of the material is 6-8 percent;
   • the frost resistance of the elements is low and amounts to 15-50 successive cycles;
   • thermal conductivity – 0.39-0.7;
   • element density – 1500-1950 kg/m³.

1. Cladding a house with products that are produced using hyperpressing technology (semi-dry method) is very similar in characteristics to ceramic bricks, but its price is slightly higher. A striking example of such facing elements is the Bassoon brick, in which shell rock is used as a filler. Specifications:
   • water absorption – 3-7%;
   • frost resistance from F 30 to F300;
   • strength from 1000 to 4000 kg/m³;
   • thermal conductivity 0.43-0.9.

Advice: if you take into account the characteristics of the products, it is better to clad the house with clinker bricks. Although its cost is higher, such investments will quickly pay off with durability and ease of use.

Types of facing masonry

Laying facing bricks can be done in different ways. There are quite a lot of them. If you don’t know how to cover a house with bricks, you can choose one of the installation options below. We will not list all methods, but only the most popular:

1. Brick laying with a path (spoon). In this case, the whole brick is laid with the long (spoon) side. In each subsequent row, the elements are shifted relative to the bottom row by half or a quarter of the product to ensure overlap of the vertical seam.
2. You can line the house with facing bricks laid block masonry. In this case, rows with spoon and bonded masonry alternate, that is, one row is laid with the long side, and in the next all elements are laid with their ends.
3. Cross masonry very reminiscent of a block one - alternating spoon and end rows is performed. In this case, it is necessary to observe the shift of the joints by half the brick. Thus, we will get a pattern that resembles a cross - exactly above the end part of the brick there will be a spoon part, and above it again the end part.
4. You can lay out the walls Gothic masonry, when elements with spoon and butt laying alternate in one row. At the same time, in adjacent rows the spoon is shifted by a third of the length of the brick, and the poke by half of the product.
5. Brandenburg or chain masonry It is performed in such a way that a poke is placed in one row every two spoons. In the next row, the end parts of the bricks should be above the junction of the two spoons of the bottom row.
6. Chaotic masonry- this is the most extraordinary way cladding, when no order and alternation of long and short sides are observed. If this is your first time laying facing bricks yourself, laying them in this way will greatly simplify and facilitate the task for a beginner.

Attention: when laying stone with the end part, the element is first cut in half. Thus, whole products and halves alternate.

1. Since facing bricks must be purchased from one batch in order to avoid discrepancies in color or tone, before purchasing it you need to accurately calculate total quantity material. This is not difficult to do if you find the total area of ​​the facades minus all the openings, and then multiply the resulting value by 51 - the number of bricks in the masonry per 1 m² of wall.
2. Before laying a structure made of timber or a wooden house, you need to make antiseptic treatment everyone wooden elements. It is better to treat the tree twice, repeating the procedure every other day.
3. Also, before performing this work, it is necessary to strengthen the foundation or pour a new tape next to it. To do this, do the following:
   • In an old concrete foundation, holes are drilled to a depth of 10 cm, with a cross-section of 1.2 cm. In a brick foundation, the depth of the holes should be greater - 20 cm. These holes should be located 10 cm below the top of the base, their pitch is 50 cm, and the angle of inclination is 15-20°.
   • Reinforcing pins made of a rod with a diameter of 1.2 cm are driven into the resulting holes. In this case, the end of the reinforcement 15 cm long should stick out from the foundation.
   • Next, a new 30 cm wide strip of monolithic reinforced concrete is poured next to the existing foundation. The reinforcement releases are bound to the frame of the new foundation and remain in the concrete forever.
   • Horizontal and vertical waterproofing of the new foundation is carried out from two layers of rolled material - roofing felt.

1. Before covering a wooden house with brick, you need to install a ventilation system to prevent the wood from rotting under the cladding. To do this, there must be an air gap 3-4 cm wide between the brickwork and the wooden surface. Also, ventilation ducts are additionally installed on the facade, the area of ​​which should be 0.75 m² for every 20 m² of the facade area. To prevent rodents from getting into the vents, they are closed with special nets.

Technology for laying facing bricks

Typically, facing bricks are laid using jointing. The following technology is used:

• Brick laying is carried out on a fine day at a temperature not lower than +5°C. You cannot perform work at temperatures below zero, as the cement mortar will change its properties.
• Before proceeding with installation on the mortar, the stone is laid “dry”. This will allow you to determine the amount of stone that needs to be adjusted to size and select products for decorating door and window openings.
• Before laying the first row, the base must be leveled.
• To cut stones, a grinder with a stone disc is used. It is prohibited to chip elements with a hammer.
• For laying, a cement mortar is used, which is prepared from 1 hour of Portland cement, 3 hours of sifted river sand and 1 hour of water. The mortar mixture must be rigid enough so that the element does not “float” during installation.
• The mortar is applied to the flat part of the brick in a thin layer. However, it should not reach the front edge by 1 cm.
• When making masonry, first, corner rows are made to a height of 4-6 bricks. To make the dressing more reliable, it is not recommended to use halves of a stone. It is better to take elements ¾ long.
• A cord or fishing line is pulled between the two corners, along which the intermediate bricks are laid and leveled.
• To prevent the facing brick from absorbing moisture from the cement mortar, the product is moistened with water before installation.
• The height of the horizontal seam is 1.2 cm, the vertical seam is 1 cm.
• To ventilate the brickwork in the bottom row, every three vertical seams, a seam is made without mortar and filled with insulating material; in the upper part of the facade, ventilation is carried out due to the fact that the masonry on 1 row does not reach the cornice.
• Every 5 rows, it is recommended to remove cement that has fallen on the front surface using a wet rag.
• The facing layer must be attached to the walls of the building. To do this, during masonry, anchors with a diameter of 0.4-0.6 cm are hammered into the walls. In this case, for each square meter of the facade plane there should be at least 45 anchors, and 8-12 attachment points are made above the window openings.
• If it was not possible to lay dowels in the masonry of the walls of the house in advance, then dowels are driven into the walls, to which the wire is tied. It should reach the middle of the facing layer and go 20 cm in each direction. Thus, the wire is hidden inside the masonry. The installation pitch of such dowels is 50 cm. In frame and wooden houses To arrange the dressing, nails 120 mm long are used. In a block structure, clasps are suitable for these purposes.
• When the cement has set a little, the seams are opened using a wooden rod. The solution is simply pressed in.
• Window and door openings are always lined with bonded masonry. For greater attractiveness, you can use elements of a different shade.

Video guide for laying facing bricks: