There are a number of practical benefits for choosing clay brick as your main building material.

First off, they are widely available and a comparatively forgiving medium for fairly unskilled labour to work with. Rain will not necessarily halt the building process if you are building with clay bricks, as it rarely becomes too wet to work with – merely using a drier mortar is frequently sufficient to guarantee acceptable adhesion.

Versatility is another benefit of clay bricks – they can be used as a structural element on their own or in conjunction with reinforced concrete, as a thermal or acoustic insulator, as an aesthetically pleasing cladding or as highly practical filler between concrete and steel.

Durability is another asset – for centuries, structures built from clay brick have stood the test of time. A home built from clay brick is sure to be one that is long lasting and durable.

Clay bricks are widely available – making them easily accessible wherever you decide to build.

With the popularity of using organic materials in the architecture and interior design, clay brick is experiencing a resurging popularity. Says the Clay Brick Association (CBA): “The current ‘exposed industrial’ look that interior design companies are exploring is often based on exposed rough clay brickwork. In the current move towards loft apartments and business units, it is often the material of choice – both as far as the aesthetics of the material goes, and from its ability to trap solar energy and slowly radiate it back into the building at night.”

A home that is warm in winter and cool in summer: Clay bricks are well-noted for their remarkable thermal insulation properties. They have the ability to store heat energy, allowing them to amass energy during the day and release it at night – thereby evening out extreme temperature fluctuations. The density of clay bricks also allows them to offer effective acoustic insulation.

Walls built from clay bricks receive a maximum fire rating, meaning that clay bricks will resist a fully developed fire for a generous length of time when compared to other building materials. This is not only a safety benefit, but a financial one too, as homeowners of clay brick homes will undoubtedly save on home insurance premiums.

Clay bricks are a cost-effective building material and are comparatively inexpensive. When ordering clay bricks, the CBA recommends approximately 52 to 56 bricks per sqm, and suggest that you include 5% to 10% for waste and breakages – 10% if you are loading and unloading manually.

The CBA also advocates that the consumer should discuss a few issues upfront with their clay brick supplier before making the purchase. These include the required application or type of building the bricks are to be used for, the degree to which they will be exposed to the elements, as well as the colour expectations with regards to face brick. The CBA notes: “To avoid colour banding it is highly recommended that face bricks are taken from a number of different packs and carefully blended during building operations.”

Clay brick suppliers should also provide a warranty ensuring that that the bricks they deliver will be fit for the specified application, and the acceptable level of breakage during delivery to site should be agreed to upfront as well.

There is no denying it: Clay bricks are a great building material. They are cost-effective, easy to build with, fire-, heat- and noise-retardant, versatile, aesthetically pleasing, and most importantly, durable.

Clay brick terminology:

FBS (face brick standard): Selected or produced for durability and uniformity of size and shape.

NFP (non-facing plastered): Suitable for general building work that is to be plastered.

FBX (face brick extra): Selected or produced for durability and a high-degree of uniformity regarding size, shape and colour.

NFX (non-facing extra): Plastered or unplastered, suitable for general building work where durability rather than aesthetics is the key selection criterion. This would include areas that lie below damp-proof course, under damp conditions or below ground level.

FBA (face brick aesthetic): Selected or produced for durability and aesthetic effect deriving from non-uniformity of size, shape or colour. – Antonella Desi

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