Brickwork for Commercial and Residential Projects

Chicago Tuckpointing Inc. provides commercial and residential brickwork. Brickwork is masonry produced by a bricklayer, using bricks and mortar. Typically, rows of bricks called courses are laid on top of one another to build up a structure such as a brick wall.

Brickwork is generally done with different types of bricks which are as following:

  • Common Burnt Clay Bricks: Used for common purposes, have no special attractive appearance, Requires plastering and rendering.
  • Sand Lime Bricks (Calcium Silicate Bricks): These are made by mixing sand, fly ash and lime followed by a chemical process during the wet mixing. The mix is then molded under pressure forming the brick. Their color appearance is gray instead of the regular reddish color, Their shape is uniform and presents a smoother finish that doesn’t require plastering, These bricks offer excellent strength as a load-bearing member.
  • Engineering Bricks: Engineering bricks are bricks manufactured at extremely high temperatures, forming a dense and strong brick, allowing the brick to limit strength and water absorption. Engineering bricks offer excellent load bearing capacity damp-proof characteristics and chemical resisting properties. These bricks are used in specific projects and they can cost more than regular or traditional bricks.
  • Concrete Bricks: Concrete bricks are made from solid concrete and are very common among homebuilders. Concrete bricks are usually placed in facades, fences, and provide an excellent aesthetic presence. These bricks can be manufactured to provide different colors as pigmented during its production.
  • Fly ash Clay Bricks: Fly ash clay bricks are manufactured with clay and fly ash, at about 1,000 degrees C. Some studies have shown that these bricks tend to fail poor produce pop-outs, when bricks come into contact with moisture and water, causing the bricks to expand.

Brickwork can be done in following methods:

Mortar Brick Veneer: A brick veneer is a popular wall finish that produces a distinct aesthetic appeal and offers a variety of layouts. A brick veneer finish also provides with one of the best fire-rated protection available among all building materials.

Installing a brick veneer onto your building’s exterior requires special skills and it is usually performed by an experienced brick mason. Brick veneer is produced from shale or clay and is kiln-fired. It is much like facing brick except it is approximately ½ inch to 2 inches thick.

Mortar-less Brick Veneer: The mortar-less brick veneer is very similar to split-faced bricks. Like traditional brick veneer siding, they are installed in staggered rows, attaching them to the vertical furring strips attached to the wall sheathing. The strips will provide a solid connection, while creating an air space, allowing the brick veneer to breathe and facilitating drainage to prevent moisture from entering the structure.

Benefits of Brickwork Construction:

  • Aesthetic – Bricks offer natural and a variety of colors, including various textures.
  • Strength – Bricks offer excellent high compressive strength.
  • Porosity – The ability to release and absorb moisture is one of the most important and useful properties of bricks, regulating temperatures and humidity inside structures.
  • Fire Protection – When prepared properly a brick structure can give a fire protection maximum rating of 6 hours.
  • Sound Attenuation – The brick sound insulation is normally 45 decibels for a 4.5 inches brick thickness and 50 decibels for a nine-inch thick brick.
  • Insulation – Bricks can exhibit above normal thermal insulation when compared to other building materials. Bricks can help regulate and maintain constant interior temperatures of a structure due to their ability to absorb and slowly release heat. This way bricks can produce significant energy savings, more than 30% of energy saving when compared to wood.
  • Wear Resistant – A brick is so strong, that its composition provides excellent wear resistance.
  • Efflorescence – Efflorescence forms on concrete structures and surfaces when soluble salts dissolved in water are deposited and accumulated on surfaces forming a visible scum.
  • Durability – Brick is extremely durable and perhaps is the most durable man-made structural building material so far.