Brick is a durable material that gives any building a classic look!
If you’re wavering between building materials for your next project, consider choosing brick! Brick is not just an aesthetically pleasing option for your building, patio, retaining wall, walkway, etc. It’s incredibly strong and has proven to stand the test of time for centuries. Whether you want a timeless, nostalgic look or need a durable design, brick is a great option.
Natural Building Material
Genuine clay brick is made from some of the most plentiful materials on earth–clay and shale. To fuse the clay and shale together, bricks are fired in a kiln at about 2000 degrees and then go through a vitrification process, making them incredibly strong and durable.
Not to be confused with brick made from other materials, like concrete, clay brick is naturally colored and will not fade over time. There are also thousands of color options to choose from, making it great for a plethora of different aesthetics.
Tried and True
Bricks have been used in construction for over 5,000 years: Egyptians, the Romans, and the Indus Valley civilizations all used bricks and some of the oldest buildings in America are also made with bricks.
However, bricks made today are subject to strict regulations and manufacturing processes, ensuring consistent quality. You can still get hand-made bricks if you want, but the quality will be different and potentially less consistent.
Protective
Your brick wall or house can protect you from a variety of disasters that other building materials cannot withstand, no special prepping, proofing or sealing required.
- Fire: Bricks are made at about 2000 degrees and are made with non-combustible materials. In studies done by NIST and BIA, no material outperformed brick in a fire test.
- Wind: Homes made from brick withstand not just winds, but offer protection and can stand up against windblown debris. Especially if you’re in a hurricane zone, brick is a great option, as it usually exceeds minimum impact requirements for building materials. You may even get a discount on your home insurance.
- Water: Brick performs great with water and continually minimizes mold growth, wood rot of an interior wall or wooden joists, and insect damage.
Low-Maintenance
Unlike other materials, brick never needs to be sealed or painted and won’t rot, tear, get eaten by termites, or dent. It can actually look better with age and has a timeless quality to it. There is a reason you’ll see ads for all-brick neighborhoods and not “all-vinyl” neighborhoods.
Eco-Friendly
Brick is not just eco friendly for your home by decreasing your energy bill by maintaining a warmer temperature in the winter and a cooler one in the summer, but the way it is made is also eco-friendly. It is recyclable because you can reuse salvaged bricks to repair walls or break them down into sub-base materials, it’s inert, so if you discard old bricks, they are not a hazard to the environment. Even the kilns to make bricks utilize natural gas to heat them.
Your Preferred Masonry Contractor Is Del Prete Masonry
If you are ready to upgrade your home or commercial building with professional masonry installation or replacement, Del Prete Masonry has the experience and expertise to get the job done right for the right price. To explore our residential and commercial services and set up a consultation, please give us a call at 410-683-0650 or contact us online. We currently serve Baltimore City and County, Harford County, Carroll County, Anne Arundel County, and Howard County. To see examples of our work and get more updates, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Google+, and Pinterest.
Tags: brick, masonry, masonry restoration