If you have questions about brick and stone for your home, commercial building, or outdoor space, please start here with the most frequently asked questions we receive.
If your questions go beyond the basic information we’ve posted, please contact us to discuss your needs.
No! However, the work can be very demanding and will likely require the rental of a few specialty tools. For those wishing to do their own installation, we can provide advice and products to ensure your hard work lasts! Of course, if after learning about the process you would rather leave it to the pros, we can recommend a number of professional services.
According to the Brick Industry Association, the most common brick sizes range from 31/2″ x 21/4″ x 7 5/8″ to 3 5/8 x 3 5/8 x 11 5/8″ as measured by Depth x Height x Length. Manufacturers produce bricks to their own specifications but generally fall within these commonly produced sizes. These measurements are the actual size, but bricks are also measured by their “nominal” size that includes the width of the mortar joint. The nominal sizes of most bricks fit into a grid that coincides with most other building features such as door frames, windows, and wood components.
Efflorescence is a white, salty powder that can appear on the surface of brick and pavers. Most of it comes from salts in cement and mortar, making it common in new brickwork that is still drying. Efflorescence, however, is harmless and normally disappears with weathering.
Thermal lag is the delay of heat transmitted through a wall. It’s a measurement of the ability of walling material to slowly absorb and release heat energy. Only brick and other heavyweight materials offer this property. Exposing a brick wall to winter sunlight can be crucial to passive solar hearing design in regions with large swings of temperature from day to night. While insulation will stop heat, brick stores heat from sunlight during the day and releases it during winter evening hours. Because of the higher angle of the midday sun during summer months, a passive solar heating design will throw shade on the brick wall during summer months to block sunlight, keeping a home cooler.
For best results, The Belden Brick Sales Company recommends the use EaCo Chem cleaners on all masonry items we carry. EaCo Chem products are designed to minimize labor, prevent future issues other cleaners contribute to, and deliver high quality results. See the cleaners and sealers section or call us for full details and specific recommendations.
Brick is considered a “natural” building material because it is made from some of the most abundant, natural materials on Earth, clay and shale. Unlike concrete bricks which rely on a cement paste to bond materials together, clay brick derives its durability from the vitrification process. Fired in a kiln at temperatures of up to 2,000 degrees, the clay particles are fused together, providing clay bricks with greater durability and strength than concrete bricks.
No. In fact, there are applications of clay paver pavements that have been in service for over one hundred years. This is, however, a common fear. It is not uncommon to find a pile of extra bricks lying around after construction. Some bricks designed for use in vertical walls may be solid units (no holes) but do not have the physical properties to withstand pavement applications. It may seem like a good use of material to place them in the ground as decorative pavers. However, using the wrong material will quickly present problems. You can rely on our expertise to help you select a paver material that will last.
No. With proper design and installation, the only maintenance issues you need to consider are sweeping sand replenishment, possible moss growth, and vehicle fluid stains.
Sweeping Sand – The elements of rain, wind, and sunlight keep your pavers clean. They also tend to displace the sand between your pavers which could ultimately lead to a failure of your pavement. Be sure to check your sand annually and re-sweep new sand into the voids if necessary. TIP: This maintenance can be eliminated by the use of polymeric sweeping sand. The particles of this special sand bind together virtually eliminating sand loss as well as weed growth.
Moss / Organic Growth – In a generally damp area, low levels of sunlight and/or wind can create a situation conducive to moss and organic growth on some types of pavers. Sometimes this is desirable to achieve an old-world look. Belden Brick can help you plan for, or plan to avoid, this situation. This is one of very few reasons in which a sealer should be considered for a genuine clay paver.
Vehicle Fluids – If you are using your clay pavers for a driveway area, it is very likely that you will eventually see oil spots. EaCo Chem has a cleaner for this and if the stain is extremely stubborn the brick(s) affected can be replaced. Note that our Cityline Series pavers are finished on both sides which would allow you to simply turn them over and re-install.
The brick industry uses forty years as their basis of determining life cycle costs of clay pavers. This is believed to be an ultra-conservative figure as there are many clay paver systems still in service well after 100 years. As with anything, proper design and installation play the biggest role in extending or reducing life span.
It is most likely efflorescence. Efflorescence is nothing more than salt that has wicked its way up through the pavement and solidified on the surface of your brick. While it is unsightly, it is not physically harmful to your clay paver in any way.
Once the salts are introduced into the pavement system, the only way to remove the efflorescence is to get rid of the salts. For this reason, to develop a plan, you must first determine the source of the salts and eliminate them if possible. Once the salts are gone, the efflorescence will stop with time as nature cleanses your pavement. The amount of time it takes is directly proportional to the amount of salt inside the pavement. While the efflorescence you see can easily be washed away with clear water and a brush, any remaining salt in the pavement will resurface after the next rain.
Salts introduced after the pavement is installed, such as wintertime deicing products, will typically be washed away naturally and rather quickly with rainfall. If large quantities of salt were introduced by the base material, however, it could be a few seasons before it is all cleansed away naturally. Understandably, this may not be acceptable. If this is your situation, we would suggest Euclid Chemical’s Weatherguard sealer. A siloxane-based sealer, this product acts as a total barrier to salts. If your salts are in the base material, this product traps the salt below the surface, preventing their appearance on the surface of the clay pavers. Because the salts do not affect the pavers physically, this is a highly effective remedy. Another advantage is that the application of this product will prevent salts from deicer products from soaking down into the pavement, thus making the natural cleaning process in the springtime go much faster.
No. In fact, it is strongly recommended not to seal clay paving bricks. The colors will not fade, and the surface does not wear down. This is because genuine clay pavers are baked in a kiln at extreme temperatures, fusing the clay particles together in a process called vitrification.
If for some reason, you still must seal your pavers, be sure the sealer you select is a breathable, siloxane-based sealer such as Euclid Chemical’s Weatherguard. DO NOT USE AN ACRYLIC BASED SEALER!
