What Could Potentially Cause UK Bricks to Be Damaged?
Your external brick walls aren’t just there to provide a building with structural support or hold it upright. It goes without saying how crucial it is to have a structurally sound brick building designed to stand the test of time.
Aside from the practical benefits of bricks, they are primarily responsible for creating long-term aesthetic value. So you must consider how your facing bricks will look and contribute to the overall appearance of a building.
Believe it or not, there are ways in which clay bricks can be affected from a practical and aesthetic perspective. Damaged bricks, as an example, can seriously impact commercial architecture visually and structurally, so you should pay close attention to remedying these or, preferably, prevent them from happening.
Can You Damage Bricks?
Defects can arise in UK bricks if they haven’t been given enough attention during the design or manufacturing stages.
At Modular Clay Products, we take architectural excellence seriously, ensuring that any project is supplied with the highest quality clay facing bricks. We do this by leveraging our vast product range (of standard bricks, brick slips, glazed bricks and many others) and working in unison with reputable brick manufacturers worldwide.
However, if you’ve been faced with defective bricks, there may be a few reasons why that’s occurred. Below will explain some of the most common defects and how we, as brick suppliers, may be able to assist.
Common Brick Defects
Damage from Damp
Damp is hazardous for exterior brickwork. The build-up of excessive moisture that has no easy escape route (dampness) can manifest into a problem quickly and significantly worsen if not treated properly.
This could be caused by defective or poorly-maintained guttering (a channel of bricks to divert run-off water) or simply a case of older bricks being damaged or not treated frequently enough.
Efflorescence
Brick efflorescence is caused by the water evaporating and bringing soluble salts to the bricks’ surface. Your best option for treatment will depend on the extent of the damage, but it may be possible to treat a small amount yourself with a stiff brush.
Refer to this guide for more information on what to do if you spot efflorescence on bricks.
Stained Brickwork
Bricks can be tainted with stains that impact how a structure looks and performs. For example, manganese or iron staining could potentially affect mortar joints if not assessed, whereas silicates are likely only to affect the brick texture. Excess mould or algae could result in high staining levels if not appropriately treated.
It’s relatively straightforward to treat brick stains; most can be treated by simply cleaning the bricks or hiring a third-party professional to clean the entire external building wall. Again, for advice on the correct brick cleaning solution, we’d recommend speaking to industry experts like Modular Clay Products.
Frost Damage
During the colder months of the year, frost can become more commonplace and make its way onto exterior brickwork. When water turns to ice and then expands to cover the brick surface, it can cause stress on them and potentially lead to spalling.
Similarly to damp-heavy bricks, it’s wise to speak to professional brick manufacturing experts if you spot frost damaged bricks. Bricks’ porosity will influence how severe the frost attack would be – i.e. the more porous bricks you use, the more susceptible to frost they’ll be.
Protective coatings can work, but we’d highly recommend speaking to professional UK brick manufacturers or suppliers to find the best remedy.
Graffiti
Graffiti is often uncontrollable and will rarely affect your property, but if it does occur, it can seriously impact how the property walls look. Not to mention the reputational damage that can be caused by graffiti.
The best method for removing graffiti from bricks will depend on the brick type you’ve chosen, as there are specific cleaning recommendations to follow. Again, we’d advise speaking to an experienced commercial brickwork specialist to determine what you should do.