Everything You Need to Know About UK Brick Matching
When planning a new commercial development, any architect must consider the surrounding masonry structures. If you’re using clay bricks, it’s common to want the new commercial brick building to complement the existing brickwork in the surrounding area.
This is so that your new commercial structure looks as though it ‘belongs’ in its environment whilst striking a solid first impression, which can be achieved by using high-quality facing bricks, glazed bricks, long format bricks, or whichever type you plan to use.
None of the above would be possible without knowing how to match bricks. As an architect, you should never feel compelled to build or expand without masonry brickwork, fearing that your new clay facing bricks would detract from existing buildings. To ensure this is avoided, you can take advantage of brick matching.
How to Match UK Bricks
Whether you’re undertaking a commercial extension, renovation or planning a brand new development, you’ve probably considered many of the benefits of bricks. Having taken inspiration from surrounding buildings’ brickwork, you’ll want to consider matching your bricks successfully.
Mismatched bricks can be particularly noticeable and not necessarily in a good way; they can sometimes detract from your building’s visual appeal and perhaps even compromise its structural integrity if the brick quality is lacking. Finding bricks that blend seamlessly can be challenging, given the vast possibilities and combinations possible in brick colour, texture and variations in sizes. It can also take time and certainly comes at a cost.
However, with the help of brick suppliers like Modular Clay Products, we can help you get around these obstacles.
What to Consider When Matching Bricks
Brick size
Standard UK brick sizes are different now compared to what they were. Imperial brick sizes were 228x110x68mm, whereas metric brick sizes are 215×102.5x65mm, which is now the standard. It’s always recommended to source the original brick size to ensure consistency and a better finish.
Brick texture
Textures are just as important as the colours of bricks, so they shouldn’t be overlooked. Do the original bricks have a smooth, heavy or light surface? It’s worth noting as this can help retain a consistent look and finish. For example, a glossy glazed brick texture can closely resemble the existing masonry moreso than a standard facing brick texture in certain situations.
Brick colour
Colours are dependent on the raw material ingredients used in the brick manufacturing process. Colour shade variations are common, so you should ideally provide an accurate forecast to ensure your new brickwork follows suit. It’s also common to take advantage of brick blending in this instance.
Tips for Successfully Matching UK Bricks
Some general tips to bear in mind when looking to match bricks are below:
- Make sure your clay bricks meet their intended purpose and pass the necessary brick suitability tests.
- If you’re using reclaimed bricks (something we don’t do at Modular Clay Products), it’s worth accounting for a large percentage having to be wasted for being unusable.
- Choose slightly lighter brick colours if you’re considering brick tinting, as well as size and texture.
- Your mortar accounts for approximately 15% of the total area and can impact the visual appeal of your building, so don’t overlook this.
How are Bricks Matched?
Reclaimed UK bricks
Using reclaimed bricks is good for finding an exact match, particularly for centuries-old or listed buildings. Some reclaimed brick suppliers can source materials from demolished buildings or similar projects to ensure bricks have aged naturally. You can find similar sizes of imperial bricks this way, but exact matches may be hard to come by.
You should consider the supplier if you’re looking for reclaimed bricks, as they’re generally supplied without certification, and frost resistance, strength and water absorption need to be considered.
New UK bricks
New bricks can achieve much of the same high-quality results that reclaimed ones can. Brick suppliers can offer a brick matching service which means you can get replicas of exact brick sizes, textures and colours. New bricks can be far more cost-effective, depending on the brick (for example, handmade bricks are slightly more expensive), with all products requiring adherence to BS EN 771 for efflorescence and frost resistance.
In conclusion, it’s clear to see that matching bricks is key to achieving uniform, vibrant and consistent aesthetics in commercial architecture. If you’re having difficulties, the team at Modular Clay Products are here to help.