Advantages and disadvantages of brick floors. Making and laying tiles from old bricks Brick floor in an apartment

Brick houses are considered the best, durable and comfortable. Today, brick is used not only to build walls, but also to cover floors.

Brick flooring is bricks that are laid onto the floor and are a great alternative to any flooring. Brick flooring is special for its advantages, some of them are: strength, fire resistance, inexpensive, and easy to maintain. Brick flooring can withstand heavy physical loads and can be installed in areas with high traffic. Brick flooring is universal because it is harmonious in the interior and exterior.

The scope of application of brick flooring is very wide.
Brick floors are good for decorating restaurant interiors, shopping centers, suitable for bathrooms, kitchens, unusual interiors can be a worthy replacement for expensive tiles. Brick floors will be a good addition to the garden, sidewalk path and terraces. The naturalness and simplicity of this material creates a special atmosphere of comfort and fairy tale. Due to the fact that you can choose the method of laying the brick floor: in the form chessboard, Christmas trees, deck You can create different, interesting design patterns.
A brick floor is very easy to maintain, it does not need to be painted over time, it does not require finishing, does not rot, and does not slip. Such a floor can be easily removed from dust with a vacuum cleaner and cleaned with a stain remover. But do not forget that with great exposure to water, moisture can get inside the brick, since it has a porous structure. To avoid this, the brick must be coated with a sealant to protect it from mold and cracks. With the application of sealant, the floor will not change color, but you will get a shinier surface. The sealant repels dust well, which makes cleaning very easy. Over time, individual bricks may crack or chip, but they can be replaced fairly easily. For interior decoration, usually choose a special brick, which is thinner and cheaper.

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Construction and ligation of half-brick walls

The main advantage that brick laying reveals is that there is no need to strengthen the base of the floor, even a wooden one. The masonry process itself is based on raising the walls so that the face of the wall consists of the tray surfaces of the brick. The spoon is the long side of the brick, the poke is the short side, the bed is the wide top and bottom surface products.

Laying half a brick is carried out in one row, in a checkerboard pattern, on cement-sand mortar. Vertical mortar joints between bricks should not line up so as not to reduce the strength of the masonry and wall. Without the plaster layer, the wall thickness will be 120 mm. The load-bearing capacity of such a wall is small, but if there is a need to use a half-brick wall as a load-bearing one (for example, to support rafter system or interfloor covering), preliminary examination and permission from architectural regional or city services is required. The standard weight limit for such walls is up to 130 kg.

For bandaging half-brick masonry with load-bearing wall the junction is laid out in such a way that the end surface load-bearing wall was tychkovaya, and the inner - spoon. The number of three-quarter bricks is calculated based on the thickness of the load-bearing wall. Adjacent rows are laid out one after another. If the thickness of the load-bearing wall is one and a half or two bricks, with the first row laid according to the “spoon-poke” pattern, then the next row is laid according to the “poke-spoon” pattern, etc.

Where else can you use half-brick masonry:

As fencing.
As interior non-load-bearing partitions with good noise reduction parameters and the ability decorative finishing any materials.
In the construction of household facilities - sheds, verandas, pavilions, garages.
In the construction of limiting structures: prevention of landslides on the site, demarcation of land, etc. During the construction of external fences, it must be taken into account that the wind load of brick walls, the thickness of which is 12 cm, a height of 1.5 m and a length of ≥ 2 m, is no more than 350 kg.

Preparing for the masonry process

A wall diagram and installation order are drawn up, with all the necessary dimensions and linked to the floor plan of the room or house. Based on the diagram, the amount of building materials - mortar and bricks - is calculated. Practice shows that for 1 m2 brick wall you will need 61 units of standard products, or 45 units of one-and-a-half units. The diagram also includes a drawing of the installation taking into account the thickness of the mortar joints.

When building a wall inside the house, the surface of the floor and ceiling in the place of the future partition is leveled: by planing for wooden floors and pouring mortar for concrete surfaces.

If the wall is being built from the outside, then underneath it is necessary shallow foundation, which is laid out like this:

A trench is dug ≈ 300-400 mm wide and ≈ 500-600 mm deep, the bottom is covered with a sand cushion, the thickness of which should be at least 100 mm. The sand is moistened and compacted.
Board or metal panel formwork is installed.
The ditch is filled with concrete solution (sand - 3 parts, crushed stone - 3 parts, cement - 1 part) without reinforcement.
After four weeks of hardening and drying of the concrete, the formwork is removed.
The brick on the base of the foundation must be laid in such a way that the long axis of the foundation is aligned with the axis of the wall.

Then tools and building materials for masonry are prepared:

Concrete mixer or container for cement-sand mortar.
Construction mixer, spatulas and trowels, oven hammer for splitting bricks, as a rule.
Construction level, plumb line, cord, metal square, jointing device for seams.
Cement, sand, and bricks are being prepared.

How to lay a half-brick wall

The sand must be clean - river or sifted. Cement for laying half bricks must be used at least grade M 500. All bricks must be saturated with water, placing them in a tank and completely filling them. The time spent in the water is at least an hour. A wet brick will not absorb moisture from the mortar, which will allow the cement to set evenly, providing the design strength of the wall.

Beginning of installation: the corner supports are removed first. On the first brick row the second one is laid, and the process continues until the top row after the reinforcing mesh frame. Corner masonry has a height of 5 bricks, laid in such a way that the guide brick overlaps (ties) each other at an angle of 900. Each row must be checked for verticality and horizontality using a level. Bricks are pressed into the mortar only in the center of the product to prevent movement to the sides.

After laying the bricks up to the first layer of armored belt, a cord is pulled along the first row to control the laying. The mortar is applied in an even layer over the entire row and the bricks are laid. After the third row, the evenness of the wall is checked. After laying each subsequent row, the cord is raised to the height of the brick. To ensure the required strength, after the fifth row it is recommended to take a two to three hour break in work to allow the solution to set. To build a wall faster, it is allowed to use high-strength double brick M 150, which has dimensions: 120 x 138 x 250 mm.

Since the double brick has large sizes, it makes sense to give the masonry greater strength using more frequent mesh reinforcement. There are ready-made meshes on sale with a rectangular or zigzag profile, but you can make a stack with your own hands. The rectangular reinforced mesh should be laid horizontally every five rows. A mesh with a zigzag profile is laid in the attached places of the masonry, its rods are connected by welding or knitting with wire. When carrying out reinforcement, the mesh is laid so that the ends of the rods protrude 5 mm beyond the wall. This is necessary to control the presence of reinforcement. After the solution has hardened, these protruding ends can be cut off or bent.

For any person contemplating the construction of housing, among the emerging naturally Another question arises - how to make a floor in a house? This is one of the most important points, since not only the warmth in the premises, but also the durability of the entire structure will depend on the quality of the work and the chosen method. Therefore, before choosing the type of future floor, you need to carefully think through and calculate everything.

Both in wood and brick house the floors of the first floor can be done in different ways, and much of this choice will depend on the height of the building’s base. So, the floor can be arranged using:

Concrete screed made in an already built house or before the construction of walls;

Joists and floor beams with board or plywood flooring;

Dry screed of the required thickness;

Complex design, when laid on a concrete base wood covering or dry screed.

In addition, you need to know that the screed can be made in different ways, taking into account what decorative coating will be laid on top of it, and whether any work will be carried out on it additional insulation. Therefore, it is necessary to consider all options.

Pouring screed on the ground before erecting walls

This base is made immediately after strip foundation will harden. Such a screed is designed to ensure that the floor will be insulated in the future, otherwise it will remain cold, which means that the temperature in the house will be uncomfortable.

The convenience of installing a concrete base in this case lies in freedom of action. When the walls have not yet been raised, you can freely level the soil underneath the frozen foundation and bring material to fill the cushions under the screed. In addition, you can order ready solution at a company engaged in the production and delivery of building materials, and it will be possible to transport it to the desired location, pour it and distribute it without any problems. This will save you from lengthy and labor-intensive work on self-production large volumes of concrete.

Another advantage of this approach to pouring screed can be considered good strengthening of the foundation and further convenience in the construction of walls.

The work is carried out in stages, and the first of them consists of leveling and, if necessary, removing excess soil. It is removed so that its place is taken by cushions of sand and crushed stone.
At the site of the future screed, the soil is carefully compacted.
A sand cushion is poured on top, which will serve as a kind of waterproofing agent. Every 10 cm of sand thickness is wetted and compacted well before the next layer is poured.
Crushed stone laid on sand will give the screed strength. The thickness of the layer will depend on the height of the foundation, but in general the screed should rise to the level of the base.
Next, they place the crushed stone on the compacted and leveled reinforcing mesh with cells 100 × 100 mm.
After reinforcement, concrete solution is poured. Because concrete base Then it will be necessary to insulate, and the floors, in most cases, will be raised on logs, then the solution does not need to be made thin - it can consist of cement and gravel. For the same reason, there are no excessively high requirements for careful leveling of the surface, although the “cleaner” the resulting base is, the easier it will go further stages works
In order for the concrete layer to be durable, during the hardening process, starting from the second day after pouring, it is moistened with water.

When the foundation is ready, you can build walls and do the roofing, and further work Inspection and insulation of the actual floor is carried out after installing windows and doors.

Video: pouring a concrete floor base before erecting walls

Screed on the ground in an already built house

If the house is built, but the flooring is left as the last final stage before finishing the walls, the base for the screed is prepared a little differently.

The first action is performed in the same way as in the first case - the soil is leveled and compacted.
What follows is very important point- This is the installation of waterproofing. In this case, it is best to use roofing felt. It will protect the screed, and therefore the walls, from moisture.

Waterproofing is also made from ordinary polyethylene, but you just need to choose a material that is thicker. But this is not the most best option, since from interaction with cements polyethylene film becomes brittle over time, and the waterproofing will not be highly reliable.

In any case, the waterproofing must be airtight, so the sheets are laid overlapping by 10-15 cm and glued together - polyethylene - with tape, and roofing felt bitumen mastic, heating it with a gas burner.

Sheets of material are lifted onto the walls and secured. The waterproofing layer should be raised to a height slightly higher than the future screed.

Cut at the corners waterproofing material not recommended - it needs to be folded carefully and also secured.

After the waterproofing has been installed, preparation for pouring the screed can be done in different ways:

The most popular backfill option is expanded clay of the largest fraction. If the underground is deep enough and thermal insulation is carried out with expanded clay, it is laid in layers. Additional waterproofing layers can be laid between the layers.

Another method of backfilling may be an option similar to that used when laying before the walls are erected. Cushions made of sand and crushed stone are laid on the waterproofing; their thickness will depend on the height of the basement walls. A polyethylene film is laid on top of these compacted layers, on top of which expanded clay is poured, which acts as insulation.

After filling and compacting all layers, the reinforcement grid is fixed. The screed solution is laid out on it. This can be a rough rough screed made from cement and gravel, but on top it will need to be leveled with a fine concrete mortar.

If there are not so many layers, and the entire backfill consists only of expanded clay, then only a finishing fill will be enough concrete mortar and aligning it with the installed beacons.

Wooden floor on joists

Typically, plank flooring is laid in wooden house, but if desired, it can be made in a brick or panel structure. Again, there are several device options wooden floor on the joists.

1. The base for wooden flooring is sometimes made immediately upon completion of work on the foundation.

The floor beams are laid on the foundation, having previously laid several layers of roofing felt under them and treated the end of the log or solid block with protective antiseptic and waterproofing agents. The beams should lie at a distance of 1-1, 5 meters from each other.
Next, logs will be attached to them, on which the subfloor will then be installed, and the floorboards will be nailed.

This option can be used if the rooms in the house are not designed to be too wide. Another way could be, so-called, "floating floor".

2. The design features of a “floating” floor are that the floor beams are supported not by foundation walls, but by brick or concrete columns, which are installed on the ground in the underground space.

The posts are installed at a distance of 1-1, 5 meters from each other. For them, holes are dug according to the size of the perimeter of the pillars, adding 7-10 cm to it.
The bottom of the pits is strengthened with a tamper and cushions of crushed stone and sand. Then the waterproofing is laid and a brick column is laid out. Its height may vary depending on the depth of the underground. All columns must be aligned to the same horizontal level.
When the masonry mortar has thoroughly dried, roofing felt waterproofing is laid on top of the columns. The load-bearing beams or logs will be attached to them. Next, just as in the first option, a rough and finishing floor is arranged. In addition, insulation can be carried out.

The subfloor is made of boards, which are secured to the underside of the joists. The boards can be tightly fitted to each other or secured at a distance. The first option is used if fine insulation is poured into the cells. The second one is suitable for laying mats mineral wool or polystyrene foam.
Before laying insulation on the subfloor, the boards are covered with a vapor barrier material.

Insulation is laid on it, which, in turn, is also covered with a vapor barrier film, and only then plywood or boards are fixed.

3. The next method of laying boards or plywood on joists is a structure based on a concrete screed.

On concrete base markings are made for correct placement lag The bars are laid out along the marked lines. They can be fixed directly to the concrete, or they can be raised to the required height using special supporting elements - adjustable racks. In both cases, the logs are aligned to the same horizontal level in the longitudinal and transverse directions.

After installing the logs, the floor is usually insulated using mineral wool, expanded clay, expanded polystyrene or other modern materials.
The insulation is covered with a vapor barrier membrane on top. At the final stage they are covered plywood sheets or boards.

Video: example of installing a floor on wooden joists

Using a dry screed

Using a dry screed, you can make floors both on the ground and on a concrete base. Installing a dry screed floor is quite simple and can be done quite quickly.

If the underground soil is raised high enough, then, having made a reliable foundation on it, you can immediately backfill it with fine expanded clay. However, in order to avoid subsidence of the floor in case of any emergency (for example, during flooding during heavy snow melting), it is strongly recommended to precede this process by pouring a rough screed with reinforcement.
Expanded clay composition for dry screed is scattered onto the prepared surface and pre-leveled.
Then install into the poured material beacons - guides made of galvanized metal profiles. They are set level, at a distance of 80-100 cm from each other. There is no need to secure them, since after leveling the screed, the beacons are removed from it.
After leveling the entire floor (this work can also be done in sections), lay on the leveled and compacted layer gypsum fiber slabs

On special GVL sheets for dry screed, areas are provided for their locking connection with each other. Glue is applied to them, and the panels are connected, twisted with self-tapping screws, forming a single piece. Any decorative coating can then be laid on such a surface.

"Dry screed" will be an excellent basis for any finishing coating gender

The article produced only brief overview some existing types floor installations in the house. Having found out how this can be done and choosing most optimal, it is worth studying in detail the technology of its installation and strictly observing the sequence of steps and following all recommendations. If you do everything correctly, then even without experience in arranging the floor, you can do this work yourself.

One of the main parts that any house should have is a floor; a lot of bricks may be required to arrange such a covering. However, it is necessary not only to prepare building materials, but also to thoroughly study the technology for carrying out the work.

To install the floor you will need a large amount of bricks, so you need to calculate in advance the required volume of building materials.

The arrangement of the cellar room deserves special attention. It is often confused with a basement, although its main purpose is long-term storage vegetables, preparations and fruits. In this regard, the cellar must meet high requirements regarding air humidity and compliance temperature regime. It is equally important to ensure excellent ventilation of the room. The floor of the room in this case not only serves as the base of the room, but also acts as a barrier to moisture from the ground.

Brick floor decoration

Brick flooring, similar to what could be seen in ancient wine cellars in France, is attracting increasing interest. Since the cellar is located directly under a building or structure, the flooring is constructed using special technology.

Brick flooring can withstand heavy loads, so it can be laid in areas with high traffic.

There are several types of floors used in the construction of basements and cellars. You can build using existing technology or improve it taking into account the specifics of your own facility. Most often, the floor is laid using red solid bricks. This material has excellent performance characteristics, so the brick floor in the cellar will serve you for a very long time.

Another advantage of using such material is excellent appearance finished coating. Red brick gives the floor solidity and allows you to immerse yourself in the atmosphere of the Middle Ages. Solid brick is characterized by durability and amazing strength, which is of fundamental importance for modern builders.

When decorating a brick floor, red is most often used. solid brick with excellent technical characteristics.

What you may encounter during work

The algorithm for performing the work is determined by the choice of material for arranging the floor. If you decide to make the base of the cellar out of brick, you can use one of the following methods:

according to the old method;
with additional waterproofing.

The material for making red brick is baked clay, which is characterized by durability and immunity to moisture. The first technology is the most popular, since the finished floor will be able to “breathe”. First of all, it is necessary to make a level base for laying building materials. A cushion of fine crushed stone or gravel is poured onto the prepared base. The height of this pillow should be about 10-15 cm. As soon as the layer is ready, it is necessary to compact the pillow.

Only after this can you begin to prepare the clay solution. Its consistency should be similar to that of thick yeast dough. In a brick house, the clay mortar is laid out on a flat cushion in a layer about 20 cm thick. Now you can lay the red brick. The products are placed flat and slightly recessed in the clay solution. Experienced craftsmen It is recommended to place the products as close to each other as possible so that adjacent bricks touch. To achieve this effect, each brick is checked before laying. If irregularities and protrusions are detected, they are first knocked down. This method The floor arrangement corresponds to ancient technology used several centuries ago. The flooring can be used as soon as the clay solution is completely dry.

When groundwater passes close to the surface of the earth, a waterproofing layer is additionally laid when arranging the floor.

If groundwater passes close to the foundation of the house, additional waterproofing of the subfloor base will be required. This means that construction will be carried out on the second possible technology. First of all, you should make a gravel-sand cushion. Its thickness will be from 10 to 15 cm. The pillow must be compacted. Depending on the capabilities and preferences of the master, further:

cover the surface with a clay layer;
treated with bitumen and covered with roofing felt.

As soon as the surface is dry, you can proceed to laying bricks. Experts recommend working in a brick house by embedding the products in cement mortar. This elementary technique allows you to make floors more durable and prevent their deformation during use.

When the entire cellar is lined with brick, it is left for several days. This is necessary to ensure that the coating is neat and even. After this, the flooring is thoroughly moistened with water and cement mortar is hammered into the seams. In a residential building, a stiff brush or broom is used to perform work. Upper part The seam can be filled with liquid mortar.

Construction subtleties

Before you start building a cellar, you need to take into account several nuances of installing a brick floor. Flooring must be done on the most elevated surface, since a significant amount of moisture always accumulates in lowlands. This negatively affects the durability of the floor structure and the entire house. The level of occurrence should be clarified in advance groundwater so as not to discover any unpleasant surprises in the future.

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Waterproofing issues cannot be ignored. It is necessary to completely exclude the possibility of water penetrating into the cellar, otherwise the products in it will be spoiled. The steepness of the slopes of the room is determined by the type of soil, so a survey of the area must be carried out at the stage of preparing the pit.

When arranging a brick floor, increased attention should be paid to the level of groundwater and the issues of arranging a waterproofing layer. The durability of the entire cellar depends on how well the preliminary reconnaissance of the area is carried out.

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Professionals lay out the bricks so that they are in close contact with each other. This not only improves aesthetics flooring, but also makes it as reliable as possible.

Ceramic brick can be called one of the oldest building materials. Quite often, ancient bricks with a mark are clearly visible in the walls of historical buildings.

There are also items with imprints of ancient plants or animals. Each such artifact can carry a wealth of information, and this is one of the reasons why people collect old bricks. In addition, the reuse of these materials in modern interiors is becoming increasingly common.

What is antique brick?

Previously, the construction of buildings was carried out for centuries. Therefore, antique bricks are particularly durable and of high quality.

Moreover, under the influence of time they acquired a unique texture and color. Using them in designer finishing creates a special atmosphere in the room that literally “breathes” history.

The production technology of ancient bricks differed in many ways from modern production. The strength of ancient ceramic products was determined by the temperature at which they were baked. The higher, the stronger the brick. The most durable was iron ore brick.

His brand corresponded in modern terms to 800 – 1000 kg/cm2. Now in construction, materials with a grade of 100 or 150 are most often used. Such bricks were produced in small volumes and were used mainly for hydraulic structures or foundations operated in humid environments.

Currently, the average service life of a brick structure is 125 years. Most modern ceramic and silicate materials quite capable of serving the allotted time. But they do not have the special charm that bricks with history have.

Antique bricks with and without stamps are obtained as a result of careful dismantling of old buildings that have no historical value. Since there are fewer and fewer such structures, the price of materials suitable for further use increases every year.

This is also why the demand for antique bricks does not fall, both in the field of interior design and among collectors.

Collecting antique bricks

Collecting antique building materials such as bricks, tiles, and tiles is now quite common. It even has its own name - bricophilia. It comes from the English designation for brick - bric.

Antique bricks with a stamp are in greatest demand among collectors. From them you can determine the brick manufacturer and the time of its production. Often the names of the owners of building materials factories were stamped on the bricks.

At the beginning, natural motifs were more present on brick stamps. In Russia they were used until the end of the 17th century. Then they began to brand the bricks with letters of the alphabet. As a rule, this was the first letter of the surname of the owner of the plant.

With the increase in the number of brick productions, one letter could no longer accurately indicate the identity of the product. For this reason, the full names of the plant founders began to appear on the bricks.

Old bricks with marks in the form of a double-headed eagle were produced at state enterprises. During the reign of Alexander I the first, the eagle was imprinted in a round outline, Alexander III - in an oval outline. Under Nicholas I, a square stamp was used.

Product branding was a kind of certificate of its quality. If low-quality products were produced, the manufacturer could be fined. At the beginning of the 20th century, marks on bricks lost their relevance.

The sizes of ancient bricks were also regulated. From the time of Peter I they had to have:

Length 28 cm;
Width – 14 cm;
Thickness – 7 cm.

In 1833 these dimensions changed slightly:

The length became 26.5 cm.
The width of the brick was reduced to 13.3 cm.
Its thickness became 6.7 cm.

Collections sometimes contain unusual artifacts with imprints of plants or animals.

The ancient brickwork of many buildings was dismantled during demolition, and all brick was mostly taken away as garbage. But sometimes it was reused, including in interior decoration.

Antique brick in a modern interior

In the 19th century brick construction received very widespread. Many buildings began to be finished with brick instead of plastering. Currently, this finish is also becoming increasingly popular.

This applies not only external cladding, but also interior decoration. Increasingly, antique bricks are being used for this. But no less successful are interior projects using artificially aged brick or “look” tiles. old brick».

The old brickwork in the room design gives the entire space a very stylish look and creates a special atmosphere.

Brutal and harsh Loft style

This type of interior decoration is especially characteristic of the Loft style. This architectural movement originates in America in the mid-20th century.

At this time, industrial buildings began to be converted into housing on a massive scale. Accordingly, the size and style of such spaces required a completely new approach to decoration.

Distinctive features of a room corresponding to the Loft design:

This is mainly an attic location or the top floor of a building.
Large area and high ceilings production workshops, a minimum of partitions and zonal divisions.
Huge windows, often occupying the entire outer wall and making the room very bright. There are options with a glass roof.
Various metal, wooden and reinforced concrete beams and technical structures that are deliberately left uncovered.
The walls are made of rough bricks, the floors are made of poorly processed boards.

Currently, this style has received well-deserved attention from owners of large apartments and country houses, in which free planning and non-standard shapes are possible.

The advantages of finishing in the Loft style are several main points:

It not only looks beautiful, but is also practical.
Antique facing bricks do not require special care and have a long service life.
Antique brick in the interior combines perfectly with wood, metal, glass and leather. There are a lot of options for combined finishing with it.
The design of the space is original and unusual.

The stylization of such premises as an “industrial interior” largely determined the increased need for antique bricks for decoration. For this reason, a large number of offers have appeared for the sale of old-made products, and brick aging technology is also widely used.

Scope of application of antique bricks

What can be made from old brick?

The scope of application of such products is very wide:

Creation special interiors when using this finishing material.
Facing fireplaces and stoves with old brick will give them a historical appearance.
Old bricks can be used to lay walls and partitions in new homes.
It will be very interesting to create a brick floor.

Quite often, brick finishing of one wall is used as a colorful decorative element, kitchen apron, or the details of the furnishings in the room are finished.

Natural antique brickwork in houses does not require finishing. It only needs to be cleaned of plaster and, if necessary, restoration done.

Antique facing bricks are widely used not only in the interiors of private houses or apartments, but also in the design of public buildings.

Combining brick with other materials creates an elegant atmosphere of warmth and comfort.

Collections of old bricks can be great decorative details any interior. Decorating the premises with aged products or natural old bricks will give the entire space special style and character.

New floors from old bricks

How to use old bricks for flooring? It is best to use tiles made from antique bricks rather than solid products. This approach will significantly reduce the load on interfloor floors.

The advantages of brick floors include the following:

The beauty and aesthetics of this flooring will highlight the sophisticated style of the entire home.
A low-maintenance floor made from old brick will last you a very long time.
How to lay old bricks with your own hands - installation of this type of flooring is quite simple.
Brick floors are highly environmentally friendly.

A collection of old bricks can be used for flooring not only in private houses or apartments. In museums, restaurants, wine cellars, such a floor will look very organic.

Brick aging technology

How to age a brick? Modern technologies allow you to give many building materials vintage appearance.

Moreover, they are new, durable products that have undergone special processing. The presence of chips and cracks, an unclear geometric shape give such a brick interesting appearance antiquities.

At the same time, the market is overflowing with cheap finishing materials, imitating real ceramic bricks.

But for all their attractiveness, they do not have the properties that characterize brick products:

Aesthetics;
Long service life;
Practicality - it does not need to be trimmed or repaired.

Most often, to give new brick an aged appearance, it is processed to obtain a blurred or chipped shape. Then soak special compounds, which further create the effect of an antique product.

Vintage hand-molded bricks

Hand-molded bricks are great solution for individual and unique decoration of any room. Manual molding of brick gives it an uneven, as if torn, shape, creating a “worn effect”. Each product has its own unique texture.

How to age a brick wall? To do this, it is enough to lay it out using hand-molded bricks, or finish it with tiles “like antique bricks.”

Brick-like tiles

Brick-like ceramic tiles are most often made by cutting conventional facing ceramic bricks on special equipment. The product obtained in this way is in no way inferior in properties to brick, but has a smaller thickness.

This, in turn, allows it to be successfully used in the decoration of individual interior parts - arches, columns, portals, openings.

Whatever type of material for home interior Whether you choose real antique bricks or antique facing bricks, the room will definitely acquire a cozy and unusual appearance. This finish will serve you flawlessly for a long time, without requiring repairs or tedious maintenance. Instructions for laying antique bricks yourself are in the video in this article.

In construction brick house or another object, half-brick brickwork is most often used, which is suitable for the construction of internal partitions, but does not allow the construction of load-bearing walls with a thickness of ≤ 380 mm in accordance with SNiP II-22-81 regulations. The document specifies that minimum thickness load-bearing walls for brickwork Group I is limited to the range of 4% -5% of the height of the house or floor. If the height of the house does not exceed 5 meters, then the load-bearing structure must be at least 250 mm thick, that is, one brick. The thickness of the half-brick masonry is 120 mm, which is not enough to withstand the weight of the house. Therefore, in order to save materials in regions with a warm climate, builders resort to a trick: a load-bearing wall of half a brick is laid out with perpendicular dressing, which, taking into account the thickness of the mortar layer of 8-10 mm, makes it possible to achieve standards for the thickness of the load-bearing wall of 250 mm.

Such a wall can easily withstand the load from the weight of a low-rise building, and interior walls and the partitions are raised with ordinary half-brick masonry with a wall thickness of 120 mm. Such a wall does not take the main loads, but can easily withstand the weight of decorative items, furniture and household appliances. In addition, bricklaying according to this scheme is much stronger than plasterboard or wooden partitions, and using only bricks and mortar is a savings family budget, since bricks and mortar are consumed 2 times less than when laying in brick, one and a half or two bricks, and there is an undoubted saving in comparison with the consumption of materials for partitions made from other building materials.

Construction and ligation of half-brick walls

Half-brick masonry is carried out in one row, in a checkerboard pattern, on a cement-sand mortar. Vertical mortar joints between bricks should not line up so as not to reduce the strength of the masonry and wall. Without the plaster layer, the wall thickness will be 120 mm. The load-bearing capacity of such a wall is small, but if there is a need to use a half-brick wall as a load-bearing one (for example, to support a rafter system or an interfloor ceiling), a preliminary examination and permission from regional or city architectural services is required. The standard weight limit for such walls is up to 130 kg.

To connect half-brick masonry to a load-bearing wall, the junction is laid out in such a way that the end surface of the load-bearing wall is a butted wall, and the inner surface is a tongue-and-groove. The number of three-quarter bricks is calculated based on the thickness of the load-bearing wall. Adjacent rows are laid out one after another. If the thickness of the load-bearing wall is one and a half or two bricks, with the first row laid according to the “spoon-poke” pattern, then the next row is laid according to the “poke-spoon” pattern, etc.

Where else can you use half-brick masonry:

As fencing.
As interior non-load-bearing partitions with good noise reduction parameters and the possibility of decorative finishing with any materials.
In the construction of household facilities - sheds, verandas, pavilions, garages.
In the construction of limiting structures: prevention of landslides on the site, demarcation of land, etc. During the construction of external fences, it must be taken into account that the wind load of brick walls, the thickness of which is 12 cm, a height of 1.5 m and a length of ≥ 2 m, is no more than 350 kg.

Preparing for the masonry process

A wall diagram and installation order are drawn up, with all the necessary dimensions and linked to the floor plan of the room or house. Based on the diagram, the amount of building materials - mortar and bricks - is calculated. Practice shows that for 1 m2 of brick wall you will need 61 units of standard products, or 45 units of one and a half units. The diagram also includes a drawing of the installation taking into account the thickness of the mortar joints.

When building a wall inside a house, the surface of the floor and ceiling at the site of the future partition is leveled: by planing for wooden floors and pouring mortar for concrete surfaces.

If the wall is being built from the outside, then a shallow foundation is needed under it, which is laid as follows:

A trench is dug ≈ 300-400 mm wide and ≈ 500-600 mm deep, the bottom is covered with a sand cushion, the thickness of which should be at least 100 mm. The sand is moistened and compacted.
Board or metal panel formwork is installed.
The ditch is filled with concrete solution (sand - 3 parts, crushed stone - 3 parts, cement - 1 part) without reinforcement.
After four weeks of hardening and drying of the concrete, the formwork is removed.
The brick on the base of the foundation must be laid in such a way that the long axis of the foundation is aligned with the axis of the wall.

Then tools and building materials for masonry are prepared:

Concrete mixer or container for cement-sand mortar.
Construction mixer, spatulas and trowels, oven hammer for splitting bricks, as a rule.
Construction level, plumb line, cord, metal square, jointing device for seams.
Cement, sand, and bricks are being prepared.

How to lay a half-brick wall

Beginning of installation: the corner supports are removed first. The second row is laid on the first brick row, and the process continues until the top row after the reinforcing mesh frame. Corner masonry has a height of 5 bricks, laid in such a way that the guide brick overlaps (ties) each other at an angle of 900. Each row must be checked for verticality and horizontality using a level. Bricks are pressed into the mortar only in the center of the product to prevent movement to the sides.

Since double bricks are large in size, it makes sense to give the masonry greater strength by using more frequent mesh reinforcement. There are ready-made meshes on sale with a rectangular or zigzag profile, but you can make a stack with your own hands. The rectangular reinforced mesh should be laid horizontally every five rows. A mesh with a zigzag profile is laid in the attached places of the masonry, its rods are connected by welding or knitting with wire. When carrying out reinforcement, the mesh is laid so that the ends of the rods protrude 5 mm beyond the wall. This is necessary to control the presence of reinforcement. After the solution has hardened, these protruding ends can be cut off or bent.