How Bricks Are Made | Ask This Old House

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In this video, Ask This Old House masonry expert Mark McCullough explains how bricks are made and what makes them unique. SUBSCRIBE to This Old House: http://bit.ly/SubscribeThisOldHouse. Mason Mark McCullough takes us to a brickyard to explain how he chooses a brick and how manufacturers make this durable building material. Mark explains that when he’s looking for a brick to work with, his choices at any particular brickyard could number as many as 20 different types and styles. There Are Many Types of Bricks When looking for a brick for a masonry project, bricklayers have a lot of choices. Between colors, textures, and shapes, brickyards can consist of twenty different types of bricks. The Main Ingredient is Clay Regardless of the type of brick chosen, the main ingredient is clay. Clay is unique to the area from which it comes, causing bricks from different regions to consist of different colors. Bricks made in the southeast tend to use red clay, causing the bricks to be a very prominent shade of red. Bricks further west, such as the Milwaukee area, use a yellow clay, creating the lighter yellow and beige-colored brick buildings prevalent in the area. Bricks from the northeast tend to be reddish-brown in color. Bricks Come in Different Textures Manufacturers use molds to create bricks, and the consistency and texture depends on the mold. Many brick molds aren’t square, intentionally generating bricks with rounded ends, tumbled profiles, and less consistent dimensions.

Published 2021-11-10 · Watch on YouTube ↗
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