Calder Loth

Historic Brickwork: a Design Resource

1. Roman Brick
a. Fired first good bricks, were precise
b. 12x3.5x1.5 slabs
c. Originally in plaster
d. Became popular again around 1900 in America
2. Brick Details
a. Made with moulds
b. To remove the mould;
i. dusted with sand
ii. dipped in water
iii. Oil brick mould lined with copper with linseed oil
c. Putlog holes for scaffolding
d. Rubbed bricks made of superior quality examples, polished and used as accents
e. Gauged bricks are rubbed bricks cut to precision shapes
i. Used for arches/ directly over windows as a decorative veneer, timber
beam reinforcement behind
ii. Often used with minimal mortar, scored to increase apperent amount.
f. Molded and cut used for fine details like pediments
g. Tumble Courses are brick courses cut to sit diagonally
h. Diapering use of glazed bricks to make diamond patterns in a wall, chevrons, or
even numbers and writing
i. Houndstooth cornice is jagged projecting bricks as a decorative wall topper
j. Pressed bricks made of thick clay for extreme smoothness and precision
k. Buff pressed bricks self washed for appearance of stone
l. Tapestry bricks have a vertically scored surface
3. Bond Types
a. English/Common
i. Walls and bridges
ii. Row of stretchers on row of headers
iii. Extra piece to avoid accidental alignment
iv. Strongest and most functional Type
b. Cross
i. Like Common but always centered on stretcher or joint
ii. Dutch Bricks usually 6x3x1.75
iii. English Statute brick standardized
c. Flemish
i. Decorative
ii. Grid of stretchers and headers
d. Zipper
i. Flemish bond, but headers are half-alighted to make vertical striping
e. Monk
 i. Header w/ 2 stretchers, headers are aligned every other row, vaguely
hexigonical.
f. All Header
i. Usually half again as thick
ii. edges are a different bond
g. American
i. Row of headers over an odd number of stretcher courses, such as 3
h. Flemish Stretcher
i. 3 rows of stretchers, row of Flemish
i. Stretcher
i. Only Stretchers
4. Mortar Joints and Other Details
a. Rougher joints means primitive bricks
i. Often they scribe the Joints to even out the appearance and compress
the joints
b. Tuck pointing
i. Scribe a groove in mortar, and fill it with a white substance to show brick
joining
c. Buildings were often color-washed and then given penciling (painted white with a
fine brush) to even out the groutlines
d. Arches may be needed to reinforce thin parts of walls or to add interest in light
and shadow