A home with bricks just seems so fascinating —- it speaks Victorian, while also giving it a traditional aesthetic in modern times. While homes made with brick are good for the eyes, it is to consider that bricks shouldn’t be picked randomly; they must have the right dimensions and sizes to keep your home secure thus building a stronger wall and a firm foundation for your walls.
In a time where bricks aren’t meticulously chosen, you’ll end up having a home that might look crooked and risky as well. Hence, it is of great importance to choose bricks that go with the Australian standard, giving your home a lovely touch and holding it in place regardless of natural calamities.
If you might need a crash course about what bricks to choose, here’s a simple guideline that you ought to know.
Advantages of Choosing the Right Bricks
The right kind of brick (size, and type) provides your home security. Consequently, it also prevents you from purchasing a lot more bricks than you should buy, in a way that you won’t have to cut again and again just for the bricks to complement each other. Thus, it lets you prevent less wastage of bricks, saves you costs for labor, and even a stronger wall because of its regular and concise bonding with one another.
Standard Wall Joints
Bricks are bound together by mortar joints. They keep your bricks stuck with one another, ensuring security and avoiding one brick from moving when the inevitable time occurs. For this, you need to remember that the mortar joint must be 10mm thick to keep them stuck and give out ample space in between.
Standard Brick Sizes
In Australia, the standard brick size must be 76 mm high x 230 mm long x 110 mm wide. These are actually based on the traditional sizes of old brickwork homes where you can definitely see that they are still standing stiff and strong amidst time and natural calamities.
Wall Height x Standard Brick
It is to note that there are accompanying numbers of bricks per wall height considering the standard size of bricks. Hence, you should not overdo bricks but put them perfectly to achieve a levelled brick wall for your home. Nevertheless, one brick must equal 86mm of wall height and so on. Consequently, for rooms at home that are considered not habitable (hallways, bathroom, etc), the minimum number of bricks must be 25. For rooms that you frequent a.k.a habitable rooms like your living spaces, the minimum height requirement must be 2,408mm and must have 28 bricks placed horizontally. Always follow the 1 brick = 86mm rule.
Wall Length x Standard Brick
A wall length of 350mm should have 1.5 bricks for it. Yet, for every 120mm addition to it, there must also be an addition of .5 brick to perfectly cover up the wall. This is to ensure that you’ll be able to measure the length of your wall, giving you an idea of how many bricks to purchase to avoid additional costs for unnecessary bricks.
Dimensional Quality Levels
Bricks can differ when it seasons after firing. Therefore, there are distinctions in quality and it will be best to know their variations as well.
DW1
This means that the height and width of the brick differ by less than 50mm vs the standard dimensions.
DW2
This means that the height and the width of the brick differ by less than 40mm vs the standard brick dimensions.
DWO
This means that every brick differs from one another; there is no standard dimension. Yet, this can only be great for small walls where you want aesthetics but is not recommended for your main walls.
While these dimensions might be confusing, learn to know the basics of what dimensions you need to choose for bricks. This will save you time, and costs, and even secure your home with a more efficient brickwork wall that can stand the test of time.
Remember to know your math always; keep in mind that brickwork is labour-intensive at first but certainly brings out the best for your home.
Photo by Samson Katt
