Thin Brick
Thin Solutions
Engineered to Provide Value
When tight construction sites have no room to store materials, and little
space to stage work areas, coordinating trades and meeting schedules is
tough. Scaffolding can be costly and inefficient on very tall buildings.
Renovation projects may have insufficient foundations or structures to
carry the desired new materials. How does an architect provide the
aesthetics and durability of clay brick while negotiating such challenges?
Thin brick can be incorporated in many ways to allow for decreased
foundation sizes and smaller framing members. Thin brick walls may be
erected without the use of scaffolding when they are panelized. Thin brick
is a fraction of the weight of full bed depth brick and need not burden the
integrity of existing structures, even historical. There is no need to
compromise the beauty, resilience, and longevity of fired clay brick when
wall thickness or construction conditions are restrictive.
One Size
Doesn’t Fit All
Create iconic facades by combining different thin brick sizes and shapes to mimic the depth and texture of full brick. With various sizes to choose from, the design possibilities are endless.
Note: Thin brick thicknesses vary in different sizes and textures.
Thin Brick Advantages
Thin Brick can be embedded into precast concrete panels or applied over
concrete masonry walls, framed walls sheathed with cement backer
board, and stucco substrates. It can also be installed into proprietary
panelized systems comprised of rigid foam insulation, reinforced formed
plastic panels, or punched/tabbed sheet metal panels.
H.C. Muddox has a variety of methods to manufacture thin brick. We
have more shapes, more sizes, and more possibilities to bring your design vision to reality and meet your project’s needs. Start designing [same link
as main page] now or contact [same link as main page] one of our building
envelop consultants to join your team.
Thin Brick
Questions & Answers
Q: Are the physical properties of thin brick the same as face brick?
- Physical properties of both products are very similar.
Q: Do thin brick walls perform the same as walls built with face brick?
- Thin brick walls do not provide the same fire rating or impact
resistance as face brick.
Q: What specifications and briefs cover thin brick?
- ASTM C-1088, BIA Technical Note-28C.
Q: Why does my exterior thin brick wall have dark areas?
- The darker areas are usually higher in moisture content than
surrounding lighter areas. - Thin brick does not have any cores. When it is installed into a precast
panel or on a metal lath system with a scratch coat and brown coat,
there is a lot of wet material behind it. Therefore, the wall can take
longer to dry out to the exterior after construction than face brick.
The thin brick is the last layer to dry out. Please be patient!
Q: Can thin brick be used as paving?
- Thin brick is generally not suitable for exterior paving; However, it
can be used as a floor covering. See below.
Q: Can thin brick be used as floor covering?
- Yes, it can, like porcelain tile, if the substrate is stiff enough and it is
mortar set with full coverage (with some limitations as to use).