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Since ancient times, clay has been used for construction and decoration. With the development of technology and the emergence of new opportunities, fundamentally different building materials entered the market. That’s just for their manufacture using the same clay, but they achieve much better characteristics of the final product.

What is ceramic brick made of?

Raw materials are mined for production by the old method in quarries. The principle of manufacturing itself remained unchanged, only technologies were improved. After the clay enters the plant, it is placed into the extruder and the blanks are obtained. In the future, these blanks will be cut and sent for firing. High-quality products that can withstand competition consist of fine fractions.

It is extremely difficult to obtain such raw materials, since there are few quarries left, and it is possible to remove the desired layer without mixing with a single-bucket excavator. The rotary machine mixes the layers, clay with different fractions is sent to production. This is what makes the firing process such a jewelery business: you need to choose the right temperature so that the low-melting particles bind the refractory ones, and the mixture gets the desired characteristics in the future.

A separate type is considered to be ceramic clinker brick. The process of its production is fundamentally different. But only special refractory grades of clay are used. This refractoriness after completion of all stages provides the highest strength and frost resistance. Clinker is used as a finishing option, less often it becomes ordinary. Laying out a clinker wall is expensive, but it is justified for structures designed for heavy loads.

Ceramic brick — pros and cons

You will not find a single building material that could boast exclusively of advantages or disadvantages. There are always two sides of the coin. This is how things are in our case, the ceramic brick house is «controversial»: it has a whole list of strengths, but there are also very pleasant surprises. Knowing all the characteristics, it is easier to make a choice and understand whether this is really the right decision.

Ceramic brick — pluses

Clay holds the palm among the raw materials for building and finishing materials for a reason. With proper processing, the products are reliable and durable, they have excellent characteristics. Ceramic brick for walls during construction will please with such qualities:

1. Ceramics easily withstands all manifestations of the external environment: winds, rains, sunlight and even hail are not afraid of it. If you need to get a wall or part of the house that can also resist mechanical damage, feel free to give preference to clinker ceramic bricks. It is sometimes used as a finish for paths, so that the wall will remain in its original form for decades.
2. The walls in the house are well insulated from external noise and retain heat. Air proved to be a reliable and absolutely free soundproofing solution. It is in the voids of an ordinary building material that it gives such characteristics to the wall.
3. Ceramic brick practically does not absorb moisture. This is achieved by the density of the structure, it simply becomes a barrier to the penetration of any moisture. The importance of this feature is that it directly affects the ability of the wall to retain heat in the cold season. Moisture gets the minimum amount, as a result, destruction does not occur when it freezes.
4. Do not forget about the environmental safety of ceramic bricks for laying walls. In manufacturing plants, after a full cycle, there are almost no emissions into the atmosphere; after construction, the house is also safe for humans.

Ceramic brick — cons

As in every barrel of honey sometimes there is a spoonful of honey, and for all its advantages, ceramic brick tiles have minor drawbacks. The numbers on the price tag in a hardware store are striking. When you’re looking for a quality product with the features you want, you have to settle for a high price. For the production of brown ceramic bricks with a red tint, dye may not be needed.

But to obtain other shades that are not characteristic of clay, it is necessary to take dyes. As a result, the buyer plays the lottery: it is difficult to guess whether the supplier is conscientious, whether he used dyes that are safe for health. If your design idea involves finishing with white ceramic bricks, there is no point in saving. The building material itself is expensive, and it is possible to reduce its cost due to pigments.

Ceramic brick for outdoor decoration

It is not necessary to build a wall of ceramics in order to obtain sufficient protective qualities for the house. For facade cladding, ceramic brick trim is actively used. It is quite expected that in this matter the buyer is interested not only in strength and thermal insulation, but also in decorative components. Slightly reduce weight, increase thermal insulation properties allow voids. The ceramic brick for facing the house is distinguished by the accuracy of the edges, the perfect surface and the look that is pleasing to the eye. As for the decorative side of the issue, here the buyer may well choose the design that suits him. Among the possible effects on the surface of ceramic bricks, manufacturers offer the following cladding options:

• the simplest solution, but not the cheapest, is a brick with an ordinary flat surface (durable option, the color range of ceramic bricks is from gray to dark brown);
• the wall turns out to be much more interesting with textured effects on the surface (they imitate the texture of wood or stone, beautiful patterns — all this is appropriate in small quantities on arches or parts of the building);
• spectacular decorative engobed ceramic bricks are distinguished by a white tint and matte surface (a layer of colored white clay is applied to the raw material base, which gives the effect of an artificial stone);
• glazed brick tiles have a glossy ceramic surface, which is obtained after applying a layer of fusible glass and subsequent firing;
• red ceramic clinker brick, made from refractory clay already familiar to us, must be added to this list.

Types of ceramic bricks

In the matter of building a wall of ceramic bricks, the chosen colors will play a secondary role. It is much more important to correctly select the type of ordinary or building bricks. It was mentioned above that inside the brick can be empty or filled. Both types are used in the construction business, each has its own characteristics and recommendations for specific buildings.

Solid ceramic brick

A fully filled brick boasts enviable strength, the ability to withstand the most severe loads. It is used where thermal conductivity and sound insulation are needed, as well as a constant load is planned. The weight of each unit is approximately 4 kg, which must be taken into account when building on some types of soil. All of the listed qualities of full-bodied ceramic bricks will become relevant for the construction of a basement, laying out fireplaces and stoves. Builders build foundations and basements from it.

Hollow ceramic brick

The air inside allows you to significantly increase the thermal insulation properties, but at the same time reduces strength. This is the case when the use of hollow ordinary ceramic bricks as facing is allowed. And this is far from the only option where such characteristics are useful. Ceramic brick with voids is perfect for building walls of buildings up to three floors.

The house will turn out warm, and its cost will decrease. They quite successfully build partitions up to 120 mm thick, they are not heavy and retain high-quality sound insulation. Even garages or similar structures are successfully built from hollow building materials. But all this will work provided that the buildings are far from the water. Moisture is absorbed more strongly, and over time, the building begins to collapse due to water inside the voids. The use of hollow ceramic bricks in the construction of furnaces is also not welcome. It simply does not allow heat to disperse throughout the room.