Bricklaying & Blocklaying Les Coteaux / Quebec / Canada

DIFFERENT TYPES OF BONDING IN BRICKWORK

There are many different types of bonds that are used in the brickwork by bricklaying services. The most common of these are The Flemish Bond, The English Bond, The Header Bond, and The Stretcher Bond. These bonds categorized by bricklaying services by the way they are laid and bonded by bricklayer contractors of the bricks in walls. Bonds are made by the mortar going in between the different layers and grooves of the bricks. The bricks can be faced in different directions; the header means the end of the brick is on the face of the wall when a stretcher is with the long side facing.

The Flemish Bond, which can also be known as a Dutch bond by bricklayer companies, is fashioned by placing bricks alternating between a header (end facing) and a stretcher (long side facing) in a line. Bricklayer contractors will lay the next course so that a header is in the middle of the stretcher. Each line will alternate from here. Bricklaying services providers use bats to make these kinds of bonds. The English Bond has alternating courses of all headers and the next course up all stretchers. The Flemish Bond looks better than an English Bond but is classed by bricklaying services as weaker, unable to handle heavyweights of wall construction.
The Stretcher Bonds, also to be known as running bonds, are developed by bricklaying services for bricklayer contractors to lay the brickwork with only the stretcher side showing. The bricks are then overlapped between the adjacent bricks above and below. Bricklaying services do not class this type of bond it is not ideal for thick brick walls, working best when laid in a half-brick width. Typically, they need to build in conjunction with columns placed intermittently for increased stability. The most common materials that are used by bricklaying companies with this type of bond are reinforced concrete structures or steel.

COMMONLY USED BRICKS IN BRICKLAYING, BRICKWORKS

Many different types of bricks are used in masonry by bricklaying contractor services. These are made using a diverse range of materials and processes. Although there are many to choose from, there are five main types of bricks used by bricklaying companies in brickwork. Clay bricks are the most common bricks and can be of use for most bricklaying services for primary structures, made from red clay and then fired in a kiln. These are for standard work done that doesn’t need to have any outrageous or unique look. When bricklaying contractor services use clay or other bricks on any wall, they often need to be rendered or plastered. Bricklaying companies commonly use also concrete bricks for home construction.

They are excellent for fencing, but also make for an aesthetically pleasing brickwork look. Concrete bricks can be colored to a variety of hues by bricklaying services during the manufacturing process. Fly-Ash Clay bricks are cooked in the kiln at over one thousand degrees and made from clay and fly ash. These are stronger and lighter than clay, but this type of brickwork is prone to expansion when it encounters any water or moisture. It makes it unfavorable to bricklaying contractor services and bricklaying companies.

Creating Sand Lime bricks involves a process of wet mixing of fly ash, lime, and sand. One can form them into bricks under high amounts of pressure. The color of the sand-lime bricks is a grey wash, which gives it a more pleasing look than a regular brick as it does not have the reddish color of the clay brick. Bricklaying contractor services do not need to plaster these bricks when used in any of brickwork, which makes the process simpler. Sand-lime bricks can carry an immense weight load. The last type of brick is called an engineering brick, most favored by bricklaying services. They are a lot more expensive than any other kind of brick as manufacturing the engineering brick needs extremely high temperatures. Doing it makes the brick less prone to any water being able to get in, making it damp-proof. Bricklaying contractor services favor the engineering brick for structures that require a higher load-bearing than regular bricks. Bricklaying services classify the engineering bricks as a Class A, meaning that they are less porous than cheaper bricks and it has a more pleasing physical appearance.

BRICK ORIENTATION IN BRICKWORK

Classification of bricks by bricklaying companies depends on which face is exterior to the completed wall. A brick that is laid on its longest, most narrow side with a short side exposed is the rowlock orientation. A stretcher or stretching brick is when a brick is laid flat on the ground, and it has its long, thin side exterior to the finished project.

Shiner, or rowlock stretcher, is when the bricklayer contractor lays it with its broadside showing (i.e., the top or bottom of the brick). The soldier orientation is when the bricklaying company lays it vertically with its long, skinny side exposed. Heading bricks, or headers, are when a bricklayer contractor lays the brick flat with its end facing outwards. Finally, diapering is when the bricklaying company or bricklaying contractor, forms the bricks into a diamond pattern.

By changing the layout of the bricks, a bricklaying contractor can form almost any desired pattern within the brickwork.

THE BASICS OF BRICKWORK AND BUILDING

Whether enlisting the help of a bricklaying company or bricklaying contractor services, the design must be planned with all needed details and specifications before work can begin. Standard bricks are generally 215mm x 102.5mm x 65mm in size, but there also must be an allocation made for the mortar. The place given to mortar by most bricklaying contractor services is ten millimeters. An essential factor to consider is the consistency of the mortar. If it is made to be too wet, then it will cause all the bricks to fall out of line. It can severely impact any brickwork design that has been implemented by the bricklaying services. Before laying the brickwork, dig a trench and fill it with concrete. It gives the structure a stable foundation and makes it better able to withstand the weight of the wall without the worry of collapsing. Bricks offer many advantages over other materials for construction purposes. The main advantages promoted by bricklaying services being strength, fire protection, durability, and its ability to keep sound. A nine-inch-thick brick will be sound-proof up to 50 decibels, and a brick that is 4.55 inches thick will keep sounds of up to 45 decibels. Bricklaying services and bricklaying companies offer bricks as a suitable means of insulation. Using bricks over another medium such as wood can significantly reduce energy consumption, up to 30%. These make it the most recommended house construction material by bricklaying services.

SKILLS INVOLVED TO BECOME A BRICKLAYER CONTRACTOR

Bricklayer contractors are subject to knowing many skills other than just how to lay brickwork and put bricks on top of one another. Bricklaying contractors and bricklayer companies must know how to read, work, and design plans. The foundations of brickwork must be done in the correct way using damp-resistant materials. Not correctly sealing the foundations will lead to the brickwork structure collapsing at the first sign of any damp weather. Moisture can enter any foundations where there is contact with a wet patch of ground, resulting in rising damp. Damp can be a significant concern for many bricklaying contractor services and bricklaying companies and may need specialist treatment.

Bricklayer contractors must be comfortable with working at heights, although at times there may be work involved with tunnels and shafts also. The bricklayer contractors must maintain a high level of technical aptitude that the bricklaying services and bricklayer companies require, due to the potential for danger in the workplace.

Bricklaying contractor services must understand how to build and join each row, shape, or design by the correct use of the position of bricks and spreading mortar. The ability to operate the right machinery such as brick cutting machines are vital knowledge to a bricklaying contractor and those within the bricklaying service or bricklaying company services. Knowing how to erect scaffolding to maximize safety when working at heights needs to be done subject to code and any license requirements. The requirements for license and safety codes would be first provided by the bricklaying company or bricklayer service and passed onto the bricklaying contractor.

Blocklaying Services

Blockwork is the masonry construction of concrete or cement blocks. Blockwork is in use for the construction of houses since the 1930s. Block laying services recommend as they are cheap, sturdy, and easily constructed. Block laying services companies use blocks that are either full blocks or hollow. The hollowing of the blockwork makes the blocks lighter and easier to work with for block laying contractors. Hollowing also increases insulation capacity. Block laying service providers advise that all buildings use blockwork in one way or another. A house built with blockwork and using good quality concrete blocks can last up to 100 years. According to block laying company services, block laying contractors, block laying services, and the Concrete Block Association, 60million square meters of dense and lightweight concrete building blocks produced each year.