When you’re selecting brick for the face of your home, judge it by more than its beauty. Consider its size, texture, strength, durability, how well it will hold up under the hot Arizona sun and what’s available in your area.
Some things to consider as you make your choices:
- The size of the brick greatly affects the appearance of a wall, and the cost to build it. If you choose larger bricks, you may pay less for labor because the installer will handle fewer bricks. Some homeowners like to mix brick sizes to create unique patterns.
- Bricks are held in place with mortar, a mixture of cement, sand, water and lime. The mortar can be “tooled” so it’s flush with the bricks, giving your wall a smooth appearance. Or you can apply mortar so it “spills” out between the bricks or has a concave appearance.
- Mortar accounts for about 20 percent of the surface of a brick wall, so make sure it looks nice. The tooling, color and quality of the mortar will have a huge impact on how your home looks. Give as much thought to choosing your mortar as you do to choosing your bricks.
- The more unique your brick is, in color, size and texture, the harder it could be to replace if any get damaged over the years. Even standard red bricks differ in color and size. A tip: Bring a piece of the broken brick, along with its dimensions (three of them, thickness, height and length) with you when you shop for a replacement so you can find the closest match.
- Bricks made locally are less expensive than those imported from other states or countries. Still, don’t write off the imports. Because the clay in states like Nebraska, Colorado and California is harder than ours, it’s not as prone to efflorescence, those ugly white stains that often appear on masonry products that get wet. That might make the extra cost of out-of-state worth it to you.
