Brick is the traditional building material in the UK and although architectural styles may come and go, brick seems to be a constant. There are however limitations to the use of whole bricks, particularly as they require a lot of energy to manufacture. The increase in the cost of energy as a result of the war in Ukraine has had a dramatic impact on brick manufacturers and led to some significant price increases. In addition, the need to improve sustainability in construction means alternatives to whole bricks are being sought to reduce the embedded energy of projects.
One such alternative to whole bricks is extruded brick slips. Made from natural clay and fired like traditional bricks, extruded brick slips are manufactured as thin slips or tiles requiring only 30-40% of the energy used to manufacture whole bricks, which is quite a substantial reduction in energy consumption. Furthermore, manufactured brick slips are usually around 15mm thick and are packed up to 3000 slips to a pallet as opposed to up to 600 whole bricks to a pallet. This means fewer pallets of brick slips will be required to cover a given area compared with traditional bricks, reducing associated transport costs.
Eurobrick Systems have been supplying brick slip cladding systems for over 30 years and have witnessed first-hand the growth in the market for brick slips. Their Britannia range is a selection of kiln fired natural clay brick slips that provide excellent quality and great value, offering a wide range of colours and textures to choose from.
Suitable for both exterior and interior projects, the smooth finish and clean edges of some brick slips in this range complement contemporary designs while others offer the more traditional aesthetic that is always in demand.
With this wide-ranging collection, there is something to suit all projects. Manufactured in standard UK metric sizes, the nominal size of the Britannia range brick slip is 215mm in length by 65mm height with a thickness of just 14-15mm. Corner pieces are also available and nominally measure 215 x 65 x 100 x 14-15mm.
Eurobrick also have a specially formulated pointing mortar called Europoint which is designed for bag or gun injection into the joints of its brick slip cladding systems. Europoint is available in 8 colours to contrast with or complement the brick choice.
Eurobrick’s systems and brick slips provide a low maintenance, durable finish that is virtually indistinguishable from traditional brickwork. If you would like to discuss your project or brick slip requirements in more detail, please call them on 0117 971 7117 or you can find out more about Eurobrick’s systems and products at www.eurobrick.co.uk.