Types and manufacture of old bricks

The industrial production of building materials allows us to ensure their supply in large quantities. But at the same time, industrial production produces, albeit high-quality, but somewhat monotonous products. The way out of this situation is to use deliberately aged bricks.

Plasterboard structures have long ceased to cause delight, on the contrary, they have become an architectural and design stamp. Therefore, they are being replaced by a more recent design solution: antique brick. It is increasingly being used to decorate interior walls. This solution is recommended when decorating halls, corridors, as well as when decorating kitchens. You can cover the wall with old brick both in a city apartment and in a suburban cottage.

It should be noted that laying out walls with old bricks in small-sized housing is illogical and inconvenient. There, she only absorbs a lot of space, which is always not enough. But this does not mean that you need to give up your plan completely. A good replacement for a full-fledged brick wall is a specially designed tile. It is distinguished by its low thickness and allows realizing the most daring aesthetic ideas.

Artificial aging of bricks is usually done mechanically. You can even make it with your own hands, while there is no need to use industrial equipment. For work use:

• punchers;
• hammers;
• grinding machines;
• chisels;
• blowtorches.

Damage to the brick surface should be done as carefully as possible. But in order for the appearance to be as natural as possible, it is required to create heterogeneities. As already mentioned, it is advisable to entrust such work to professionals. They know how to make it in a short time and use a minimum of building material. But still it is worth making out how all this is done on your own.

First, they take a grinder and dismantle the top layer of brick. Further, using a perforator, the building blocks are partially destroyed. In some places, the effect of natural destruction of the material is recreated. For this purpose, the halves of individual bricks are sometimes knocked out. With a chisel and hammer, chips can be reproduced. Chipping bricks is required in various places. The blowtorch will help change the color of the surface. But the work doesn't end there. You also need to shade the dark areas with sandpaper. It is important to understand that this is not only difficult and time-consuming work, the slightest mistake can result in excessive damage to the material.

Aging an already built wall often begins with coarse-grained sandpaper. Rubbing individual areas with it, they create a grid of irregularities there. Since a real old brick cannot have even edges, it is necessary to beat off the edges of individual blocks. If you don't want to use a blowtorch, you can darken individual areas with acid. Having additionally aged the masonry, the seams are filled with soil. Sometimes even simple forest moss is used. To ensure that the wall that is designed in the right way is resistant to water, the entire surface is covered with a combination of wax, turpentine and paraffin. The three components are mixed in equal proportions. The advantage of such a coating is also giving the masonry a matte sheen.

When changing the color of the material with a blowtorch, it is required to strictly observe safety precautions.At the same time, it is not worth treating the surface of the brick with a lamp and store-bought compounds. When it is required to correct its tonality together with the protection of the masonry, acrylic paints can be used. Apply the paint with a simple sponge. When choosing paint for an aged wall, they usually focus on the darkest varieties. But the seams are treated with gray, beige or yellow paint. Rollers and brushes are not recommended. Yes, these tools provide a more even distribution of the material. But it is for this reason that they interfere with the creation of a believable "old" wall.

When the surface is painted, the dried mass is often treated with emery. Small chips and scratches will only enhance the authenticity of the coating. To focus attention on the seams of the masonry, they are deepened using a spatula. If such a tool is not at hand, you can scratch the gaps of the brick rows with a large sharp nail. Then the vacated places are filled with a solution that is prepared from:

• paints;
• crushed brick;
• cement.

The prepared composition is laid in the seams, as well as in the places where the chips are prepared. They try to provide the effect of the "influx" of the mortar on the row of bricks located below. If you paint the wall unevenly with white and beige paints, you will get the feeling that it is covered with a dusty coating. But in addition to mechanical aging and the use of paint, special compositions, you can use plaster - both ordinary and decorative samples. The preferred color of the plaster is white, although both light gray and beige tones can be used.

Having prepared the solution, it is applied to the wall in such a way that the impression of peeling off the material is created. All bricks that are not covered with plaster are aged in other ways. It is not recommended to beat off more than half of the brick. This will drastically weaken its carrying capacity. Also, you cannot remove even individual blocks from the middle and bottom of the masonry - otherwise you can really destroy the wall.

The main area of ​​application of antique and aged bricks is interior decoration. However, there are a number of cases when the material is used in the design of facades. He has proven himself excellent:

• in full and partial wall and ceiling cladding;
• when decorating catering establishments, other public places;
• when styling interiors for old buildings;
• when designing various partitions;
• for decorating fences, terraces, garden pavilions and fountains.

It is important to understand that laying out old bricks only seems simple in appearance. Only trained professionals will be able to do this work properly. Skillful use of aged bricks allows you to incredibly transform the look of the finished surface. The loft style is best combined with the use of deliberately aged blocks. But in other classical styles, they may well be used.

It is quite simple to age a brick wall on a balcony. And the effect of this technique is striking (in every sense). The photo below shows how a moderate red brick, its expressive uneven contours gracefully combine with graceful accessories on the shelves, with flowers on the windowsill. Even the embroidered cushions on the sofa turn out to be part of the eye-catching combination. But this is not the only possible solution.

A simple rough wall with chipped bricks can also look pretty attractive. Chaotically located chips and notches only contribute to the romantic mood. At the same time, which is typical, not all bricks have uneven outer edges. This difference only heightens the contrast. The composition is completed by rather deep aisles.

And the authors of this design project clearly preferred a different method. The wall is lined not with red, but with white bricks. Chips and grooves in it are relatively few, and they are not striking.But the rows are completely cleaned out, the decorative old brick is simply glued to the base. Some bricks are lighter, while others are darker, moreover, the blocks are mutually displaced in relation to each other, and not laid in even and neat rows.

For information on how to make a semi-antique brick, see the next video.