BRICK SLIPS

Brick slips often referred to as brick tiles, brick slip tiles or brick veneers, are lightweight, attractive and easy to fit decorative materials used to imitate the authentic look of a traditional brick wall and they are suitable either for exterior or interior walls. They can also be used for interior walls in kitchens, bathrooms or even to accomplish favoured brick fireplace ideas without taking up too much space in an existing room. Where a conventional brick wall is self-supporting, brick slips have to be stuck onto some sort of base with an adhesive. Brick slips can provide the appearance of brick cladding without the expense of building a foundation to support a brick wall. Brick slips installation is really straight forward and requires no special knowledge. These natural-looking bricks have become popular in commercial buildings giving new facades a fresh look. They become even more popular due to the fact that they are readily available in well known stores near your location such as B&Q, Wickes or Travis Perkins. Since they have direct contact with the external wall surface they don't take up much space and the use of wall ties is not needed. Great thing about them is that they often come discounted as an end production clearance product. Because brick slips are thinner this can mean they weigh less too. The lightest version of external blick slip weighs as low as 5kg per m2 (6kg/m2 together with the brick slip adhesive). However, most brick slips weigh 25kg per m2. The Brick Slip system has only two components – the brick slip and the adhesive.

HOW ARE BRICK SLIPS MADE?

Brick slips are usually produced in one of two ways. Firstly, they can be cut from the face of a standard brick, this method is a more traditional approach to brick slip production and allows the classic textures and look of a brick to be maintained. Secondly, in a similar way to the process used for standard wire-cut brick production, a column of extruded clay is divided into the required slip thickness before being kiln fired. This is a more cost-effective production method. However, this method does not offer the same levels of aesthetics and removes the opportunity to have header and pistol (corner) slips.

TYPES OF BRICK SLIPS

There are 3 different types of brick slips: traditional brick slips, brick slip tiles and polystyrene tiles panels.

TRADITIONAL BRICK SLIP

A traditional brick slip is a thin slice of brick (usually 20-22mm thick) that can be either made this way or cut from the face of a full-sized brick. They can be made one of two ways: 

1. Fired in ovens, just like conventional bricks  
Disadvantages: the range of finishes is very limited. 
Advantages: cheap to buy.

2. Sliced off the face of standard-width bricks, which is most common

Disadvantages: delicate once cutted. 
Advantages: expensive to buy.
Cost per m2: £55
Manufacturers: Wienerberger, Euroform.

BRICK SLIP TILES

Brick tiles are flexible and durable thin slices of brick slip tiles that creates a traditional look of brickwork to your facade walls or interior design. Since they are mineral-based, external wall brick slip cladding tile consists of a mixture of assorted quartz sands and a binding agent.

The brick slips are very lightweight and incredibly easy to install, making them perfect for installing on top of external wall insulation (EWI) systems or as an additional facade design. All the pigments used in the brick slips tiles are resistant to UV, meaning they won’t fade over time when exposed to sunlight.

Disadvantages: does not fully reflect the appearance of a brick.
Advantages: wide range of different colours.
Cost per m2: £26
Manufacturers: Elastolith, StoCleyer B Mineral Brick Slips. 

POLYSTYRENE TILES PANELS

Polystyrene tiles panels are 20mm thick, high density decorative panels that have necessary flexibility and original textured brick appearance. While most brick slips are sold individually, you can get them set in panels which are much quicker to lay. Because they are polystyrene based they do provide insulation value too. The paint on top of the acrylic surface is UV which makes the panels last longer. Panel sizes are standard 0.50 x 100 cm, thickness is 2cm for the inside and 4cm for outside panels. It will only allow 3.5% of water and dampness which means that it could also be used in the bathrooms with no problems.

Disadvantages: connections can be visible, impossible to imitate corners.
Advantages: big format (500mm x 1000mm), easy to apply.
Cost per m2: £14
Manufacturers: Strotex, Delledecor.

HOW MUCH DO BRICK SLIPS COST?

Brick slips are much lighter than conventional brickwork, so they don’t require deep foundations which can potentially save you money. Depending on the tape, you should expect to pay around £26/m2 for brick tiles and over £58/m2 for traditional brick slip products. You also need to take into consideration the adhesive or backing boards. In addition to this, details like corner brick slips are expensive to produce, and all the laying adhesives are more expensive than cement mortar. For contrast, a single full size brick not only weighs 3,1kg but also costs around £80 per m2. Custom made pieces, which requires many more labour hours, naturally adding to the overall cost.

BRICK SLIP INSTALLATION

A tiler or bricklayer should be able to do it easily, but it's something that a DIYer can do to a very good standard. The only specialist tools you'd need would be a tile cutter, angle grinder or multi tool to cut them, and a mortar gun and mortar jointing tool to complete the pointing. The joints between the brick slips are then filled or grouted, so that they resemble the spacing of conventional brickwork. Choosing the correct brick slip adhesive can be confusing but there are a few options when it comes to attaching your brick slips:

• A cement-based adhesive, which is similar to that used for tiles. It is often cheaper to buy and better for heavier brick slips and external walls.
• An epoxy-based adhesive, which is oil based and ideal for internal walls that won't get wet.

INSTALLATION

1. Seal the surface with a suitable primer.
2. Mix the adhesive.
3. Using a notched adhesive spreader apply an even and consistent layer to an area you can cover.
TIP
It is recommended covering 1-2m2 with the adhesive at a time to give sufficient time to install the brick slips.
4. Install brick slips, cutting in where necessary.
TIP
Use 10mm-15mm spacers between each brick slips to ensure consistent joints.
5. Pointing the joints - squeeze the mortar into the joints. Once the mortar has started to set, strike the joints off with a jointer to achieve the finished look.
6. Apply the coat of sealer using a roller or brush.

Picture credit: www.lowes.com