Choosing The Right Brick Siding

Brick siding is a tremendous, versatile and aesthetically pleasing choice for homeowners to choose. It offers many benefits that are commonly unseen in other types of siding, namely vinyl and aluminum. Brick is a wholly natural product made out of differing clays with water and thus, is a dense and porous siding option which has excellent thermal retention. You can find bricks in many different varieties and grades; yellow bricks have been fired making them fireproof, making them the optimal choice when building a fireplace or BBQ pit. Secondly, you have standard house bricks which for the most part are unappealing to the eye, as they are intended to be covered with a layer of plaster or stucco. Finally, we have the face brick; this is the one you would use as brick siding, as they sturdy and appealing to the eye. Face bricks are also available in a dizzying array of tones and shades to suit your needs as a homeowner.

With brick siding, there are many options for the homeowner to choose from ranging from inexpensive to rather costly. There is, the standard face brick of similar size and shape to a house brick; next you have a brick veneer which is essentially an ultra thin brick, and finally cut stone can also fall into this category. All of these different types of brick offer similar benefits, and ultimately it is the depth of your budget that allows you to opt for cut stone over a thin brick veneer.

Installing brick is more labor intensive than vinyl or aluminum, as brick sidings need to be securely held in place with mortar. It is a job for a siding contractor unless you, as the homeowner, has experience in brick laying or stone work. It is vital to remember when installing your brick siding, to use a weather proof barrier in between the siding and base materials to ensure no water or damp can seep into the house itself.

With brick, it is crucial to apply a clear layer of weather coat for those who live in very wet or damp areas. Because brick is a natural, and subsequently porous substance; those who do live in areas with adverse weather could experience issues with damp seeping into their bricks. This can lead to staining of the bricks, or worse, damaging the structural integrity of the bricks themselves. However, regardless of having to apply a single coat of weather proofer, bricks are incredibly low maintenance, so low that they do not even require maintenance after an initial weatherproofing. It is incredibly common for brick sidings to last longer than the actual materials a house was originally built from, offering a superb amount of value for the initial high cost of brick siding. Furthermore, it is highly unlikely that you will ever have to replace a brick due to damage, because bricks are not easily broken and you won't have to worry about cracks, dents or punctures too.

Overall, brick siding does have a high cost compared to aluminum or vinyl siding, but brick offers the homeowner a variety of benefits not found in the other siding options. Most importantly they are low maintenance and once installed, will last a lifetime, if not more. Another excellent property that brick siding has, is its ability to keep a house cool in the summer and warm in the winter, thus reducing the costs of your heating bills and furthering the amount of value you will receive from this siding option.