Brick

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Bricks are usually made from clay, shale, soft slate, calcium silicate, concrete, or shaped from quarried stone. Clay is the most common material, with modern clay bricks formed in one of three processes - soft mud, dry press, or extruded.=====

In their most primitive form bricks were not fired like nowadays, but they were hardened by being dried on the sun. In most cases, the length of a brick is about twice its width.
Types of Bricks:

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-Building brick, also called common or hard, is made from ordinary clay or shale and is fired in kilns. These bricks have no special shoring, markings, surface texture, or color. The harder and more durable types are preferred. =====

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-Face brick is better quality and has better durability and appearance than building brick. Because of this, face bricks are used in exposed wall faces. The most common face brick colors are various shades of brown, red, gray, yellow, and white. =====

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-Pressed brick is made by a dry-press process, rather than by kiln firing. Pressed bricks have regular, smooth faces, sharp edges, and perfectly square corners. Ordinarily, they are used like face brick. =====

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-Glazed brick has one surface coated with a white or colored ceramic glazing. The glazing forms when mineral ingredients fuse together in a glasslike coating during burning. Glazed bricks are particularly suited to walls or partitions in hospitals, laboratories, and other structures requiring sanitary conditions and ease of cleaning. =====

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-Fire brick is made from a special type of clay. This clay is very pure and uniform and is able to withstand the high temperatures of fireplaces, boilers, and similar constructions. Fire bricks are generally larger than other structural bricks and are often hand-molde =====

Bricklaying is a trade that specialises in building and repairing walls, floors, partitions, fireplaces, chimneys, as well as other structures with brick or concrete block. A bricklayer may use their skills for residential or large commercial development projects. Additionally, bricklayers may also refurbish brickwork on restoration projects.

Brickwork bonds
Flemish bond || Stretcher bond || English bond || Header bond || Rat-trap bond || Herringbone bond || A simple basket bond pattern ||
 * [[image:http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/b/b2/Flemish_bond.svg/120px-Flemish_bond.svg.png width="120" height="120" link="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Flemish_bond.svg"]]
 * [[image:http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/01/Rat-trap_bond.svg/120px-Rat-trap_bond.svg.png width="120" height="120" link="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Rat-trap_bond.svg"]]

Advantages

 * Brick and stone can increase the thermal mass of a building, giving increased comfort in the heat of summer and the cold of winter.
 * Brick typically will not require painting and so can provide a structure with reduced life-cycle costs, although sealing appropriately will reduce potential spalling due to frost damage.
 * The appearance, especially when well crafted, can impart an impression of solidity and permanence.
 * Is very heat resistant and thus provides good fire protection.
 * Masonry walls are more resistant to projectiles, such hurricanes or tornadoes than walls of wood or other softer, less dense materials.

Disadvantages

 * Extreme weather causes degradation of masonry wall surfaces due to frost damage. This type of damage is common with certain types of brick, though rare with concrete block. If non-concrete (clay-based) brick is to be used, care should be taken to select bricks suitable for the climate in question.
 * Masonry tends to be heavy and must be built upon a strong foundation (usually reinforced concrete) to avoid settling and cracking. If expansive soils (such as adobe clay) are present, this foundation needs to be quite elaborate and the services of a qualified structural engineer may be required, particularly in aerthquake prone regions.